BUFFALO – As Sabres center Peyton Krebs skated through the neutral zone early in Monday’s practice, captain Rasmus Dahlin hip-checked his teammate, knocking him to the ice.
When Krebs got up, the teammates began shoving, and soon they dropped their gloves and began throwing punches.
Teammates quickly intervened, and after a few seconds, the fight ended and practice resumed in LECOM Harborcenter.
“Stuff happens out there, and I regret it now,” Dahlin said following the session. “… I apologized to him, so it’s all good. That’s how it is out there.”
He added: “We just hug it out and we’re all good.”
Earlier in practice, Krebs high-sticked Dahlin – “Got him in the face a bit,” he said – as he skated to the net.
“He’s a passionate guy and that’s why we love him,” Krebs said.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said “boys will be boys.”
“I think Dahls got bumped before, he evened out the score,” he said. “I wouldn’t read too much into that.”
The brief incident underscores how aggressively the Sabres like to practice.
“We want competitive practices, so I think every now and then the emotions will run a little high,” Ruff said. “That’s a good place to be.”
Krebs said “practice hard” has become the team’s motto.
“That’s what we’re doing,” he said. “You try to practice like you play. … On off-days, we’re buddies.”
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Ruff said Sabres winger JJ Peterka, out since suffering a concussion Oct. 5, is “50-50” for Wednesday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Peterka practiced again Monday.