Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres have decided on their goaltending for the upcoming 2021-22 season. Craig Anderson will be here, as expected, but a guy nobody was talking about won the other job.
Dustin Tokarski has been, by far, the best goalie the Sabres have had this preseason. The talk was surrounding Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and if he could win a starting job, but nobody was talking about Tokarski. The veteran goaltender took it as a challenge, and head coach Don Granato has been impressed.
“I’m happy about his progress, but I’m not surprised, because he’s so competitive," Granato said following Thursday's practice.
“I had a hunch that he would build on last year and take that experience to find another level. So he’s earned the right to be here and everything matters to him. I’m happy for him, and he’s done a nice job.”
Injuries forced Tokarski into the Buffalo net last season. In 13 games, the 32-year-old was 2-8-2 with a 3.54 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
Nobody expected to see Tokarski in the NHL last season, as he had played one NHL game with Anaheim Ducks since leaving the Montreal Canadiens after the 2015-16 season. Tokarski has never played more than 17 NHL games in a season.
In this year’s preseason, Tokarski posted a 1.46 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in 82 minutes of work. That was far superior to Aaron Dell, who played 64 minutes with a 5.63 goals-against average and an .838 save percentage. Dell was waived by Buffalo on Wednesday.
Anderson doesn’t know Tokarski that well yet, but he has certainly made an impression on him.
“He’s determined," Anderson said after Thursday's session. "I think he came in here, put his nose down and put the work boots on every day, as far as being one of the first guys on and last guys off, doing extra with the guys out there, battling on every shot. From an outside point of view, he looks like he’s determined to be here and determined to prove that he belongs here.”
Anderson has only played two periods in the preseason, but he said he will get the full game in Saturday's preseason finale against the Detroit Red Wings.
“The plan was always to start with the two there first through the first few games, and then get the last one here. I’m looking forward to getting in there on Saturday, get the routine back,” Anderson said.
The 40-year-old veteran played seven total games last season for the Washington Capitals. While he spent a majority of the 2020-21 season on Washington's taxi squad, he believes it will not take much time for him to be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season in Buffalo.
“I think I’ve proven myself last year that you don’t need a lot of games to get yourself ready," Anderson said. "It’s just a matter of putting the work in in practice, and doing everything that you need to make sure you’re individually ready to go when called upon.”
Tage Thompson continues to practice at center for the Sabres. Granato has liked what he’s seen so far, and there’s a reason he’s giving this a good look.
“We know him as a creative player, and when you’re on a wall, your creativity is limited because your opponents know you can only go one way," Granato explained. "There’s a strong-side [defender] that can play you and the weak-side [defender] can read what your options are. When you’re in the middle, you grab the attention of both defensemen and he has options left or right.”
Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson and J-J Peterka didn’t practice on Thursday. Granato says it was more of a maintenance day for the two veterans of the group.
“For Dahlin and Olofsson, it was a soft tissue, games back-to-back issue," he said. "I think we’ll keep them out of the skate tomorrow too. We want to ratchet it up, so I don’t want the soft tissue stuff they’re dealing with be aggravated.”
As for Peterka, Granato said he is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment, calling his issue "a bruise.”
Practice was ratcheted up on Thursday, as the team went 90 minutes on the ice.
After practice, Brett Murray and Jack Quinn were assigned to the Rochester Americans. Meanwhile, nobody claimed Dell or defenseman Jimmy Schuldt on waivers, so they’ll likely be sent to the Amerks.
Thursday's lines:
Forwards:
Murray – Eakin – Quinn (Hayden)
Skinner – Mittelstadt – Hinostroza
Asplund – Thompson – Ruotsalainen
Jonsson-Fjallby - Girgensons – Okposo
Caggiula – Cozens – Bjork
Defense:
Butcher – Jokiharju
Hagg – Miller
Bryson – Pysyk
Davidson - Fitzgerald
