Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres finally earned their first three-game winning streak of the season over the weekend after beating the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2 in a shootout, on Sunday night.
However, Buffalo came short of extending their winning ways on Tuesday, falling 3-2 to the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.
This did not happen without some controversy, though.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato was very happy with the way his team played on Tuesday night, and was pleased with the way the group attempted to overcome a tough deficit.
However, Granato knows how frustrating things can be when officiating makes or misses a call or multiple calls that seem wrong.
"There was plenty that you can be aggravated with, and I think our guys were," said Granato on Wednesday during an appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR. "They want to win, they feel they can. They see a way they can. I'm happy for that, and proud of them for that. You fight all sorts of elements. Let's face it, we're in sports. You're always gonna fight different elements, and elements we're talking about, you've gotta rise. So, at the end of it, there is no excuse, but it's going to be part of it and it's another piece of adversity. That's part of what we do."
There are times when the frustrating physical style of play played by the Panthers, paired with some questionable officiating, can further frustrations even more.
"You ask your team to play from puck drop to the whistle, they do it and then they take an extra punch after the whistle and you don't benefit from it. Those are the things that can frustrate you and add up," Granato said with Jeremy White and Nate Geary. "A big thing, too, I think as a coach and as a team, everybody wants communication, everybody wants respect. There needs to be that communication."
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One positive note as of late for the Sabres has been the play of forward Peyton Krebs, who has seen his role elevated to more of an offensive role with 18-year-olf Zach Benson and JJ Peterka. Granato says this is, in part, due to his growth as a player overall.
"What we did is we talked a lot to him about his role being with [Kyle] Okposo and [Zemgus] Girgensons in a fourth line capacity, and said, 'Hey Peyton, we have all the faith in the world in you and your potential, and the skill game that you can play and potential.' But alongside Okposo and Girgensons, I think he absorbed a lot from those two in building a foundation for his game situational awareness," Granato explained. "We went through a lot in film, and now when we move him up a line or put him back in more of a scoring role, he has a foundation under him."
Hear more from Granato's appearance during the "Jeremy and Joe Show" available in the player below:
