It has been quite a turnaround for the Buffalo Sabres through the second half of the 2020-21 season.
Since the firing of head coach Ralph Krueger on March 17, the Sabres have found themselves going 6-8-3 in their last 17 games. This includes a 6-3-2 run in the 11 games since the team's historic 18-game winless streak.
A large part of the team's turnaround can be attributed to the way the group has played under the direction of interim head coach Don Granato. Compared to the team's 6-18-4 start in the first 28 games of the season, Granato has the Sabres playing with much more compete, energy and a willingness to battle on a nightly basis. While that has not always led to wins for the team, it has led to much better outcomes for not only the team, but also for the progression of some of the key contributors to the roster.
While the Sabres have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with just 11 games remaining in the season, the final stretch of the season will be more about putting together good stretches of games, while also getting a look at certain pieces on the roster for, potentially, the long-term future of the team.
One of those pieces that will get plenty of looks in the final 11 games of the season is forward Drake Caggiula, who is set to make his Sabres debut on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Caggiula was claimed by the Sabres nearly two weeks ago after being placed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.
Meanwhile, another player like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could get his first taste of National Hockey League action this week, as he returned to practice with the Sabres on Tuesday. It is possible that the 22-year-old goaltender could get his first NHL start this week with Buffalo set for a three-game series with the Bruins in Downtown Buffalo.
Granato discussed both Caggiula and Luukkonen when he joined the Howard and Jeremy Show on Tuesday for his weekly appearance on WGR. He also brought some insight on his team's mentality going forward, the progression of some of the younger players on the roster, and much more.
Here is some of what he had to say:
Granato on the way he wants his team to play every night:
"You take a win any possible way you can. You need to win a game, and if you don't win a game, you damn-well better be entertaining. That means you better be working hard, competing, fighting, scratching, clawing, and have some passion. Certainly the objective is to win, but I don't like to play a boring style, and I don't think the players like playing that either. In fact, I know they don't. They want to play, they want to get up-and-down the rink and engage physically as much as they can, skate as much as they can. It really goes hand-in-hand, as much as that is concerned."
Granato on getting the younger players to their ceiling:
"As I've mentioned before, it's supporting them, but it's also pushing them. It's us demanding of them, but in the demanding sense, the re-assurance from the staff that they can do it. I had no problem throwing Dylan Cozens against [Sidney] Crosby, and I was probably more excited than Dylan was to have that opportunity, because I just think he, [as well as] Casey [Mittelstadt], their ceilings are so high that we just need to keep pushing them towards that ceiling. We believe in them that they can do that."
Granato on the young players making mistakes:
"Lots of times, players play not to make a mistake, because when they make a mistake, there's a certain accountability that typically follows. Less ice-time or maybe bumped out of the lineup. I don't want the player to fear making a mistake. What I use and preface on that is - if you weren't prepared for the game, you weren't willing to work hard, you didn't work hard, you didn't compete and you make a mistake, you're in trouble. You will hear from me because you didn't work and you didn't prepare.
"Don't worry about making a mistake. That's part of the game. You have to make read-and-react decisions in the moment at a high pace and calibrate what's going on. We'll look that after the game on film, you'll be able to see from hindsight what it looked like on the big picture and what you were thinking in those particular situations. I don't need to tell him he was right or wrong. I need him to gain the experience of it, and then he can move on with the confidence that he gained that experience of, 'Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't.' That's kind of the process, but the last thing I want these guys to worry about is making a mistake."
Granato on the growth of Dylan Cozens at center:
"When I get him in these situations against Crosby, and Crosby maybe uses some experience to his advantage and out-smarts Dylan or anybody else in a certain situation, Dylan can take that and re-calibrate, literally the next shift. He won't be beat that way. That was a big factor, for me, to put him at center, because I know it's not going to break his confidence if he makes a mistakes, he's just going to re-calibrate. That's exciting."
Granato on Sam Reinhart's play since shifting back to center:
"I really like him at center. I've liked him since we've seen him, and there's still so much room for - I don't want to say improvement, but he hasn't played it in a while. He's almost re-learning what he can do in that position, and I think his skill set, his vision around the ice, his ability to look right and left; When you're on the wing, you're on the wall, so you're only looking at making plays one way, for the most part. He's a tricky, deceptive player. When he's in the middle of the rink and he can use that deception to go east, west, right, left, has outlets in either direction, I like that. That's a bonus. I like his skill set, I like where he's at in his career. He fits well at center, and I don't any reason to shift him to the wing, certainly not now."
Granato on what Caggiula brings to the table for the Sabres:
"As with [Anders Bjork], you give him a few games to just settle in and go through things, but... he's a relentless player. He has some dynamic 'pop' to him, quickness. He can make a play in-tight, he can score a goal in-tight. Just energy, feisty, pushes the pace for the team, vocal guy in the locker room and on the bench in a real forward, tense, competitive way. I'm excited for that. I think that adds to our group."
You can listen to the entire interview below: