Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres continue to struggle to string together multiple wins in-a-row this season, but the team has been able to get points in the past two games with a huge win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and an overtime loss to the New York Rangers over the weekend.
After a few days off for the Christmas break, the Sabres return to game action right away with a home matchup with the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo.
From there, Buffalo has a long stretch of games with not too many breaks in-between. This could be a make-or-break string of contests at this point in the season, as the hope of playoffs still within the team's grasp near the halfway point of the year.
Sabres head coach Don Granato heavily emphasizes his team's need to regain their scoring touch upon a return from the Christmas break.
"Your psyche is key, and when you feel you can't score, it's really hard," said Granato during his weekly appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on Wednesday. "This is a tough league when you feel like you can't score and flip it. When you feel like you can score, you always feel like you're in the game you're ready for. ... We're going to focus and be very adamant about developing players, about developing scoring, and playing a high-paced, high tempo game."
The 2023-24 season for the Sabres has not been what it was hyped up to be before the year. Granato's squad currently sits at 14-17-4 through 35 games, and just 32 points. The only team that remains below the Sabres in the Atlantic Division standings is the Ottawa Senators.
Granato knows this sort of situation comes with a lot of pressure, especially after a year where Buffalo missed a playoff spot by just one point in the 2022-23 campaign.
"You can laugh, if you want. It might sound pretty stupid, but if you're walking to work every day and you walk across a plank that's two feet wide and you do it every day, it's no problem. All of a sudden, this year now, you're looking at a pit of alligators below you. You're probably going to be nervous walking that plank," Granato said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "I feel our guys had been very nervous through the course of the year, we all have. Feeling a little bit of pressure and learning how to deal with it until you block it all out, and get focused on what you do best and naturally."
With the Sabres trying to rekindle their offensive prowess, Granato says they focus on trying to create mismatching, when it comes to their forward lines against certain pairings on the other team's defense.
"When you can match our third line, they're playing against third pairing defenseman. That is the offset that we had hoped to have that we've not had yet," Granato explained. "Having skilled players play against third paring [defense], it's a nightmare matchup for the other coaches and the other team. When you can get it, you'd see things like we saw out of Jack Quinn the other night. You'll see those much more often."
Hear more from Granato's appearance during the "Jeremy and Joe Show" available in the player below:
