Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres had a rough out on Tuesday night when the Boston Bruins came to town and dominated with a 5-2 win on a night where Kyle Okposo played in his 1,000th NHL game.
Not only did the Sabres lose the game, but also lost star forward Tage Thompson due to injury. While Thompson was able to return following a cut on his foot in the first period, he did block a shot that hit his left wrist in the second period that took him out for the rest of the game.
During his weekly appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on Wednesday, Sabres head coach Don Granato confirmed that Thompson will be out on a week-to-week basis, but will not be out much more than a month's time.
Related
The Sabres got out to, yet, another slow start on Tuesday, which included a stretch early in the opening period where Buffalo gave up two goals in just about two minutes. Granato feels one key to success going forward is getting the first goal in the game.
"When you fall behind, at some point, you have to press," said Granato on Wednesday with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "Structure is so good in the NHL, when teams get in their structure, it's hard to get through it. A lot of times, you've gotta dump the puck and pressure low below a goal line, and force them to make mistakes there. But the statistics are incredibly high -0 .700 or .800 winning percentage - when you score first. As the other team has done, a goal presses a little bit, and they expose themselves even more. It's a different dynamic when you're ahead, and it's a different dynamic when you're behind."
Branching off the same idea of scoring first, Granato also wants his team to be able to seize it opportunities when they arise.
"We had lots of opportunities to score, and when you're just off on the psyche, you're missing the chances that you do generate," he said. "For me, a little bit more conviction, a little bit more decisiveness that can be seen with in areas of just, what are we doing right when we enter the offensive zone? Are we driving the net? When we do put a puck out of their guys driving toward the net? Those are real indicators of the conviction that you can score, you're going to score. We haven't been good in those areas. When you gauge that, when you evaluate it postgame, being better in those areas is one way that scoring will be increased."
The Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the entire NHL, and at times, that can help them. However, it can also hurt them. One of the important things for Granato to do in this time is to keep the players focused.
"I would say most of your job as a coach is managing the intangibles," Granato said. "Today the concern would be how our guys feel after that game. Obviously they'll take last night's loss really hard. In lots and lots of cases, it's bringing these guys back into the moment that next game, even that next entry into the zone, are we driving the net? Are we doing the little details that will add up in a game? As young people, we all know how that is. You're young, you're still gaining experience, in this case in hockey."
Hear more from Granato's appearance with Jeremy and Joe available in the player below:
