Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - After a 10-day layoff for their bye week and the NHL All-Star break, the Buffalo Sabres return to game action on Tuesday night when they host the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center.
Upon the team's return from the break on Sunday, the Sabres didn't receive much positive news on the injury front.
The Sabres have lost defenseman Mattias Samuelsson for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair an upper-body injury, while forward Jack Quinn will also be out 6-to-8 weeks after surgery to repair a lower-body injury.
While the injuries are a significant blow to the roster, Sabres head coach Don Granato knows his group will have to bounce back, adapt on the fly as the team enters its home stretch of the season.
"There's more opportunity, obviously more ice time now with a guy that [has been] consistently out of the lineup. I think that responsibility is going to be picked up by the group, really," said Granato during his weekly appearance on WGR during the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on Tuesday. "I think the group is ready for it, based on just watching through the season, the progressions through the season. I think there's been more progress in the last few weeks, and I do feel there's enough around."
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Meanwhile, the Sabres have had their fair share of offensive inconsistencies throughout their lineup this season after being such a high octane offense last year. Through the first 49 games this season, the Sabres only have 146 goals-for, whereas at this point last year, they had 186 goals-for.
"Whenever you make changes, you're looking at and evaluating, 'How is this fitting? How is this working?'," Granato said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "But I can say overall, we talked about how we want to play to our identity. That's the most important thing, that we play with some pace and pressure pucks the right way. That's something we haven't done consistent enough."
Granato also addressed the team's need to stay on track when it comes to other teams around the league - especially in the Eastern Conference playoff picture - with games in-hand, rather than looking ahead too far and staying in the now.
"We've had trouble when we've gotten too far ahead, or dwelled on what might have just happened and pulled us out of the moment," the Sabres head coach said. "The calendar month of January, I think we were 7-4, maybe 7-4-1. We obviously are playing better hockey, and we need to just continue that. But if you get too far ahead of yourself, you're in trouble. You're playing against an $80 million payroll against you and the talent against you, so you've got to stay grounded in the moment. We've done a much better job of that recently, and that's where we have our success."
Hear more from Granato's appearance during the "Jeremy and Joe Show" available in the player below:
