Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - After a tough loss on Monday night to the Edmonton Oilers in a really well-played contest, the Buffalo Sabres will look to rebound quick as they look to continue their quest to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo will look to wipe its memory clean and grab an important win on Tuesday night in a matchup with the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Long Island. As of Tuesday morning, the Sabres trail the Islanders by four points in the Eastern Conference Wild Card chase, but they still have three games in-hand on New York.
A win on Tuesday would go an extremely long way for the Sabres in their push to end a NHL record 11-straight seasons without a playoff appearance with 20 games remaining on the regular season schedule.
While the Sabres didn’t get any points in the standings following Monday's effort against the Oilers, Sabres head coach Don Granato is happy his team played with the intensity it did in a 3-2 loss. He also felt like they had the opportunities to win, but just couldn't capitalize.
Even with Connor McDavid scoring twice on Buffalo, Granato knows his group is going to play the best players in the world on a regular basis.
“You want to make certain that you are not so consumed by the single player that your five-man system is in place to defend against top players,” said Granato during his weekly appearance on the "Jeremy White Show" on WGR.
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Monday’s game was the first game for winger Jordan Greenway in a Sabres uniform since being acquired from the Minnesota Wild at the NHL Trade Deadline. At times during the game, Granato moved Greenway up-and-down the lineup in order to get better communication with the guys on the bench.
“I thought that was important,” Granato said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase on Tuesday. “Not having practice time and going into a back-to-back to get him integrated with the team full force.”
Now with the moves that general manager Kevyn Adams has made at the deadline, the Sabres have some added depth on the forward front. Granato says he expects Tyson Jost to be back in the lineup after not playing against Edmonton. However, he did not give any further indications into what other changes he will make come Tuesday night.
When it comes to Tuesday night's battle with the Islanders, Granato knows there is a different tone as they get closer to the end of the season. Despite that, he still wants his team to play their game with speed and quickness.
Hear more from Granato’s appearance during the “Jeremy White Show” available in the player below:
