Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres will wrap up a four-game homestand on Tuesday night, looking for a win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Center after compiling five-straight losses.
After two losses on the road to the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sabres returned home to drop three-straight games to the likes of the Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Boston Bruins.
Following Tuesday's contest with the Canucks, the Sabres will take part in a three-game road trip North of the border against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and the Montreal Canadiens next Tuesday night.
As it stands, the Sabres currently sits at 7-8-0 in the standings, which is only good for seventh place in the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres have been struggling the past two weeks with handling their opponent's best players. This includes former Sabres captain Jack Eichel scoring a hat-trick for Vegas this past Thursday, while Patrice Bergeron scored twice in Saturday's loss to Boston.
The Sabres are continuing to feel the impact of injuries early in the season, especially now with the forward group, as wingers Kyle Okposo and Jack Quinn are expected to miss some time, with Quinn missing, at least, a week of action.
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However, the Sabres are getting some good news on the blue line, as they will get defenseman Henri Jokiharju back against the Canucks after missing 11 games due to a facial fracture suffered on Oct. 20.
In addition, defenseman Mattias Samuelson returned to the ice on Tuesday for his first practice since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 22. He will not play Tuesday, but he is expected to return to the lineup in the short-term future.
Despite a five-game losing streak affecting the Sabres, with the last two losses coming against the top-two teams in the NHL, Granato sees his group going through some growing pains.
“The way I look at the last few games, overall, I’m not discouraged at all. I don’t think our players or our team has lost any confidence,” Granato said during his weekly appearance on the “Howard and Jeremy Show” on WGR.
The Sabres have also had some troubles in net over the last couple weeks, primarily with newcomer Eric Comrie, who over the last three games has gone 0-3-0 with a 4.38 goals-against average and an .851 save percentage. Overall this season, Comrie has posted a 4-6-0 record this year with a 3.62 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.
While Comrie has struggled recently with his new team in Buffalo, Granato sees the 27-year-old being able to push through his struggles along with the rest of the team.
“He has never been a starting goalie in the NHL, he’s had lots of time as a backup, and sometimes that conditions you a certain way," Granato said with Howard Simon and Jeremy White. "I feel that he is doing the right things to break through.”
Hear more of Granato’s appearance during the “Howard and Jeremy Show” available in the player below:
