Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – After a morning scare, the Buffalo Sabres will host the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The Sabres had a hockey staffer go into the NHL's COVID-19 Protocols, while the Bruins had the same thing happen with a player. Both teams canceled their morning skates.
After further testing and contact tracing, NHL doctors decided to play the game.
This will be Don Granato’s first game as interim head coach of the Sabres after Ralph Krueger was fired by Kevyn Adams on Wednesday. Granato has had head coaching experience in the AHL, ECHL and the USHL.
It’s not going to be easy for Granato, as he’ll be missing his best scorer in Jack Eichel, his best defenseman in Jake McCabe and his best goalie in Linus Ullmark. All three are out with injuries.
Because of postponed games, this will be the first game of the season against Boston. Buffalo is on a 12-game winless streak, going 0-10-2 along the way.
Boston won just its second game in six tries on Tuesday, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1.
The Bruins have only scored three goals in their last three games, and eight goals in their last six, which includes a four-goal game against the New York Rangers last Thursday.
The Sabres have been shut out four times in their last 11 games. Buffalo is dead last in the NHL, averaging 2.07 goals per-game. The Bruins are 23rd at 2.63.
Where Boston has a huge advantage is in net. The Bruins are third in the NHL with a 2.33 goals-against average. Buffalo is 28th at 3.39.
The power play continues to fail the Sabres with no goals in 11-straight games. The former No. 1 power play in the league is now eighth at 26%. In that time, they’re 0-for-18.
The penalty killing has fallen apart too, giving up goals in four out of five games. The PK sits at 14th at 79.7%.
The horrid slump the Sabres are in is because many of the players counted on to score and produce still aren’t. Eric Staal hasn’t scored in 19 games, Taylor Hall is goalless in seven-straight games, and has one goal in 27 games. Rasmus Dahlin hasn’t scored in 18 games, and Victor Olofsson has one goal in 12 games.
Boston’s penalty killing leads the league at 89.3%. The Bruins have fallen to 12th overall in points percentage at .630.
The Bruins have slipped to fourth in the East Division, three behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and three ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers. Boston trails the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders by eight points, but they haven’t played the Sabres yet. The Islanders have gotten 12 points against Buffalo, while the Caps have picked up 11.
Join Mike Schopp and the Bulldog at 6 p.m. ET for pregame coverage on WGR when they’ll be joined by Granato, Hall and Kyle Okposo.
