Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – In Friday’s episode of "Buffalo Sabres Daily Roster Management", Jack Quinn was recalled from the Rochester Americans, while Peyton Krebs was sent down.
Zemgus Girgensons missed practice with a non-COVID-related illness will not make the trip to Nashville. Alex Tuch missed practice with a maintenance day.
Quinn has been slumping along with JJ Peterka, and Sabres head coach Don Granato wanted them both to get two games off to re-charge both physically and mentally.
“It’s been good," said Quinn on Friday. "We’ve had some time to take in some hockey and watch from a different perspective, try to reset and come back into the lineup with some energy.”
The Sabres have seemed to reduce chances in their own end, but Granato says that will take care of itself if they play better.
“I’m more worried about the psyche of our team, which is a priority that takes care of itself when we’re playing high-tempo hockey," said Granato. "I think we were concerned with trying not to lose a little bit, which was hidden in there and that’s what you get. You get stung, so you can’t fear. We’re a group that can’t. We’re building a group that doesn’t, and we want the other team to fear us.”
Granato mentioned they had over 30 scoring chances on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Sabres are looking to break a three-game losing streak on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators. Despite the streak, Tage Thompson has seen improvement in each game.
“If you go back and look at Philly, I think we all know that wasn’t our best game," said Thompson on Friday. "I think we got better the next day against Seattle, but it was a little inconsistent at times. I thought last night, we played a good game.
“You’ve got to give them credit, they play hard. They make it tough to get to the net, and their goalie stood on his head. Sometimes that’s going to happen, but I liked the way we played. Maybe if our power play clicks a little better (0-for-5), maybe it gives us a little more momentum. But in the big scheme of things, that’s the way we’ve got to play moving forward.”
The Sabres are now 9-11-2 at home this season, which isn’t remotely good enough. As they hit the road on Saturday, the Sabres are 11-7-0 away from home, winning five-of-their last six road games.
Since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen remained on the roster, I would guess there’s a good chance he’ll play against the Predators. That would likely put Craig Anderson in goal Monday afternoon against the Florida Panthers.
