WASHINGTON, D.C. – At 11 a.m. Monday, when visiting teams are typically preparing to take the ice in Capital One Arena for their morning skate on game days, a group of Buffalo Sabres players were in the hallway passing time by kicking around a soccer ball.
The friendly competition took place between off-ice workouts, and everyone had the option to skate. Sabres coach Don Granato decided to give his players a break of sorts after an intense, physical practice in KeyBank Center the day prior.
Some coaches loathe morning skates, including Granato’s predecessor, Ralph Krueger. Others view them as necessary to prepare for the game that night. Granato’s philosophy lies somewhere in between. He doesn’t detest or love the act of having his players on the ice for 30 minutes the morning of a game day, and we’ll see the Sabres mix in optional skates across the 82-game season.
People are also reading…
“It really is day to day,” explained Granato. “What coaches like is that you’re ready to play at 7 p.m. How you get there, it really doesn’t matter to me as a coach. I don’t think it matters to anyone as a coach. Just 7 p.m., be ready to play. We gave the guys an optional today because we wanted (Sunday) to be a hard workday for practice."
Read the full story from News Sports Reporter Lance Lysowski
Amid Krueger’s first season in 2019-20, he told reporters during a trip on the West Coast that you would rarely see the Sabres skate on the morning of a game. During his time as Chairman of Southampton F.C. in the English Premier League, Krueger saw that soccer team managers, on the advice of sports science, did not want their players running through exhaustive drills when they had a game in several hours.
Krueger followed a similar plan by typically having his players go through activation workouts off the ice. Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert has a similar approach. He explained to reporters following a loss Friday night that he prefers to not have his team on the ice because players are typically sloppy during morning skates and that those bad habits can carry into games.
We had yet to hear Granato’s thoughts on morning skates because he needed them during his time as interim coach last season. After all, the Sabres had only 12 practices between Granato taking over on March 7 and their final game. This season, though, his team can opt for an off-ice workout because there’s more practice time.
“It’s one or the other, but you’re going to activate your body in the morning and go through a routine, whether that’s on the ice or off,” said Granato.
Familiar face
With goalie Aaron Dell on the Sabres’ roster, the Rochester Americans recalled Michael Houser from the Cincinnati Cyclones. Houser had an .876 save percentage in three games for the Cyclones, but he’s an accomplished goaltender who can work with prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen during practices this week and Rochester needed another option in net.
The Amerks don’t have a game until Wednesday night on the road and they have a weekend back-to-back at home against Cleveland.
Houser appeared in four games for the Sabres last season, totaling a .901 save percentage after making his NHL debut at 28 years old. He returned to the organization this summer on an American Hockey League contract.
