The NHL's Covid-19 protocols prevented one final practice from happening so the Buffalo Sabres are officially on their holiday break. The hope is they can return to practice Sunday and host the New York Islanders here Monday night. The reality is nobody has any idea if that's going to happen.
The Sabres and Blue Jackets were scheduled to meet here Monday night and again Thursday in Nationwide Arena.
The Sabres were scheduled to have their last practice before the NHL's pause on Tuesday in LECOM Harborcenter, but it was canceled about 45 minutes before the 11 a.m. start time when the team learned that forwards Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner were joining Vinnie Hinostroza in Covid protocol.
"What you're seeing is, this is all over the world, right? The whole world is dealing with this," Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said on a video call with reporters Tuesday afternoon. "And obviously, as a sports league, we're part of that. The protocols are in place, you're doing your best to follow everything, but you get up every day and see what the day brings. We've talked all year to our players about being vigilant with the rules, and really making sure that we do everything we can to keep ourselves and each other safe. But it's just the reality of the the world we're living in right now. So you just adjust where you have to."
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Adams said Girgensons is experiencing some symptoms while Skinner and Hinostroza are not. Adams also said the Rochester Amerks are dealing with one new positive among their players after head coach Seth Appert and assistant Mike Weber have returned from the protocol list.
“Yeah, playing for your country, playing in the Olympics, it’s a great thing,” Dahlin told The News. “Last time I went there, it didn’t go very well, so I would love to go back and do it again, for sure.”
The Amerks practiced today but Wednesday's game vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Blue Cross Arena has been postponed because of the positive Rochester test and cases with the Pittsburgh affiliate.
The Sabres are hopeful they can return to the ice soon. However, the potential for more positive cases is looming.
"I do believe that the doctors are working really hard at this to analyze the data, make decisions that are right for the safety and the health of everyone involved," Adams said. "What I have learned is you just adjust with what you have to adjust to, and you focus on what you can control. And for us, those type of decisions aren't in our control. So we'll have this break, hope that we can get everybody back in healthy and re-energized and then go to work when we get back on the 26th."
Among injured players, Adams said center Tage Thompson would have been a game-time decision for Monday's postponed game against Columbus after getting positive results on his MRI exams. The Sabres say Thompson is dealing with a couple of injuries, and it's likely they either occurred or were aggravated during his fight with Pittsburgh forward Zack Aston-Reese on Friday night. Adams said goalie Craig Anderson, center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Robert Hagg are all working to get back from their injuries that have them listed as month to month.
Adams said the Sabres' dip in play in November has direct correlation to the loss of Anderson, who suffered what's believed to be a head/neck ailment in the Nov. 2 loss in San Jose.
"What a unbelievable veteran he's been with this team," Adams said of Anderson, who had a 2.50 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. "And we dearly missed him when he went out of the lineup, not just because of the play that he had. When he was backing up, he was like having a coach on the bench. He was talking to the defenseman pointing things out. That's really powerful when it comes from your own teammate. And we've missed that."
