Coming off a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday that saw three different players score a pair of goals, the Buffalo Sabres are back in Ottawa on Tuesday night to take on the Senators for a second time in a week.
As the Sabres get ready for Tuesday's matchup, the team got some much-needed good news, as forward Casey Mittelstadt is expected to return to the lineup after missing a majority of the 2021-22 season with an upper-body injury.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato joined the "Howard and Jeremy Show" on Tuesday for his weekly appearance on WGR. He believes that Mittelstadt will need some time to get his “feel” back, just as Alex Tuch did when he was returned from offseason shoulder surgery.
However, when Mittelstadt gets back up to speed, Granato thinks the 23-year-old is one of the key players to this roster.
“He’s a major leader for us, because of his competitiveness," he said with Howard Simon and Jeremy White. "When he’s in a rhythm, we are a better hockey team.”
Following the Buffalo Bills' heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend in the AFC Divisional Round, Granato says as a head coach of a team that suffers a loss in such a manner, it's something that will stick with you.
“One thing is for certain, you don't sleep at night. You can’t shut it off,” Granato said.
However, when Granato looks at the Bills' roster and how they go to this point, he sees some similarities in the direction of where his hockey team is going.
“Things are exciting for the future, because of all our young guys and just how capable they all are," he said.
The Sabres take on the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. EST, with pregame starting at 6 p.m. EST on WGR. You can listen to everything Granato had to say during his appearance on the “Howard and Jeremy Show” below:
