'They love being in Buffalo' | Team trip to Bills game another example of Sabres' camaraderie 

Connor Clifton has yet to play a preseason game for the Sabres, but he received a firsthand introduction to sports fans in Western New York on Sunday.

Clifton – along with the rest of the Sabres players still at training camp – were in attendance for the Buffalo Bills’ 48-20 win over the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium. The team was welcomed on the field prior to kickoff and met quarterback Josh Allen, who personally greeted each Sabres player.

They then watched alongside a raucous crowd that Bills head coach Sean McDermott declared was as loud as any he had experienced in his NFL career.

“Obviously, the fans are real passionate,” Clifton said. “You love to see it. It was an electric atmosphere.”

The outing was yet another example of the camaraderie the Sabres have built these past two seasons. They have large group dinners on the road and vacation together during the bye week. They gathered to watch a Bisons game before camp started last month and took a trip to watch the Bills play their opener on the road against the New York Jets.

Sabres coach Don Granato also saw it as more evidence of their commitment to their community.

“I’ve said it a lot, they love being in Buffalo,” Granato said. “They take pride in it.”

Granato continued by offering an on-ice example of that pride.

“There’s a lot of just simple trash talking in an NHL game,” he said. “They take it personal when someone tries to trash Buffalo itself. And you see that. I mean, that elevates, that provides a spark like no other. They want to fight for this community because they love being part of this community. And when you mention those sporting events, that’s a big part of the community.”

Here are more notes from Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center.

1. Alex Tuch got a big embrace on the field from Allen, with whom he’s formed a relationship since joining the Sabres. Allen wore Tuch’s jersey when he attended the Sabres’ opener last fall.

“Josh is an unbelievable guy,” Tuch said. “He’s a great leader. He’s someone that I’ve learned from just seeing him since I’ve been in the city and just seeing how much the fans in the city have embraced him. One of the best football players in the world, so it was really cool to see him up close and kind of see how he prepares.”

2. The Sabres were down to one practice session after trimming their training camp roster to 33 players over the weekend. Here’s how the group lined up:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 9 Zach Benson

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 89 Alex Tuch

77 JJ Peterka – 24 Dylan Cozens – 71 Victor Olofsson

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 21 Kyle Okposo

15 Brandon Biro – 17 Tyson Jost – 13 Lukas Rousek

81 Brett Murray – 20 Jiri Kulich – 63 Isak Rosen

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 75 Connor Clifton

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

23 Mattias Samuelsson – 6 Erik Johnson

61 Riley Stillman – 38 Kale Clague

33 Ryan Johnson – 78 Jacob Bryson

Goaltenders

31 Eric Comrie

27 Devon Levi

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

2. Granato once again praised the play of Ryan Johnson, who is participating in his first pro camp following four years at the University of Minnesota. The Sabres coach has described Johnson, a first-round pick in 2019, as a quick learner who has shown a propensity to acclimate on the fly.

“He’s very intelligent,” Granato said. “What I think of when I say that is, he’s acclimated very fast to how we want to play systematically, to how we want to play as a pair of D. It’s been really impressive to see that in him.”

Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert credited Johnson during the Prospects Challenge for embracing a defense-first, penalty-kill role, knowing the path to time on the power play could be limited for an organization that employs Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Granato echoed that sentiment Monday.

“He’s come in here trying to figure out, ‘OK, what’s expected and how do I make an impression that this organization wants? What area do they want me to make an impression in?’" Granato said. "Not many players come in with that level of maturity. So, he was able to target right away with clarity how he could move up our depth chart. I would say this camp he’s done well in that regard.”

3. The Sabres have another day of practice prior to their penultimate preseason game, which is set for Wednesday in Columbus at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on Sabres.com.