CHICAGO – Peyton Krebs laid out to block a pass during the final drill of practice on Saturday, a competitive small-area scrimmage played within the confines of one end of the ice.
The play – which earned stick taps from his fellow Buffalo Sabres players lined up along the blue line – was a microcosm of the intensity on the ice inside the Chicago Blackhawks’ practice facility.
“The compete level was high,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “I think we have some guys not satisfied with where things are at. I’ll take that as a positive.”
The Sabres came to practice looking to build on the performance they put forth during the third period of a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg on Friday. They outshot the Jets 28-18 in total and had a 17-4 edge in high-danger chances at 5-on-5 but trailed 3-1 entering the second intermission.
They returned for the final period with an emphasis on outworking the Jets and cut the deficit in half exactly one minute in on a breakaway goal from JJ Peterka. They outshot the Jets 12-6 during the final 20 minutes, though goaltender Connor Hellebuyck saw to it that the tying goal never came.
Still, the period provided a template for how the Sabres will look to play moving forward. It began with hard practice in Chicago.
"There was a lot more intensity to it which is, again, what we need, what we need to see, I think," Granato said. "And when I say ‘we,’ it’s collective. I think the guys take it to heart and they set the standard and they certainly elevated it."
Here are more notes from Saturday's practice.
