Tyson Jost was on the ice for practice Monday, just days after the Sabres claimed the forward off of waivers from Minnesota.
Jost skated alongside Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson and wore a huge smile to go with his black and red practice gear.
"Watching these guys play, it's fun to watch. Their team is exciting," he said. "They've got a really good thing going on here and they're coming up. So, I'm excited to be part of this group and just kind of build with these guys and grow with these guys."
Jost joins Sabres at practice, excited to build and grow with team
Notes from Monday's practice at KeyBank Center
A former 10th-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Jost spent his first six seasons with the Colorado Avalanche before being traded to Minnesota last March.
The Wild placed him on waivers Friday and he was claimed by Buffalo on Saturday.
Video: Tyson Jost\ after his 1st practice with the Sabres
"For me, personally, it was just kind of hard to get in a rhythm. But that's behind me," Jost said about his time with the Wild. "I'm here. Now my focus is with the Buffalo Sabres. I want to do everything I can to help this team win."
Jost played 12 games with the Wild prior to joining the Sabres.
He has averaged over a minute of shorthanded ice time per game in each of the last three seasons, including 1:28 this season.
Video: Don Granato after Monday's practice
Head coach Don Granato believes that Jost can help the Sabres' penalty kill, which is currently ranked 29th in the league.
"He has a very solid reputation, not only as a skilled player, but as a person," Granato said. "He's a young talent. He fits what we're doing and what we're looking at here."
During his media availability Monday, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams recognized Jost as a player who "checked all the boxes."
"When you look at Tyson individually, (he's a) young player still, skates well, a lot of talent, makes plays at top speed. He can kill penalties," Adams said. "…I just felt like this was an opportunity to bring talent into our organization."
After practice, the team left for Montreal, where they'll face the Canadiens on Tuesday. Faceoff from Bell Centre is scheduled for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. Pregame coverage on MSG starts at 6:30.
Here are more notes from Monday's practice at KeyBank Center.
Video: Kevyn Adams speaks with the media
1. Zemgus Girgensons returned to practice after missing Saturday's game in Toronto due to an injury sustained versus the Senators on November 16. Girgensons could play tomorrow night against Montreal, Adams said.
Kyle Okposo remained absent, but has started skating on his own.
"Kyle actually did well today, he skated, and much better than he was a few days ago so I think we're trending in the right way there," Adams said. "It's more days than weeks now for Kyle, so that's the good news there."
Mattias Samuelsson skated on a defensive pair with Rasmus Dahlin. Granato said Samuelsson will "in all likelihood" be back in the lineup tomorrow.
2. Here's how the Sabres lined up, with Alex Tuch taking a maintenance day.
| November 21 |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 17 Tyson Jost |
| 22 Jack Quinn | 24 Dylan Cozens | 77 JJ Peterka |
| 71 Victor Olofsson | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 74 Rasmus Asplund |
| | 8 Riley Sheahan | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | |
| 20 Lawrence Pilut | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
3. Adams addressed the team's eight-game losing streak.
"I'm calm right now, and I think calm is very important in these types of things, but I'm not comfortable," Adams said. "…I'm wanting to make sure that we have a calmness about this and know that these experiences are exactly what will help them grow and learn and get better.
"We all believe that the way we're going to have sustainable success is to have our young core go through these things."
4. The Sabres sported black and red practice jerseys and gear in preparation for '90s Night presented by The BFLO Store.
On Wednesday, the team will wear its "goathead" alternate jersey for the first time as the Sabres welcome St. Louis to KeyBank Center. Tickets are on sale now.
Click here for more details on the night.
