Okposo's 'symbolic' hat trick fuels Sabres in emotional victory

Don Granato tossed out much of the game plan as the Buffalo Sabres prepared for their first game in 10 days, a conscientious effort to allow his players to lean on the emotion he knew they would feel in the wake of the tragic blizzard that paralyzed Western New York through the holidays.
Granato has seen this Sabres team, constructed under the guiding principle of assembling players who want to be in Buffalo, take ownership of putting the organization on the right track. He expected them to rise to the occasion in the face of tragedy.
"The passion our guys have for being a Buffalo Sabre, being in our community … I could sense that energy," Granato said.

With a sellout crowd behind them, the Sabres made good on their coach's confidence. It was only fitting that Kyle Okposo, the Sabres captain who has made Buffalo his full-time home and stayed in town to ride out the storm, helped fuel the performance.
Okposo scored his first hat trick as a member of the Sabres in Buffalo's 6-3 win. The Sabres controlled play in the first period, gained separation during a four-goal second, and iced the victory when Zemgus Girgensons won a race to the corner and found Okposo for an empty-net goal.
"Special night, for sure," Okposo said. "The atmosphere was incredible and right from warmups. First period we were buzzing, and it just felt good to play a game at home and after everything that happened this weekend. All the lives lost, all the families that had to go through what they did, the first responders to all the people with plows and snowmobiles.
"Just to play in this city and feel like we're a part of the community, we're trying to become part of the glue that helps this community heal and holds this community together. We tried to go show that on the ice tonight."

Okposo, who made Buffalo his full-time home four years ago, witnessed the ferocity of the blizzard firsthand. He and his family lost power early on December 23, the first day of the storm. Short walks to the side of the house to drape plywood over a fickle generator were made difficult by the conditions.
It was symbolic, Granato said, that Okposo ended up with the hat trick on Thursday.
"This is a guy that has embedded himself and his family in this community," Granato said. "What the community is going through, has just gone through in the last nine days that we've been off is significant.
"…This is life and lots of people in life and death situations, lots of families, too many lost loved ones, too many felt the pain of this storm that went through, and to have a guy like Okie that loves this community score three I felt was appropriate."
Okposo communicated with teammates during the break regarding their willingness to play against the Red Wings in spite of the perceived challenges. The blizzard had already postponed two games, leaving the Sabres with an elongated holiday break. The driving ban in Buffalo made it impossible to practice as a full team prior to Thursday's morning skate.
The consensus among players, Okposo said, was to play if the opportunity allowed. They made do with the situation in the meantime. Players who lived within walking distance to KeyBank Center held informal skates there; others skated offsite in the north towns.
"We had a couple games canceled, we missed a couple games and all of a sudden, it feels weird not to be playing and you miss it and you want to get back out," Casey Mittelstadt said. "… The boys came out flying and it was really good to see and obviously a huge win for our team."

Mittelstadt scored a pair of goals after a unique, travel-heavy holiday break. He made it home to Minnesota for Christmas but ended up on a flight to Columbus in preparation for the possibility that Buffalo's game scheduled for December 27 would proceed as planned.
Mittelstadt had just boarded the flight when he learned the game would be postponed. He flew to Columbus, spent a quiet night watching TV, and then drove to Buffalo. He saw the severity of the storm upon his return.
"We wanted to come out, we want to play hard in front of the fans," he said. "We want to show the fans that we love it here. And we want to be a part of the city. So, I think they did a good job helping us out and giving it back to us tonight."