"They remain day-to-day candidates and we'd like to consume, digest what happened here this morning and we will make very late final roster decisions here today," Krueger said.
McCabe, Montour, and Rieder all confirmed they tested positive for COVID-19 and experienced varying degrees of symptoms. Rieder said his symptoms lasted for 24 to 48 hours; McCabe says his went on for roughly five days.
"It was a pretty tough couple of weeks there," Montour said. "So, happy to be back now."
Rieder said he felt well enough to play against the Islanders but echoed Krueger in referring to his status as a game-time decision. McCabe and Montour both remained on the ice long after the morning skate with skills coach Matt Ellis.
Buffalo hosts New York again at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, adding another wrinkle into the decision on when to bring players back into the lineup.
"Honestly, this whole time, just throughout from the first day of testing positive, I've just been taking a day-by-day approach," McCabe said. "I had another good day today so hopefully I have another good day tomorrow and just continue on managing it in that sense."
In the event McCabe and Montour do not play, it would likely open the door for defensemen Brandon Davidson and Will Borgen to make their season debuts after spending the entirety of the campaign thus far on the taxi squad.
Davidson, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Sabres during the offseason after appearing in 12 NHL games for Calgary and San Jose last season. Borgen, a fourth-round pick by Buffalo in 2015, played four NHL games at the end of 2018-19 before spending last season in Rochester.
"Davidson and Borgen have just been outstanding since Day One and consummate professionals," Krueger said. "They've given us what we needed in that difficult taxi squad role and helped to increase the standard of practice whenever they did join us.
"It's terrific. This opportunity for them, should it come for both of them, is so well deserved. We are confident going into the game that we will be fine and we have depth there. … We would be happy for them to have them into the games here."
Steven Fogarty, another veteran who signed a one-year deal during the offseason, could also make his Sabres debut after spending the morning skate on a line with Tage Thompson and Riley Sheahan. Fogarty earned the captaincy in Rochester and scored a goal through two games with the Amerks.
"He had an outstanding training camp with us and also just shows some of the smarts that we are enjoying with Riley Sheahan in our lineup and the stability that they can bring to our game," Krueger said.
"We are confident that Fogarty's future is far from over when it comes to the NHL and we think he has an opportunity to become a role player and to be a character player. His personality is outstanding but also his habits are very strong, and we look forward to seeing him at this next level."
