‘Yelling at the television’ | From afar, Sabres feel the Olympic intensity

The men’s quarterfinal round on Wednesday at The Winter Olympics didn’t disappoint, with three late comebacks and overtime finishes, and the Buffalo Sabres didn’t miss it.

Canada survived a scare from Czechia, and Finland scored two late goals to stun Switzerland; they’ll play Friday for a spot in the gold medal game. Tage Thompson and the United States won a 2-1 nailbiter over Rasmus Dahlin and Sweden, setting up a semifinal against Slovakia.

• Sabres at The Winter Olympics | Schedule, stats and recaps

“Yesterday was a little bit nerve wracking,” said forward Josh Doan, who won gold with Thompson at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, after Thursday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter.

“… The Canadian guys were nervous in the room watching that game. And then sitting on the couch at home, you’re cheering for Ras and those guys, but at the same time, you want the U.S. to pull through, and thankfully they did.”

Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert, a coach with USA Hockey before joining the Rochester Americans in 2020, helped develop several of the stars competing for gold at Milano Cortina 2026 – personal relationships that only added to Wednesday’s stress.

“I was still in here in the coaches’ war room, by myself, definitely talking to the television – sometimes yelling at the television,” Appert said. “But the hockey’s been fabulous. You could probably argue yesterday was one of the greatest days that our sport has seen, in terms of three overtime games, the quality of hockey, three games that were tied late. It was a great day for our sport.”

Michigan-born forward Josh Norris, too, is close with much of the American roster, so he’s been similarly proud of their tournament so far.

“Some of those guys on the team, I’ve been friends with since I was 15, 16. Just really cool to see a dream for them come true, and all the work they’ve put in,” Norris said. “I think U.S. hockey is in a really good spot, and their team’s so deep and so good.”

The Buffalo coaching staff, though not present in Italy, helped inform Team USA’s usage of Thompson, who has two goals in four Olympic games – including one as a fixture on the Americans’ top power-play unit.

Thompson often mans the left flank on the Sabres’ power play, but the 6-foot-6 forward has been a dangerous net-front presence for the U.S. He also created power-play goals down low in Buffalo’s last two games before the break.

“It’s something that the U.S. staff had asked our staff, if we believed he could play that role, and obviously we do,” Appert said. “He’s got the intelligence and the skill level to really probably play any of the five spots on the power play. And he’s doing a good job with this opportunity right now.”

And Olympic hockey has offered the Sabres more than just tactical tips. While Thompson and Dahlin haven’t gotten the rest their teammates have, they’ve been playing (and thriving) in high-intensity hockey with the best players in the world. That should only help Buffalo heading into this final 25-game push.

• From Wednesday: Sabres return to practice with playoff push on their minds

“Last year, when guys went to the 4 Nations and came back, it wasn’t just competitive fire. I thought they also had some insight,” Appert said. “You go play with other elite players, and you watch them and how they conduct themselves, the habits they have, the way they take care of themselves, the extra work they put in in the gym, whatever it is. When you’re around other elite players, you can learn a lot, and the guys talked about that coming back last year.”

Here's more from Thursday’s practice.

Injury updates

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to the ice as a full participant – his first time skating with the team since a Jan. 27 lower-body injury in Toronto. Luukkonen expects to be ready when games resume next Wednesday.

Forwards Josh Norris (upper body) and Josh Dunne (middle body) both shed their non-contact jerseys and participated fully, as coach Lindy Ruff had said they might.

Forward Zach Benson (upper body) remaining absent.

• Injuries and transactions | Latest on Benson, Greenway, Kulich, others

Up next

The Sabres have three more scheduled practices before hitting the road for New Jersey. Stay tuned to Sabres.com for full coverage as the team prepares to continue its playoff push.