More bad news arrived for the Buffalo Sabres when the team reported to KeyBank Center for their morning skate Wednesday.
Jacob Bryson, a 24-year-old defenseman, became the sixth Sabres player to enter the NHL’s Covid-19 protocol, joining forwards Jeff Skinner, Vinnie Hinostroza, Zemgus Girgensons, Dylan Cozens and Mark Jankowski, all of whom weren’t available to play in the club’s first game since Dec. 17.
Coach Don Granato also remained in protocols and assistant Matt Ellis was thrust into the role of acting head coach.
The news about Bryson forced general manager Kevyn Adams and his staff to summon reinforcements from Rochester, as the Sabres recalled defenseman Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster and assigned Ethan Prow to the taxi squad.
Options were limited, though. Coach Seth Appert announced before Rochester’s game Wednesday against Providence that the Amerks have five players in Covid-19 protocols: defensemen Mattias Samuelsson, Jimmy Schuldt and Mitch Eliot, and forwards Matej Pekar and Sean Malone.
With Sabres defenseman Colin Miller unavailable because of an undisclosed injury, the club called upon Prow, a 29-year-old who had yet to appear in an NHL game. He is the first member of Buffalo’s taxi squad this season, as the league announced Sunday that each team can carry a reserve group of six players.
The loss of Bryson made Ellis reshuffle the defense pairs and power-play units. Bryson quarterbacked the club’s second group on the man advantage and has seven assists in 29 games this season. A fourth-round draft choice in 2017, Bryson has appeared in 67 games for the Sabres since the start of last season.
It’s unclear when any of the six players or Granato will be able to return. Hinostroza was added to the Covid-19 list on Dec. 20. Girgensons and Skinner were added the following day. Granato, Cozens and Jankowski joined them when testing resumed at the end of the holiday break Dec. 26.
Adams told reporters that Granato and the five players in protocol Monday were asymptomatic, although Girgensons had symptoms for the first few days. Given their status as asymptomatic, there was optimism that each could test out of the 10-day quarantine with two negative PCR tests in a 48-hour span.
Some good news arrived Wednesday afternoon. Following recent the CDC’s recent ruling, the NHL and NHLPA announced that it will shorten its isolation period for vaccinated people. If Covid-19 positive, the person must isolate for five days, and if a fever persists, the person must isolate until it resolves. Anyone asymptomatic can exit isolation after five days if he has a negative lab-based PCR test and medical clearance from the club physician, provided that such an exit is permitted by local health authorities.
The maximum duration of isolation remains 10 days.
On the road
The Sabres announced Wednesday that their Road Crew is returning this season and will make a stop in Las Vegas on Jan. 31, ahead of the team’s game against the Golden Knights in T-Mobile Arena on Feb. 1.
Fans can meet Sabres alumni Danny Gare, Brad May, J-P Dupont and Martin Biron, as well as team broadcaster Brian Duff.
The event will take place at Hofbräuhaus (4510 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169) from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 each, with all proceeds benefiting the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
