Sabres coach Granato, 2 players land in COVID-19 protocol

The Buffalo Sabres placed coach Don Granato and two players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol upon returning from the league’s holiday break on Sunday.

The team canceled its scheduled practice and announced that Granato and forwards Dylan Cozens and Mark Jankowski are asymptomatic. The Sabres have been off since practicing on Dec. 18, a day after a 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh.

Buffalo entered the NHL’s holiday break on Wednesday after placing forwards Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons and Vinnie Hinostroza in the protocol.

The Sabres are scheduled to host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

The NHL on Friday delayed its return to play by postponing its 14-game schedule on Monday. Teams were still scheduled to return on Sunday, with games tentatively scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

The NHL entered its break with 10 of its 32 teams’ activities placed on pause.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports