The boys are back in town. Well, almost.
The Buffalo Sabres announced that the team will open training camp ahead of the 2019-20 NHL season on Thursday, September 12. Players will report to KeyBank Center for physicals and testing that day, before on-ice action begins the following day.
As it stands right now, the majority of training camp on-ice sessions will take place at KeyBank Center. Most are not open to the public, though there are a few dates when fans are encouraged to attend camp sessions.
Players will be split into two groups, appropriately named the blue and gold groups. They’ll hit the ice from 10 – 11:15 am and 1-2:15 pm on Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14. All of those sessions are closed.
Fans’ first chance to see the Sabres on the ice will be Sunday, September 15. The gold group hits the ice from 10 – 11:15 am, with the blue group on ice from 1-2:15 pm.
The Sabres will play their first preseason game the following night. After morning skate (for game players) and practice (for non-game players), the Sabres head to Pegula Ice Arena to face the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 7 p.m. puck drop. That game will be streamed on Sabres.com for fans in the local broadcast market.
The team returns to the ice for additional closed sessions the following day, before they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. Again, the game will be streamed for local fans.
The Sabres will return to the ice for more closed training camp sessions on September 19 & 20 before heading north to visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 7 p.m. game on Friday. That game will be broadcast on MSG via the Sportsnet feed.
The two teams then meet again the following night, this time in Buffalo for a 7 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, September 21. Although it is a Sabres’ home game, the MSG broadcast will once again feature the Sportsnet feed.
The Sabres will hold additional closed camp sessions on September 23 – 25 before their home preseason game against Columbus on the 25th. The 7 pm game will be broadcast on MSG, with Sabres crews, including a pregame show at 6:30 pm.
Camp sessions that are open to the public will be held at Harborcenter from 11 am to 12 pm on Thursday, September 26 & Friday, September 27. The team then returns to KeyBank Center for one final closed camp session on Saturday, September 28 before their final preseason game in Pittsburgh at 4 p.m. That game will be televised on MSG via the AT&T Sports feed.
A full Sabres training camp roster will be released in the coming days.