BUFFALO, N.Y. — Drake Caggiula's quarantine is over, and the Sabres new forward is set to make his debut with Buffalo on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.
"There’s not too many games left in the season and whatever situation I get put in, I’m ready to answer the bell and I’m looking forward to getting back out and playing," Caggiula said after Tuesday's morning skate.
"I did whatever I could to maintain the best conditioning that I could under the circumstances, got a couple skates under my belt now. I think this was my third skate before tonight’s game. So, the excitement of just being able to play again will override the fatigue. I’ve just got to be smart with my shifts and make sure that I take care of myself out there... There’s not much to hold out for. You’ve just got to make sure you’re ready to go.”
The Sabres claimed the 26-year-old on April 8 after he was placed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes and had to complete a full quarantine upon his arrival to Buffalo.
Officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday, the Sabres are in the middle of a resurgence tour, developing young players and winning games again after an 18-game winless streak, which surrounded the firing of head coach Ralph Krueger and Don Granato taking over in the interim.
“I think it’s a young group that’s hungry to play hockey the right way and have fun while playing," Caggiula said. "If you watch the game, they’re playing with a lot of speed and making a lot of plays out there and guys are looking confident as well. It’s been fun to watch the last couple games.”
Faceoff between the Sabres and Bruins is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Dustin Tokarski will make his fourth-straight start in net for Buffalo.
