The Buffalo Sabres have 16 games left in their season, and on the surface, don’t have much to play for. They’re 29th in the NHL standings and will soon be mathematically eliminated from the postseason for the 14th straight season.
But Sabres coach Lindy Ruff still has a clear objective for this final stretch of games. It’s been an ongoing conversation in recent team meetings.
“We know where we’re at so we’re trying to create an identity of where we need to be and what type of team we need to be and how close we need to be as a team,” Ruff said before the team left for its four-game road trip. “We’re working hard at that part of the game behind closed doors. What does it mean to be a teammate?”
The touchpoint for those conversations came in early February when the Sabres failed to respond after Tage Thompson took a high hit from Stefan Noesen in a game against the New Jersey Devils. That led to some hard conversations that didn’t stop the day after that game. And in the Sabres’ consecutive overtime wins against the Vegas Golden Knights and Boston Bruins, players finally seem to be getting the message.
On Saturday, Peyton Krebs started a fight after Jiri Kulich took a high hit to the head. A few shifts later, Jordan Greenway got into a fight. The team made a late comeback to beat the Golden Knights 4-3 in a shootout.
Then on Monday, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov hit Thompson late, and Greenway jumped in immediately to fight one of the league’s biggest players. The Sabres outshot the Bruins 30-17 and came from behind to win 3-2 in overtime.
Nikita Zadorov fights with Jordan Greenway during the first period of the Sabres’ 3-2 win over the Bruins on Monday. (Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
You can even go back to the game before that in Detroit when Alex Tuch got in a fight after Jacob Bryson got knocked out of the game. The Sabres have fighting majors in three straight games and four of their last five games.
“You don’t have to fight every time, but the guy’s got to know that if he’s gonna try to take out our top player that he’s gonna get ran too and things are going to happen like that,” Krebs told reporters after the win in Boston. “We’re just trying to play a hard game, physical and not get pushed around.”
That alone doesn’t lead to wins. You’d also be right to argue the Sabres should have had this mentality when the season started in October. But the Sabres also seem to be on a fact-finding mission when it comes to what their team will look like next season. Part of that is figuring out how they want to play, and the other part is figuring out who is going to be willing to play that way.
“I can tell you, all these years, not everybody is going to like each other on any team,” Ruff said. “I don’t care what sport you’re in. But for that period of time when you put the jersey on and you’re a Buffalo Sabre for three hours or you’re practicing, you’re a teammate. That to me is the most important part. You do what you have to do for a teammate.”
He’s not just talking about fighting, either. Ruff referenced two backchecks Krebs made at the end of the win against Vegas that helped cover up mistakes by defensemen. That’s the type of effort and passion the Sabres need from more players more consistently next season if the results are going to change. Doing something in March when your season is all but over doesn’t guarantee it will happen again next season, but the Sabres have to start somewhere.
“It does matter,” Alex Tuch said. “Every game matters going forward. I know our playoff chances are slim to none right now. With how young a team we have, guys need to learn to play the right way, hone in on their game. If you can have a successful last 20 games of the season, I think that rolls into a great summer with a better mindset that you know what you have to do going forward and know what you have to bring to have success. That’s huge.”
Certainly what the Sabres have shown in these back-to-back wins is better than the alternative of seeing the team go through the motions for the final month of the season. Figuring out which players respond to Ruff’s message could help determine the decisions the team makes in the offseason, too.
“Coming together as a team is the one thing,” Tuch said. “If you’re not going to do this, if you’re not going to be a part of the team, if you’re not going to sacrifice for the team, they’re going to find a different avenue or route to take with the lineup and how much you play and how much opportunity you have. That’s something that is really key going forward, making sure each and every guy knows that. If you’re not putting the team first, you probably won’t be on the team for much longer.”
Quick hits
1. Jiri Kulich is in concussion protocol and didn’t join the Sabres for the start of the road trip. He, Josh Norris (mid-body) and JJ Peterka (lower body) all missed the game against Boston. Peterka skated with the team Monday and should be ready to return when the Sabres play Utah on Thursday. Ruff said the team is hopeful Norris will resume skating later in the week.
2. One game after making a noticeable impact with a fight and two strong defensive plays, Krebs opened the scoring for the Sabres with a power-play goal against the Bruins. Ruff said recently he’d like to see Krebs shoot the puck more often, and it’s easy to see why when you look at the shot he scored on. Krebs has always been a pass-first player, but he has the skill to score, too.
3. In the last nine games, Jack Quinn doesn’t have a single point at five-on-five and he’s been on the ice for just one of the Sabres’ five-on-five goals during that stretch. He was dealing with an illness for a couple of those games, but this is another cold streak for Quinn in what has been a tough season. He has just 10 goals and 26 points and is minus-22 in 59 games this season.
(Photo: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
