Buffalo looking to snap a three-game losing skid against Ottawa
The Buffalo Sabres are a club that knows what they want to do, but after 12 games have been unable to put everything together. In one game they do not get a save, in another, they cannot cash in on scoring opportunities, and that has resulted in a 4-7-1 record and them falling behind in the Eastern Conference entering the second month of the regular season, as they did one year ago,
"We haven't been able to finish at a high enough level to stress (other teams) out," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the Sabres morning skate on Tuesday. "I think that's probably the biggest reason is that lack of ability (to finish). I go back to the L.A. game (a 3-1 loss on October 10), (we had) a lot of great opportunities, but we haven't to this point been able to put a lot more stress on the other team."
After shuffling his forward lines in an attempt to jump-start slumping forwards Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, Ruff returned to the combinations that have been together since training camp, with Tage Thompson centering JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch, Cozens playing up the middle with Zach Benson (who may return on Tuesday after missing time with a lower-body injury), the checking line of Ryan McLeod with Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway, and the fourth line of Beck Malenstyn, Peyton Krebs, and either Sam Lafferty or Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
In search of more offense, Ruff indicated on a radio interview on Tuesday that he intends to lean heavily on team captain Rasmus Dahlin, who played 27:33 against Detroit on Saturday with new defense partner Bowen Byram. Owen Power will partner with Jacob Bryson, Mattias Samuelsson will pair with Henri Jokiharju, and Connor Clifton will sit his second straight game after getting burned by Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov in the 4-2 loss to New York on Friday.
"I just think he needs to elevate his play," Ruff said. "The standard has to be higher. His play I think hasn't been up to where we think it should be."
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will make his ninth start of the season for Buffalo, and former Sabre and Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark will be between the pipes for Ottawa.
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