Buffalo opens a four-game Western road swing in Vegas on Tuesday
The Buffalo Sabres, after going 4-1 on their five-game homestand, are heading out west while their home is hosting the opening round of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. The club will open up their four-game swing in Vegas on Tuesday, and practiced on Monday morning at LECOM Harborcenter.
Head coach Lindy Ruff provided updates on the club’s injuries and other items:
What is the status of Mattias Samuelsson, Tanner Pearson, and Colten Ellis?
I think we'll see how they made it through today. It looks like things went pretty well, but usually post-practice is the best indication…….I'm hopeful that they all return. They should be all ready to return. Obviously, that's a lot of numbers. The focus will just be on Vegas tomorrow, putting a lineup together with that. A lot of times, you go game to game, things sort themselves out.
How did the club get over its struggles on the road?
I think we started of the year with some pieces missing out of the lineup early on, Kulich wasn't in the lineup, Norris wasn't in the lineup. We had different pieces in the middle of the ice, so we had to sort some things out…….We have a lot more confidence, we've played well on the road. We've been able to hang around in tight games and find ways to win. We've been able to push through when the game is tied in the third, we've been able to come back with the odd time having a poor first period or a poor start to the game, so I think the group believes that even if things haven't gone your way early on, you can still battle back.
You had some issues with turnovers, which seemed to be straightened out in the win over Toronto. What did your club do to rectify that?
We talked about some of the puck decisions, we had a couple inside that game early on that we didn't like, but fought our way through that, and then I thought that third period was about as clean as you could play it.
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How do you decide on the order of using shooters in a shootout?
We stayed with the same order for all four games. Doesn't mean that order couldn't change, but I can tell you that Alex Tuch likes shooting third. The only problem I have with that is you may not get to a third shooter sometimes. So, we weigh that, but Jack (Quinn) has always shot second. We've gone with (Tage Thompson) in the lead. We've had success so far. But it doesn't mean that there's times a guy can go on a cold streak, and you might take him out of the shootout for a game, or just drop him to the fourth or fifth shooter. I think we've got some guys there that have been able to surprise people when it comes to shootouts.
Do you foresee continuing with the goalie rotation of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon as you have been doing post-Olympics or could we see a change?
I do, with the way the schedule looks. We've had success with(the rotation). We feel that even when those guys play, and Ellis steps in as the back up. It gives that a little bit extra rest. It's a mental break for the guy that's going to start the next night. And it's working so short term, my answer, don't see why to change it.
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