Sabres Hoping To Maintain Momentum On Homestand

The Buffalo Sabres are hoping to keep their red-hot pace to start a very busy homestand of five games in eight days against the Anaheim Ducks at KeyBank Center on Saturday night. The Sabres have won 12 of the last 13 games, but are still on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff race, trailing the Washington Capitals by two points and the Pittsburgh Penguins by one point for the two wildcard spots. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to get the start for the Sabres. 

Head coach Lindy Ruff spoke to the media after the club’s morning skate:

What is the status of defenseman Michael Kesselring?

(He's) progressing? I think (Sunday is) an off day for him. Monday, we'll get him involved in some physical stuff and see how he reacts to that. Midweek will hopefully have a decision on whether he can play or not…….There's only one person (when it) gets to a point with anybody's situation, that only they know how they feel. So he'll let us know when he feels well enough. I think once he's cleared, seeing him on the ice today means he's cleared to probably 90%. We get Monday, Tuesday and it's how he reacts to more physical stuff, where you have to push off more, you have to grind more, you have to battle more, than just skating around shooting pucks.

How will injured players get their work in to get back into the lineup?

Let's be realistic. There's not a lot of practice time for us, with the way the schedule is going to unfold. It's more about playing and getting rest with the number of games we've got in the short period of time coming up…….They'll be ready. Those guys get their work in. They're putting a lot of work on the ice, put a lot of work off the ice. I think you've seen where guys have stepped in and played well. Look what our boys have done when they've stepped in. Our job is to have these guys ready when they're called and a guy like (Tyson Kozak), if you stuck him in tonight, he's ready to go.

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 What do you attribute the offensive spike from Mattias Samuelsson to?

I don't know. I've said in the past, he should talk really well. I think you saw an example that on that shorthanded(goal in New York), he's got a real hard shot, and he's put himself in a lot of good situations. Look at the the first goal we scored, he ripped the wrist shot that broke the guy's stick, recovered the puck, and then set Doan in. He's been able to put the puck past the goaltender when he's got himself in good position.

What has been the secret to the improved penalty killing this season?

It's a lot of things. We've had big saves at big times. We have a lot of pucks to go through us. We've stayed away from the seem plays where teams can expose you and go back door. We're a lot better at getting the puck down the ice. Last year, we got burned a lot of times where failed clears would hurt us. So it really isn't just one thing. I think it's a combination of three or four things that have improved from day one at camp, and those are probably the major things.

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