Sabres Shaking Up Lines, Searching For Answers Against Sharks

The Buffalo Sabres can look at things optimistically, in that they have been able to earn points in losing efforts over the last two weeks, but if it wasn’t for a late game collapse by Toronto earlier in the month, the Sabres would have lost their last five games. 

The club that won the Atlantic last season finds themselves one month into the season at the bottom of the division, and has head coach Lindy Ruff scrambling his forward lines in advance of their first game on the California leg of their four game road-trip against the San Jose Sharks.   

Zach Benson, who is on a six-game point streak but still does not have a goal in 11 games, was moved to the top line alongside Tage Thompson and rookie Konsta Helenius. 

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“The goals will come. You got to keep doing the right thing,” Ruff said. “I think (Zach) has really played hard away from the puck, he’s played from the top of the circles down, he’s been one of our best players. I even talked to him this morning about just keep doing the right thing. I’ve never really gone to a player unless they are not generating opportunities and said ‘you’ve got to score’. I think everybody believes when they get on the ice they want to score goals. 

Josh Doan replaced him on the second line with Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn, while Josh Norris slotted in up the middle between veterans Jason Zucker and Ryan McLeod, and Peyton Krebs was skating on the fourth line with Tyson Kozak and Beck Malenstyn. 

Ruff provided an update on forward Jiri Kulich, who took a puck to the head at practice on Friday and did not make the trip to Washington.  

“He hasn’t cleared (concussion protocol) enough to be available to come out here yet,” Ruff said on Monday.  

After five consecutive starts by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres will start Colten Ellis against the Sharks, who are returning home after going 3-2-1 in a six-game road swing of the East. Ellis was pulled in the second period of the game against Florida on October 12th after giving up two goals on nine shots. Luukkonen has faced 30 or more shots in the five straight starts and went 1-1-3.  

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