Buffalo, NY (WGR Sports Radio 550) – Despite a seven-game losing streak, if the Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Rangers on Wednesday, they could possibly leapfrog four teams in the Eastern Conference, and only be two points out of the playoffs.
One thing you need to ignore is the Rangers are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games. Buffalo has played six slumping teams in-a-row and lost to them all.
The Sabres probably played their best game of the season on Nov. 7 in New York, where they pasted the Rangers 6-1.
“In that game, we got the lead, we played the right way, didn’t give up a lot, but still continued to play. When that happens, you really like what you’re doing,” said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff on Wednesday. “But you can judge your team sometimes when its going good and you start judging your team when you’re stressed. Can you make that right decision?”
Ruff hasn’t liked the defensive games of his top-two centermen Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. He says if it’s too hard for them, he’d move them to the wing, which he did to Cozens on Monday.
Thompson has scored four goals in four games.
“At the start of the season, I was really good defensively, and I think just the last few games minus Detroit, I think I was pretty good defensively there. But prior to that, the last two or three games, a couple of my habits, just swinging in the D zone instead of stopping and facing the puck being in good support, just details where you’re swinging too much and leaving the middle of the ice open. So as a centermen, you have a responsibility to protect the middle of the ice and stop on pucks. That was something I think was slipping a little bit,” said Thompson following Tuesday’s practice.
Ruff spent a lot of time with both Thompson and Cozens, going through video.
“Just seeing it on film, and just mentally just making sure you’re focusing on that every shift. I think sometimes you come into the D zone and you think the D might have possession, and you look to go North and go play offense. But sometimes you’ve got to be there if a play breaks down, or if they botch it. I think a couple of times, I’m a little too antsy to be going North with it before we have clean control,” Thompson detailed.
Ruff agreed with Thompson, saying he saw progress in the Detroit game.
“I think the support from Tage was a lot better inside, where he got himself to so he could support everywhere was a lot better. I think that looked a lot better inside the game, so it was a big step into the right direction,” Ruff said.
Cozens did get moved to the wing against Detroit.
“We’ve talked a lot about our defensive zone these last few days, and clarified a few things, which I think has made it a lot clearer for a lot of us. So it’s just about executing,” said Cozens on Tuesday. “There were a lot of things we weren’t too sure on, but the coaches cleared it up with us, so now it’s about us just going out and doing our jobs.”
When Cozens goes back to center, he’s confident he can play the game Ruff wants him to.
“I’ve always seen myself as a center, but at the same time, if they want me on wing, I can play wing. I’m good with whatever they see is best for the team,” Cozens said.
This losing streak has been totally on the players, as they’ve been freezing in key situations and blowing leads in almost every game of the streak. Against Detroit, Buffalo had a two-goal lead midway through the third period.
Thompson says Ruff does have this team prepared.
“He’s done everything he can,” he said. “He shows us what we need to do. It’s just up to us to do it, and we haven’t been holding up our end of the bargain. It falls on us. It falls on me, and like I said, he’s shown me clips where I need to be better in the D zone, and there are other aspects of the game where everyone in here can get better at individually and as a group. We just have to do it.”
The top-two U.S.-born goal scorers at the time Team USA was announced for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in February didn’t make the team. Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens had 16 goals, now 17, while Thompson had 13 goals, now 15. In the last two seasons, Caufield is sixth in U.S. goal scoring with 45, while Thompson is eighth with 44.
The Sabres center was, of course, not happy with being left out of the mix.
“I would’ve loved to have been on the team. It’s a huge badge of honor getting to wear your country’s colors and represent USA, and it’s something I always look forward to doing,” Thompson said. “I was hoping to be selected for that team, but I didn’t. They went with other guys, went a different route. I can’t control that. Yes it stings, but at the end of the day, my priority is helping our team win and get better.”
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin and Rangers general manager Chris Drury picked the team, and they had to make sure to take care of their guys. Brock Faber and Matt Boldy made the USA roster from the Wild, while Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck made it from the Rangers’ roster.
That’s 22% of the United States’ roster.
Ruff says defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is available to play Wednesday against the Rangers. Meanwhile, Rasmus Dahlin isn’t ready to join practice, and could talk about it more on Friday.
The team has Thursday off from practice.
Join Mike Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Ruff, Thompson and Cozens.
This is a radio only game, so the only place to hear Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call will be on WGR Sports Radio 550.
