- 5 hours ago
Sneaky Joe DiBiase is joined by Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff for his weekly appearance to discuss the state of the Buffalo Sabres. The guys start by discussing the Sabres start to the year, which Ruff explains is frustrating and not good enough. This leads them to discuss the decision to break up the second line that has been so successful for the team this season so far. They also touch on the special teams struggles and goaltending issues.
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00:00Lindy Ruff joins us now as the Sabres are out west,
00:03and they will play the Sharks tonight at 10.30, so late one here locally.
00:08Good morning, it's Jeremy and Joe.
00:09Jeremy's off today and tomorrow.
00:11Lindy joins us now on the Wester Hotline.
00:14Thanks for getting up early with us, Lindy.
00:15I appreciate the time.
00:16You're welcome.
00:17How are we doing out there?
00:19Doing good.
00:19It's a chilly morning this morning.
00:21Hopefully it's good weather out there in the Bay Area.
00:24How do you feel, Lindy, about the record in the overall so far?
00:29I kind of look at it and feel like there are special teams as one.
00:34I mean, there's a few things that look like our struggles on this team at the moment,
00:38and then you look at the record, and it's like 500 hockey.
00:42I know that's not where you want to be, but I don't know.
00:44Does it feel like it's not going that bad,
00:47or do you feel like it should be going a lot better?
00:51No.
00:52There's lots of areas when you look at where we're at
00:56that could have helped us win hockey games.
00:58I think you mentioned special teams.
01:01You know, an area that was so strong for us at the start of last year,
01:04and even our penalty killing has struggled,
01:09and we've given up, I think, of 11 games, or 9 out of 11,
01:14we've given up power play goals in key times in the game.
01:18You know, I think the second area, you know,
01:21power plays had a chance to make a difference,
01:23and there's times when we've been able to click a little bit
01:27and generate some good opportunities, but it hasn't made a difference.
01:31We're not happy where we're at.
01:32I don't think anybody should be happy.
01:34We've got to find one more gear.
01:38You know, we've struggled a little bit on the offensive side
01:41to put the puck in the back of the net.
01:43We've had some games where a lot of great chances,
01:45but we just haven't found the back of the net.
01:48So that combined with a period.
01:52So if you look at the Washington game, the second period we played,
01:54we played probably our best first period.
01:57Second period was a poor period for us.
02:00Let Washington right back into the game.
02:03So we're struggling to find that consistency.
02:05I thought we bounced back, played a solid third, got a point,
02:10but we've got to start getting two points in the game, not one.
02:12Is there anything you feel like you and the coaching staff can do
02:17when it comes to, like, finishing?
02:19Like, you guys are getting chances,
02:21or is that just something you have to – line combinations maybe
02:25can be a part of that.
02:26I know you have different lines tonight.
02:27Like, how do you view that when you are getting chances,
02:29but the goals aren't going in the back of the net?
02:32Yeah, you know, I think that you start stressing, you know,
02:37areas of the game that can – and a lot of times it's getting inside,
02:41staying around the front of the net.
02:44If you look at the Washington game, like, you know,
02:46every practice you practice, we probably spend, you know,
02:52eight to 15 minutes in some types of drills that are rush opportunities.
02:57And I thought in the Washington game, we probably had four situations
03:02where we could have turned two and one into a better chance.
03:07We could have turned a three and two rush.
03:10Darlene was in alone.
03:11We didn't execute.
03:12We probably had four of those that if you turn at least three of them
03:16into a great A scoring chance, you're going to maybe capitalize
03:21and win a hockey game.
03:22And that's the area that, you know, we focused on.
03:24And, you know, you can look at any time during the season
03:28and lots of times last season we had to switch lines around,
03:33especially early.
03:34I thought we found a level of consistency with lines that you don't usually find
03:38during the season with our group in the last three, four months.
03:43So we did some shuffling coming into today,
03:45and we're looking to try to consistently find better chances
03:49and capitalize on them.
03:51Breaking up that Benson-Oslin-Quinn line,
03:54is that something that you felt like you kind of had to do at this point
03:57despite the fact that they had really played well since even before the season?
04:01It's just more about, what, getting another line going basically?
04:05Yeah, it's more about trying to, you know, find, you know,
04:10a second and a third line that can maybe chip in on a consistent basis.
04:13I think that line has played great.
04:16Quinn has taken advantage of the opportunities in every game.
04:20It's two or three great opportunities you've been able to create,
04:23but maybe by taking a piece off there, you know,
04:27we can generate better opportunities on another line,
04:31probably no different than what we did.
04:33You know, when you look at the game six we had in, you know,
04:38Montreal last year where we switched lines around,
04:42and all of a sudden we scored seven or eight goals,
04:45whatever we scored in the game.
04:46You know, it's kind of we're looking for that spark,
04:49but our level of play has to get a lot more consistent.
04:53I'm not happy.
04:55There's not a player that should be happy with how it's gone with our game so far.
05:00There's a part that you've got to take and hold yourself accountable for,
05:06and that's every time you step on the ice against that group of five you're playing against.
05:12And I know the other team's trying to win the ship,
05:15but at the same time we've got to win more than the other team to be a consistent team.
05:20Lindy Ruff is with us on the Western Hotline Sabres and Sharks tonight at 10.30.
05:24Lindy, a couple veteran guys that are struggling out of the gates.
05:28What do you want to see differently from Josh Norris and Ryan McLeod specifically?
05:33Maybe it's a different answer for the two of them,
05:34but two veterans that you're not getting a lot of offense from,
05:38and what maybe you'd like to see differently from them going forward?
05:41Yeah, no, particularly with those two guys,
05:43I think the way they're going to generate more is getting to the inside.
05:50I think if you looked at the Montreal goal that Josh Norris scored,
05:53where he got to the net, he got the second opportunity.
05:58I think using his speed to get there, but then staying around that area.
06:01I think both players, I know that McLeod's game is a big rush game,
06:09and a lot of times with the way teams are playing us,
06:11you don't get many rush chances.
06:12So it is about trying to get in tighter, trying to get in between the dots.
06:18Win a few more battles that will lead to opportunities,
06:22and win the races.
06:23There's a lot of man-on-man coverage in our game.
06:27Win the race off the wall to get inside to create those extra opportunities.
06:32Lindy with us.
06:33Lindy, on the start to the season, goaltending-wise,
06:37I wonder about your thoughts on the balance between how you feel like
06:41your overall team defense has looked so far this year,
06:45and then what you're currently getting in goal.
06:47A lot of that's been Lukan and Ellis has played these couple games as well.
06:51Is it both, really?
06:53Is that the answer that you want more from both?
06:57You know, I think those are so tied together,
07:00our team defense and our goaltending,
07:02that when we defend better, our goaltending is obviously better.
07:07I think if you look up at some of those opportunities we gave up
07:12in the second period,
07:15we threw a breakaway right at them at the start of the second period
07:19where we let a guy get in behind us.
07:20We had a couple two-on-ones that he made great saves on.
07:24So, that team defense isn't good enough,
07:28and I think we've been trying to deal with this as a group.
07:32We took a lot of pride in it.
07:35I thought our first period might have been one of our best periods,
07:39but again, at the end of the period,
07:40we try to throw a puck through somebody,
07:43and when you don't execute, you know,
07:47they got a little bit of a break and hit some or stick
07:49and ended up going in our net.
07:51So, I think it's all tied together.
07:53We're getting big saves.
07:55Could we get a few more?
07:57There's some bad goals going in, sure.
08:00I'm focused in on getting our team defense back to a place
08:03where our goaltending can really help us out a lot better, too.
08:07On Lukonen, you feel like you're seeing signs,
08:10with the big saves there you mentioned,
08:12signs of improvement from him,
08:14and do you get any sense from him
08:18on how he deals with being under the magnifying glass?
08:23There's a lot of criticism about him.
08:25It happens really everywhere.
08:27Do you feel like he handles that well,
08:29or pretty much do you feel like that's a question for him?
08:33You know, I think it's probably a question for him,
08:35but he is a highly competitive guy.
08:39A lot of passion in him.
08:41A lot of people maybe don't see that.
08:45You know, he wants to win hockey games.
08:47I mean, he wants to be a big part of helping us win hockey games.
08:50And his work ethic is great.
08:55You know, I looked at last game, the big saves.
08:58You look at the one that goes off the stick,
09:01the very first one,
09:02you can look and say, boy, we need a save,
09:04but the puck isn't going that direction,
09:06and he's trying to get across,
09:08and all of a sudden it hits our stick
09:10and goes a little bit of a different direction.
09:14He himself wants to play better.
09:16He wants to be the difference maker.
09:19His care level is really high,
09:20and that's what I like about him.
09:21So, Lindy Ruff with us for just another couple of moments.
09:25Injury-wise, Lindy, speaking of goaltending,
09:28Alex Lyon, any update on him?
09:32Progressing, but still not with us.
09:34He's back in Buffalo.
09:36And then Uri Kulik is in concussion protocol.
09:39That was the news yesterday.
09:40Yeah.
09:41Yeah, still has to.
09:43I had a conversation with him the day after
09:47when we were in Washington,
09:48and feeling better,
09:50but just has to get through what they took
09:52a pretty nasty puck to the face in practice.
09:55Do you think his game overall,
09:57I want to even include Helen Euse in this,
09:59where do you feel like the two young guys,
10:01Ocelin I know is in that too,
10:03but he's been pretty consistent it seems,
10:05Helen Euse and Kulik where their games might be
10:08and how close they might be to producing
10:10for this team night in and night out?
10:12Yeah, I thought it may take Kulik a little bit of time
10:16after missing a whole year.
10:19It's not easy to step right back into a grind.
10:22I thought his game was starting to come.
10:24I thought the Montreal game,
10:26when I threw him up with Thompson,
10:29I thought ended up generating a couple of great opportunities.
10:33Scored the game.
10:34Thompson scored the game-tying goal.
10:36So those last couple of games,
10:38I thought it was getting to a place.
10:42Helen Euse is getting as one opportunity a game.
10:46He hasn't capitalized.
10:49I really believe he'll find that.
10:53It's not easy on a nightly basis to put in the back of the net.
10:58I think some of our guys are finding out.
11:00But I really believe in both guys.
11:02And a little bit of a different scenario with each guy.
11:06But I believe he'll get there.
11:07Lindy, you're off with Sabres and Sharks tonight.
11:12Macklin Celebrini, by the way,
11:14as impressive a young player as maybe you've ever seen,
11:17at this age especially?
11:19Yeah, for sure.
11:21Just one of the great young talents.
11:25And we've got to be ready for him.
11:26We know what he can bring.
11:28The part about taking time and space away from him is so important.
11:32And if you're going to give him some of the opportunities
11:35that we gave up in the Washington game,
11:38that kid's probably putting it in the back of the net.
11:40So we've got to be on top of our game.
11:43Well, good luck tonight.
11:45Thanks for joining this morning.
11:46And we'll talk soon.
11:48You got it.
11:49Lindy Ruff on the Western Hotline, 1030 tonight.
11:52Celebrini, by the way, 15 points in 10 games so far this year
11:55after a 115-point season in his second year in the NHL,
12:01which also included time playing on the top line for Team Canada
12:06and maybe even looking like their best player during that tournament
12:12over McDavid.
12:15I'm trying to remember.
12:17He was pretty good.
12:18He was pretty good in the Olympics.
12:22Well, glad to hear from both the GM and the coach in one week
12:25that, like, the record is basically unacceptable.
12:28500 hockey, you know, I even set him up there for –
12:32because this is kind of how I felt about it.
12:33I'm not happy with it either.
12:35But to look at 500 with so many things that have gone wrong,
12:40goaltending, special teams, power play and penalty kill,
12:42guys aren't scoring, team defense, what's going well?
12:46Quinn.
12:49There.
12:50There's one thing.
12:51One thing feels like it's going really well, and they're 500.
12:56But I like – and I think you should have the messaging after the season
13:01you just had when you're trying to turn the corner and take another step forward
13:05to look at, you know, 4-3-3 and not take any moral victories.
13:13And that was basically what Lindy said and Yarmo said in both of their time with us
13:18in the last week.
13:19That's how it should be.
13:22Now you've got to do it, you know.
13:24Well, next three games have a good chance.
13:29These are teams at the bottom of the Pacific Division that are struggling out of the gates.
13:35Kings, Ducks, Sharks tonight.
13:39We'll see what we get out west.
13:43Got a little Chris Johnston story here about kind of reiterating what Chad D.
13:53Domenicis wrote about yesterday and talked about with us earlier today about
13:56Dylan Larkin and the Sabres.
14:00And Chris Johnston writes on his trade board this morning, released a trade board piece,
14:07that the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, who are two teams not currently
14:11on Larkin's list, both have interest.
14:18While everyone is making the best of an imperfect situation, it would be surprising
14:21if Larkin were not moved at some point this year.
14:23So we've got Chad and now we've got Johnston on.
14:28Yeah, Sabres are in, or they're interested at the least.
14:30Extendo Sports when we come back, and then we'll get you to Northtown Middays here on WGR.
14:35That's coming up.