Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Jack Quinn doesn’t have a point in three games, but the Buffalo Sabres have only scored three goals total. Quinn has been playing with Dylan Cozens at center, along with both Zach Benson and Jiri Kulich on the other wing.
Quinn was the last man off the ice after Friday’s practice, putting in 30-to-45 minutes of extra work. He feels his line has been OK, but that’s not good enough.
"I don’t think we’re thrilled with the way we’ve been playing," said Quinn following Friday's practice. "I know myself, personally, I feel like I’ve got another level, and I’m sure the whole line feels like that. We’ve had some chances and they haven’t gone in, but at the same time, we want to create a lot more. So I think we’re pretty hungry with ourselves to be a little bit better here."
Quinn feels he has identified what needs to be better at, which is why he spent the extra time on the ice after Friday's session.
"I think we’ve just got to find a way to get the puck on our stick a little more, want the puck and plays come from that," Quinn said.
"I think we’re doing a little too much forechecking, and not getting it back right now. We’ve got to find a way to get it, and that’s where the offense comes from. We’ve got to get the puck first."
We don’t know yet if JJ Peterka will play on Saturday. The Sabres said they were going to evaluate him more after practice.
During practice, he was reunited with Cozens and Quinn. It’s a line that has scored at a good pace in past seasons, and if it happens on Saturday, Quinn welcomes it.
"I think it’s chemistry. We both think the game well and can read off each other, but I think we’re pretty competitive with each other and push each other to be better," the winger said. "When we get to play together, it’s a lot of fun, and we’ve had success before. So if we do end up playing together, I think it’s be a positive sign and a good match."
When Quinn and Peterka graduated from the Rochester Americans to the Sabres, Cozens fit right in as their center. That doesn’t surprise the winger much.
"He makes players better, so I think you can play him with anyone," Quinn noted. "With me and JJ, he was an awesome fit. He does so many little things right, and we played mostly with him in our rookie year. He was in his second or third year, but he was a defensive rock for us, and we were able to have a lot of success through that."
Cozens leads the Sabres with 14 shots on goal, but Quinn only has one, despite playing on the power play. That’s what has to change.
Quinn is an elite shooter, and he has to find ways to get into shooting lanes and get pucks through to goaltenders.
Meanwhile, both Owen Power and Jordan Greenway missed practice for, what the Sabres described as, maintenance days. No word yet on if they’ll be available for Saturday against the Florida Panthers.
As for the Panthers, captain Aleksander Barkov had to be helped off the ice in Thursday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. David Pagnotta of "The Fourth Period" reported that Barkov suffered a bad sprain and is week-to-week.
FRIDAY’S LINES:
Benson – Thompson – Tuch
Peterka – Cozens – Quinn
Zucker – McLeod – Kulich
Malenstyn – Krebs – Lafferty