Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have found some fire in their game, currently riding a six-game winning streak and playing some meaningful games in December for the first time in a while.
The Sabres will look to continue their hot streak on Tuesday night when they travel to Canada's capital to take on the Ottawa Senators, who have won four-straight games of their own.
Not only have the Sabres continued to vibe since the change at general manager with Jarmo Kekalainen now in charge, the locker room has continued to gel and come together as the team continues to excel on the ice.
"I think the vibe has been, very good," said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, who joined the "Jeremy and Joe Show" for his weekly appearance on WGR. "We've managed the emotions of not trying to get too high and put the wins away, and get ready for the next game. We're looking at a game tonight against Ottawa. Ottawa is on a four-game winning streak and playing really well, so we know we're in for a real tough contest here, with this last game before the holiday."
One thing Kekalainen spoke about since taking over as general manager in Buffalo is excuses. While Ruff knows a team can always use excuses, he knows the players need to find reasons to win games, especially after a particular period may not go their way.
"We lost the compete game in the first period [on Sunday against the Devils]. We talked about how we're going to win that compete: Coming to the puck, getting tighter connected, three guys closer in the offensive zone, shortening up the shifts, trying to get higher energy in a shorter period of time, and winning more foot races. That's the compete inside the game that you have to win," said Ruff with Joe DiBiase on Tuesday.
So what has changed with the team since the switch at general manager? According to Ruff, not too much has been different.
"When Jarmo came in as the advisor, he would sit with us almost every day. We have an open door policy, so he sat in on a lot of conversations we would have as coaches in the morning. He was in there after games, he's doing what he does, and I think the conversations are the same," Ruff said. "The normal GM/coach conversations take place, whether we're talking about how players played, about the upcoming lineup. There's times you have to look a little bit ahead in the lineup, and we've discussed some of those things. But really, the normal conversations that a GM and coach would have, they're all taking place."
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