Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - After a four-game Western Conference road trip that saw the team go just 1-3-0, the Buffalo Sabres finally return to home ice to open up a four-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center.
Entering Tuesday's slate of games, the Sabres continue to sit in the basement of the Eastern Conference standings with 41 points, seven points back of the next closest team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite being among the worst teams in the NHL once again this season, Sabres forward Alex Tuch is still looking to be one of the key pieces to helping Buffalo get over the hump and back to the postseason.
Tuch still feels that head coach Lindy Ruff is the answer to get the team back on track.
"His passion and his hockey knowledge is unmatched," said Tuch during an appearance on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on Tuesday. "He's really smart, he's really receptive. I think he brings a little bit of old school mentality with him, with the non-negotiables. You have to work hard and you have to make sure you're doing the right things, and you're back-checking or else you're going to get yelled at and you're not going to play. But also he's bringing a little bit of the new school, a little bit of the small group meetings, small team meetings. Talking to players, seeing how they can do better, what we could do better as a team, what the feelings like in the locker room. It's been really interesting, and I think I've grown as a person and as a player with him."
The Sabres have not had the same amount of success on the ice since they finished the 2022-23 season just one point short of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Despite that, Tuch still feels the Sabres are a lot closer to finding success, and being able to string together some solid performances to play at a playoff caliber.
"The majority of the players that have their career years are in here, and then we've got some young guys that are coming up, that are high scorers and some elite talents. I don't think we're too far off," Tuch said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase on WGR. "I really think we just need to start putting it together on a consistent basis, because you see some games that we're able to dominate and we're just not able to come away with some wins. I really think we're a lot closer than it may seem in the standings. We play some really good hockey, we just have to do it on a more consistent basis. That's going to come with experience, and that's going to come with just bearing down a little bit more on an individual and on a team basis. The wins will come."
With the Sabres sitting where they are in the standings and the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, Tuch knows it's all part of the business with some potential pieces being moved before the end of the season. He says it's just about going out and playing the best hockey possible in that stretch.
"That's what happens when a team isn't successful. You're usually going to be traded, or someone's going to be traded, or someone's going to mix it up," Tuch said. "We saw that firsthand last year with [Casey] Mittelstadt going, who's a key piece, I thought, of our team. And we brought in Bowen Byram, who's been unbelievable for us. Also, we obviously traded away our captain [Kyle Okposo], who ended up winning the Cup, which is awesome to see for him. I love 'Okie' and to see his success, but would have loved to have made a playoff run with him. So it's a tough time, especially when the trade speculations come out, but you just have to push through it and you have to come to work. It is a job, as cool as it is, but it is your job. So you've got to come in and you've got to work your hardest to be the best you could be that day."
Faceoff on Tuesday is slated for 7 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.