Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres went through a shorter practice on Wednesday, but in a sense, it may have been a bit harder. Of the practices held in Buffalo, this one featured head coach Lindy Ruff getting angrier when he saw plays that shouldn’t be being made.
Two players returning to practice were wingers JJ Peterka and Zach Benson.
Both said they felt good on the ice after practice, and it sounds like from what they said along with Ruff's post-practice comments, if there are no setbacks from practice, they’ll play the home opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Peterka got hit square in the head by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon this past Saturday while in Prague. Dillon was given a major penalty at first, but after review, it was ruled to be a minor penalty and no suspension from the NHL.
The Sabres winger suffered a concussion and left the game.
"Personally, I thought it was pretty late. I just didn’t expect it coming," said Peterka when asked about the hit on Wednesday.
Alex Tuch knows there has to be a better effort by this team. The Sabres lost both games to the Devils in Czechia, and going into Thursday’s game, the winger doesn’t want to hear excuses.
"You can come up with a bunch of excuses, if you want to. Plain and simple, we weren’t ready to go from the drop of the puck," said Tuch following practice. "We were hesitant, we didn’t bring that much energy. Our start was actually OK, but we weren’t able to maintain it.
"We got deflated when they got their first goal, and from there, we started gripping our sticks. Then they started pressuring us, and we played into their game, because even if things aren’t going your way, you have to figure it out."
The Sabres didn’t spend that much time around the New Jersey net in either game, but their only goal of the second game was because Jordan Greenway, Tage Thompson and Tuch attacked the net hard and were relentless. If the Sabres are to become a playoff team, that has to become habit.
"I think those dirty goals are something we’ve lacked in the last year or two, and it’s something we’re going to have to do more of to win hockey games," Tuch said.
"Tage is a guy that’s scored 40 goals, and for him to go hard to the net and get one, that’s what it’s going to take. But it’s going to take all of us doing it. We need more of it, because it wasn’t enough the last couple of games. But we’ll be better."
WEDNESDAY’S LINES:
Forwards:
Peterka – Thompson – Tuch
Benson – Cozens – Quinn
Zucker – McLeod – Greenway
Malenstyn – Krebs – Lafferty
Kulich
Defense:
Byram – Power
Dahlin – Jokiharju
Samuelsson – Clifton
Gilbert – Bryson