(WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres are dealing with some injury concerns, as they will face the Boston Bruins on Monday without Josh Norris, Jiri Kulich and JJ Peterka.
Lindy Ruff said Monday on Sabres.com that he would expect Peterka back in the lineup for Thursday night's matchup with the Utah Hockey Club.
Ruff also said Monday that Norris was better, but couldn’t get back on the ice just yet. Ruff is hopeful Norris will be back on the ice at some point as the week progresses.
The Sabres have won two of their last three games, beating the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights at home. Their problem lately is they’ve lost eight-straight on the road.
Alex Tuch says there are aspects of the game they have to bring with them away from home.
"It comes from having a good start. I think we have to get to our game really early. We can’t let them get a lead, and we have to put pressure on them right away," said Tuch on Sunday.
With all the changes the Bruins have made, Tuch says the focus needs to be on how they play, not their opponent.
"It should be on the forefront there, is how we’re going to play each and every night," he said. "Yes, it’s a lot different Bruins team, but they have a lot of fire power up front, and have made some good moves. Now my old buddy 'Mitzy' [Casey Mittelstadt] is on the Bruins, and they have a lot of good players on that team. There’s a lot of guys too that are getting opportunities that they didn’t have earlier in the year, so you have to know those guys are going to come out with a lot of energy."
Talking to Ruff, you can tell he’s annoyed with the way his team plays away from home.
"We have to play a better game on the road," said Ruff on Sunday. "I thought the last 40 minutes in Montreal was good hockey. The Detroit game was not good in any sense. We’ve got to simplify our game. We’ve got to take care of the puck better, and we’ve got to stay out of the penalty box on the road."
Buffalo gave up a power play goal to the Bruins very late in Boston back on Dec. 21 and lost, 3-1. In Buffalo, they blew the Bruins out of the back of the arena, 7-2.
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In the two games against Boston, Tage Thompson has three goals and four points.
Brett Murray’s last game with the Sabres was Dec. 15, 2023. He will play on Monday in Boston.
Boston has only won three of its last 13 games, and has given up 12 goals in their last two games. Despite that, the Bruins are only four points out of a playoff spot.
In four games played since joining the Bruins from the Colorado Avalanche, Mittelstadt has a goal and two assists. In the four games since being acquired from the Sabres, Henri Jokiharju has one assist for Boston.
David Pastrnak leads Boston this season with 34 goals and 48 assists for 82 points. That’s 42 points more than their second-leading scorer, Pavel Zacha.
Joonas Korpisalo is 10-7-2 in goal this season for the Bruins with a 2.78 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage.
Tune in during "Schopp and the Bulldog" for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. when you’ll hear from Ruff, Tuch and Murray.