Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) – Alex Tuch is the Buffalo Sabres nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities and off ice has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
Former Sabres Ryan O’Reilly is the Nashville Predators nominee and Jack Eichel is the Vegas Golden Knights nominee. Rob Ray is the only Buffalo Sabre to win the award back in 1999.
Jason Zucker won with the Minnesota Wild back in 2019.
The Sabres host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday after an 0-2-1 road trip. The Sabres have won seven straight games at home, with their last loss March 4 to the San Jose Sharks.
Owen Power is done for the season after a gruesome looking injury to his leg against the Florida Panthers. At the time of the morning skate, Power was still being tested. I asked Lindy Ruff if this was a serious injury and he said,
"It looks to be, so I don't really have a timeframe yet, but it looks to be."
Ruff said he’d have more information later today and in the next couple of days. He added it’s too early to know if Power will need surgery.
This is obviously going to interfere with the things Power needs to do this summer to make himself a better player Ruff said,
“It is unfortunate really, so as soon as we know the extent and how long it’s going to be, we’ll track a plan for him.”
Beck Malenstyn has an undisclosed injury and won’t play, so the Sabres will call up Isak Rosen from the Rochester Americans.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s last start went very well for him losing 3-2 in a shootout to the Panthers. Luukkonen stopped two of three Panthers in the shootout, but Buffalo went 0-for-3 against Vitek Vanecek. Luukkonen looked like his old self making 32 saves in 65 minutes of work.
His second last start didn’t begin well as Buffalo gifted two goals to the Boston Bruins to fall behind 2-0, but Luukkonen and the team recovered to win 6-3. Luukkonen was solid after the start and made 17 saves on 20 shots.
In my mind, Luukkonen earned this start against the Leafs and gives him a chance to build on the last two games,
“It was not the stretch before that I wanted and there’s a lot of this that goes into it, but I’ve got to be better too. But getting two better games (where he picked up 3-of-4 points) in a row and now trying to build off it at the end of the season, “It feels good.”
For six or seven weeks the Sabres were playing some good hockey. They were playing the right way and they were winning quite often. As a matter of fact before the three-game road trip, they had won five straight and 8-of-9. Buffalo went 10-3-0 and also 11-4-0. Since Jan. 28 they were 17-12-2 which is a .581 points percentage. That points percentage would have them in the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card position.
Buffalo is still seventh in goal scoring averaging 3.25 goals per game. At .481 their points percentage is now as good or better than seven teams.
In all three losses on the road, Buffalo blew leads. I think in all three games this team reverted back to some of the things that killed them for over half the season, but Ruff disagrees,
“The Florida game there was lots to like, I think we let their goalie off the hook and I thought Columbus too, we had way too many good opportunities not to put them away.
“That Columbus game looked a lot like earlier in the year where you generate, that second period we generated lots of great (opportunities), but we didn’t put them away.
“We by no means deserved to win the Tampa game after the first period. We didn’t even deserve to have the lead, but those other two games were type of games where we’ve been able to push through and win and keep the lead, keep the chances down, good around the net, take care of the puck, the Columbus goal at the end of the period really hurt us, but our managing the puck and getting it in the right place was abysmal in the Tampa game.”
Toronto can clinch the Atlantic Division by getting one point in this game or the Lightning losing in any fashion at home to Florida on Tuesday.
Overall the Leafs are fifth in the NHL with a points percentage of .650. The two teams haven’t played since December where the Leafs won 6-3 and 5-3. In those two games John Tavares has three goals and two assists. For Buffalo JJ Peterka has a goal and three assists for four points.
Anthony Stolarz has established himself as Toronto’s No. 1 goalie. He’s 20-8-3 with a 2.21 goals against and a sparkling .923 save percentage. Stolarz has shutouts in two of his last three games and only given up eight goals in his last six games.
Toronto is very good on the road going 24-13-3.
Mitch Marner is fifth in league scoring with 26 goals and 73 assists for 99 points in 79 games. Will Nylander is second in goals with 45 while Tage Thompson is third with 44.
Join “Schopp and the Bulldog" for the pregame starting at 6:00 when you’ll hear from Ruff, Luukkonen and Bo Byram.