BUFFALO – As Sabres center Sam Carrick warmed up prior to Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a placard along the glass featuring a drawing of his head grabbed his attention.
Other than the length of his hair – “I’ve had a snip since then,” the newcomer said – the portrait accurately depicted Carrick.
“Yeah, it was pretty impressive,” he told the Times Herald following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter.
That a fan felt compelled to draw Carrick and raced down to grab a front-row spot when the arena doors opened speaks to his early impact with the Sabres.
In his first days here following his arrival from the New York Rangers hours before the March 6 trade deadline, Carrick, 34, has established himself an asset by scoring, fighting and winning critical faceoffs as he anchors the fourth line and kills penalties.
The Sabres, who begin a four-game road trip Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, are 4-1-0 since they sent two picks downstate for his services.
Following Saturday’s victory, the Sabres’ ninth in their last 10 games, coach Lindy Ruff said Carrick’s work ethic has helped him fit in well with his new teammates.
“He honestly should get his Buffalo citizenship soon,” Ruff joked.
Carrick said he “loved” Ruff’s words.
“Buffalo has just been an awesome fit,” he said. “I’ve been thrilled to be here since Day One, and everyone’s been super welcoming. So, yeah, definitely feels like home.”
To enjoy a torrid run like the Sabres have put together over the last 14 weeks, a team must receive contributions from everyone.
They’re a stunning 30-6-2 since Dec. 9. Over a full 82-game season, that pace would equal 65 wins.
Contributions from newcomers – be it veterans like Carrick acquired through trades or rookies like forward Noah Ostlund recalled from the Rochester Americans – have helped the Sabres showcase that remarkable consistency.
Nearly everyone they’ve added or plugged in has played a role in their success.
In Saturday’s win, Ostlund, 22, created winger Jack Quinn’s tying goal by feeding him a no-look backhand pass from the side of the crease.
Meanwhile, with defenseman Mattias Samuelsson out injured against Toronto, rookie Zach Metsa, 27, moved into the lineup, skating a career-high 15 minutes, 32 seconds, mostly alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin.
Ostlund has played up and down the lineup all season, scoring 10 goals and 25 points in 55 games while moving between center, his natural position, and the wing.
The Swede, the 16th overall pick in 2022, was expected to make an impact in Buffalo perhaps as soon as this season following a breakout campaign in Rochester.
But few expected the undrafted Metsa, who signed his first NHL contract last summer, would earn semi-regular duty this season and boast a gaudy plus-16 rating in 34 games.
Much of his success can be traced to how the Sabres have handled him. Yes, Ruff likes him enough he felt comfortable pairing him with Dahlin on the top defense tandem.
The Sabres, however, have carefully handled his minutes, awarding him about 10 per outing on the third pair.
Instead of overwhelming Metsa and others, Ruff and his staff have carefully placed them in situations in which they believe they can succeed.
The Sabres also get the best out of their additions by making them feel comfortable.
“Getting put in certain situations, I think, is really key, but also just, I think, it’s the camaraderie, just our team and how welcoming we are, just bringing in new guys and bringing them into the fold, trying to help them out as much as possible,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said.
Carrick said right away, he felt a part of things.
“They had something special building before we got here, and (I’m) just trying to do what I can to fit in and help out,” he said. “They just allowed me to be myself. I’m not changing anything.”
In climbing to the top of the Atlantic Division, the Sabres have also established a strong standard they carry night in and night out no matter who’s in the lineup.
“I found that the most successful teams are the ones that have the right mentality,” Sabres goalie Alex Lyon said. “The right mentality is it doesn’t matter who gets hurt, it doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, we have a standard that we hold ourselves to, and every player is going to have to hold themselves to that standard.”
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Samuelsson (undisclosed injury), winger Tanner Pearson (lower body) and goalie Colten Ellis (undisclosed) all practiced Monday.
Ruff did not have an update on their status for Tuesday’s game.