BUFFALO – Scratching young players, as coach Lindy Ruff did Saturday, is often the first option to ignite a struggling team. As rookie Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich watched, the Sabres fell meekly to the Utah Mammoth.
Now, Ruff’s lineup decisions – he has 14 forwards at his disposal – for Monday afternoon’s game against the Florida Panthers could be a heck of a lot more interesting.
The Sabres, fresh off a 109-point season, have scored just one goal in their last two contests, losing 4-1 to the Mammoth and 4-0 to the Dallas Stars.
They’ve stumbled out of the gate this season, starting 2-3-0. After closing their five-game home stand Monday, they begin a three-game road trip against Atlantic Division opponents Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres must find a groove in a hurry.
They showcased one of the NHL’s slickest offenses last season, averaging 3.45 goals per game, the league’s fifth-highest total. Through five games this month, however, that attack has often looked anemic. They’ve averaged just 2.2 goals per contest.
That number, which ranks 26th in the NHL, won’t win you many games. So expect Ruff to make more lineup changes.
A slew of forwards are underperforming. So far, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris have combined to score zero goals and four assists this season.
McLeod and Norris shared reps between Kulich and Helenius during Sunday’s practice, a sign one of the 27-year-old centers could be benched. Helenius practiced on a second power-play unit, a sign he could face the Panthers.
Perhaps Ruff simply wants to send them a message. Norris and McLeod, both of whom have also played wing this season, have each recorded just one assist.
Norris has a hefty $7.95 million salary. McLeod makes $5 million. Players of their stature often don’t sit out as healthy scratches.
If one or both of them watch from the press box, it will certainly reverberate throughout the dressing room.
Norris has mustered five shots on goal, including zero in two outings, and attempted just 12.
“As a group, we need to think shoot,” Ruff said. “He’s come in a couple times and gone east-west. It’s not that you want to just sift one from the top of the circles, just so you can say I got a shot on goal. …
“But if you’re getting inside that scoring area, we’d like to see you shoot it.”
Norris said he needs to start shooting and use his feet, his best asset.
“There’s nobody harder on myself than I am,” he said. “So … it’s on me to play better. Yeah, it’s something that I think about every night, obviously. It’s just how can I be the best player I can be every night?”
Shooting would also benefit McLeod, who has long been known as a pass-first player. He has recorded just three shots on goal and attempted seven.
“He just needs to shoot more,” Ruff said. “His thought process is always looking for somebody.”
Carrying the puck more often would help the speedy McLeod, perhaps the Sabres’ fastest player, generate more offense. He usually often backs up the defense when he zooms through center ice.
“Just transporting the puck a little bit more, a little more confidence with it,” he said of what he needs to get back to doing. “I’ve really been getting a lot of the speed through the neutral zone. … I’m playing a little bit too much perimeter.”
But opponents have recently focused on thwarting the Sabres’ speed on the rush, helping stymie their offense.
“Teams know our assets are speed and good off the rush team,” McLeod said. “So I think we got to do a better job in zone of creating more, and I think it’s gonna be tough off the rush. A lot of teams are trapping up on us now, so we have to find other ways to score.”
Of course, a sluggish five-game stretch in the winter likely wouldn’t receive as much attention. Everything has been magnified because the Sabres started the campaign in a rut.
“You’re gonna go through stretches throughout the year where you’re not gonna score, and we’re going through it right now,” Norris said. “We’re gonna get over it. It will be fine. But it’s on us to collectively get on the same page and find a way. That’s what it’s about. It’s not always gonna be easy. It’s a hard league. It’s hard to score.
“Teams are playing us harder and definitely smarter now, so it’s on us to keep developing our game, too, and finding different ways to score.”
–
Sabres goalie Colten Ellis practiced Sunday in the net usually reserved for the next day’s starter.