Sabres’ Ryan McLeod looking for goals, linemates; Buffalo changes lineup

BUFFALO – For weeks, Sabres forward Ryan McLeod has moved around the lineup, skating on scoring lines and checking trios and playing center or even occasionally the wing.

McLeod, who displayed strong chemistry pivoting Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker on the third line earlier in the season, hasn’t found a fit.

Greenway is recovering from surgery to repair a mid-body injury and has missed the last 10 games and 22 of the past 26 contests. Zucker, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the Sabres’ most valuable players and earns duty on a scoring line.

McLeod, 25, has mostly centered the fourth line with Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty or Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

“He’s probably the one guy that really hasn’t kind of found chemistry with anybody since,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said prior to Monday’s 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals in KeyBank Center. “There’s been games I’ve kind of liked his game, but (he) hasn’t been in a lot of offensive opportunities, and it seemed that Zucker, Greenway, McLeod combination was something that really worked for us.”

Ruff put McLeod between JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch against the Capitals, giving him a chance on a scoring line.

“You get different linemates, you got to adapt to different play styles,” McLeod said. “But I think most of the time I just try to play my game.”

That game, of course, features speed. Perhaps an opportunity between two of the Sabres’ top scorers will ignite McLeod, who began Monday’s contest on a 22-game goal drought.

He scored six goals on 16 shots in his first 18 games before going dry. His gaudy 37.5 percent shooting percentage wasn’t sustainable.

Still, having never recorded more than 12 goals in campaign, his early offensive surge seemed to signal he would be contributing more offense.

McLeod, who arrived in an offseason trade with the Edmonton Oilers, hasn’t scored since Nov. 16.

“I think get around the front of the net more, use his quickness to get there,” Ruff said of how the newcomer can recapture his scoring touch. “He’s been kind of bounced around since that line had really good chemistry.”

The Sabres made one lineup change up front against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals, inserting Lafferty for Malenstyn.

Ruff said Malenstyn is one of a few sick players. Defenseman Jacob Bryson missed Saturday’s 3-1 road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights because of illness and also sat out Monday.

On defense, Henri Jokiharju, a healthy scratch the last six games, replaced Dennis Gilbert.

What does Jokiharju, a regular for years, need to get back to?

“I’ve had conversations with him about how hard we need to play,” Ruff said. “I think some of his puck play has hurt him – inconsistent puck play. The 50-50 battles are a big deal. The last conversation was about that next opportunity will be there; you just have to take advantage of it.

“Every player gets that opportunity, and I think when you cross paths with your opportunity and your preparation that goes into that, whether it’s how hard you work when you’re not playing, take advantage of it.”

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Greenway watched some of this Monday’s pregame skate from the bench, the first time he has been seen around the Sabres since having surgery.

“Just back with the team, just starting to work out,” Ruff said of his status. “So in the very early stages of kind of the second phase of post-surgery now.”

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Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, 39, began Monday’s game having scored 872 career goals, putting him 23 shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record.

Entering Monday, Ovechkin had scored four goals in five games since returning from a broken fibula and 19 overall in just 23 outings this season. The Russian winger’s next goal will mark his 20th 20-goal season.

Notes: Tage Thompson, the Sabres’ No. 1 center for years, has recently been playing right wing alongside center Dylan Cozens and Zucker. Thompson began his career as a winger. … Aube-Kubel played his 300th NHL game Monday. … Peterka played his 200th contest.