Sabres stay off ice, likely to make lineup change against Rangers

BUFFALO – One reeling team will earn a much-needed win tonight.

The Sabres have lost seven straight contests (0-4-3) and could go winless during a season-long five-game home stand. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers, a team expected to contend for the Stanley Cup, have dropped two straight contests and eight of their last 10.

Some pregame updates from KeyBank Center, where they Sabres did not skate this morning, are below.

– Coach Lindy Ruff said captain Rasmus Dahlin, who has missed three games since suffering back spasms last Tuesday, likely won’t practice Thursday (right now, the Sabres have a scheduled day off, so he possibly meant Friday).

Ruff said he can give more information on Dahlin’s status Thursday. He said Monday the defenseman could be ready to play this weekend.

– Ruff, whose Sabres spent most of Tuesday’s practice working on their anemic power play, said they stayed off the to conserve energy.

“The fact that we practiced yesterday for 30 minutes, just save everything we’ve got for tonight,” he said. “We don’t need to skate.”

– The Sabres have managed to stay in the thick of the playoff chase because they’ve gotten three games to overtime during their two-week skid. They could potentially jump three teams in the standings if they win tonight.

“I think when you look at the seven, you’re still getting points in some of those games,” Ruff said. “If you didn’t get points, you’d be in a lot of trouble. The fact that where we’re at, you win a game tonight, the board tells you where you’re at.

“Just go to work, go to work again. Go to work and win the next game after that.”

– Ruff said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is available to play tonight. If he returns after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, defenseman Jacob Bryson, who has played 17 straight contests, could be scratched.

Bryson was one of a handful of Sabres who skated this morning.

– Ruff, who did not like Tuesday’s power-play practice, has addressed it.

“Meetings with individuals,” he said of how he went about it. “Us as coaches met about how that power-play practice went. Met this morning, went through that again. I actually went through video from yesterday’s practice. Schematically, just changed some things, and I think we’ll be in a lot better position.”