TORONTO – Lindy Ruff has coached 1,805 games over 24 seasons. He has led Buffalo Sabres teams that went bankrupt during the season and that came within two wins of a Stanley Cup victory.
Ruff, 64, has experienced just about everything during his long and distinguished career. He has won 875 games, the fifth-highest total in NHL history, and led three franchises to the playoffs.
He has always found a way to get his teams out of their struggles.
But right now, in the midst of the Sabres’ stunning 10-game winless skid (0-7-3), he said he’s “almost at a loss for words.”
“This is the toughest solve I’ve been around, but it’s on me to get these guys in the right place to win a hockey game,” Ruff said following Sunday afternoon’s 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs. “And nobody else, just me.”
At this point, players have also run out of answers. The Sabres were enjoying a 10-5-0 run they began their worst stretch since a wretched 18-game winless skid in 2020-21.
“Pretty (crappy), honestly,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said of the feeling in the dressing room. “Losing 10 in a row, there’s no good feelings. You just got to work.”
Like so many of their recent outings, the Sabres did some good things. They pounced on the Leafs early.
In his return after sitting out five straight games as a healthy scratch, winger Jack Quinn scored a power-play goal at 1:03, his second goal this season and first past a goalie.
The power-play goal was just the Sabres’ second in their last 29 tries.
Tuch followed at 2:46, setting the stage for the Sabres to blow another 2-0 lead.
“I thought we were quick early,” Ruff said. “I thought we made a couple good plays, a couple really high-end plays that got us going. I thought our power play looked good, got us a goal. So we were clicking on almost everything until they got the first goal and it just seemed like it turned.”
Max Domi narrowed it to 2-1 before the first period ended. Quinn scored again 9:11 into the second period, restoring Buffalo’s two-goal lead.
Then, like so many other recent games, the Sabres imploded.
The Leafs scored three times in a stretch of 2:31, grabbing the lead. Nick Robertson tallied before John Tavares scored twice, including one on the power play before the second period ended.
“They really came hard after us and we couldn’t win enough battles,” Ruff said. “I thought that some of our puck decisions got us in trouble.”
Tavares’ late empty-net goal completed his natural hat trick and sealed the Leafs’ win before a crowd of 18,588 fans in Scotiabank Arena. Sabres got outshot 18-7 in the third and did not register a shot until more than halfway through the period.
The Sabres have six one-goal losses during their tailspin. While Sunday’s setback and Saturday’s 4-2 road loss to the Washington Capitals were multi-goal defeats, their opponents sealed their victories with empty-net goals. The Sabres took things down to the wire.
They’ve been in nearly every game during the last three weeks.
“We score the first goal in a lot of these games,” Tuch said. “We’ve come from behind and tied it up in a lot of these games. It’s not good enough.”
Quinn was Buffalo’s best player from the get-go, looking assertive and confident while pumping a team-high five shots on goal in 18 minutes, 18 seconds of ice time. He mostly skated at right wing alongside center Dylan Cozens and JJ Peterka.
He beat Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby from the left circle early and right circle in the second period.
“I felt good,” Quinn said following his fourth career two-goal outing. “Lot of confidence after that first one went in. Feel like my game is on another level when I see one go in.”
Ruff said Quinn has recently worked on his quickness.
“I think we saw that again tonight,” he said. “We know he can shoot. I thought going into the game, perfect place to put him getting him on the power play and seeing if it’s going to click.”
After playing Saturday and arriving in Toronto at 2 a.m. Sunday for a 5 p.m. start, Ruff infused his lineup with fresh players.
In addition to Quinn, the Sabres recalled goalie Devon Levi from the Rochester Americans to start and inserted defensemen Jacob Bryson and Henri Jokiharju.
To create a roster spot for Levi, the Sabres sent defenseman Ryan Johnson to Rochester. The assignment could be a paper transaction, as Johnson, who had played three straight games, was still with the Sabres following the game.
Levi looked sharp in his first NHL start since Nov. 16, making 27 saves. He left the Amerks in Belleville on Saturday afternoon and arrived in Toronto on Saturday night ahead of the Sabres.
“He played a heck of a game for us,” Ruff said.
After joining the Amerks last month to receive consistent action, he performed dynamically, registering a 7-1-1 mark with a 2.08 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts in nine outings.
“Felt good,” Levi said. “I think just being able to play a lot in Rochester helped me kind of jump back into this game and feel like myself.”
Veteran James Reimer, who has recently spelled No. 1 goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as Buffalo’s backup, struggled in his last start, last Monday’s 6-5 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
To make room for skaters in the lineup, the Sabres scratched winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel and defenseman Connor Clifton.
Jokiharju, a healthy scratch six times last month, sat out again Saturday.
“Quicker plays, first touches, some of it is the one-on-one battles,” Ruff said prior to the game of what the Finn must get back to doing. “I think we looked at last night’s game as we needed possibly a physical guy in the lineup. I told him when he was going out that he’d be right back in.”
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Ruff said defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who has missed the last six games with back spasms, is “better but still not ready to play.”
