BUFFALO – To coach Lindy Ruff, the Sabres’ long win streaks this season – for the first time in franchise history, they have two of at least eight games – illustrate the high level of consistency they’ve showcased over a torrid three-month stretch.
“That’s the reason you can win that number of games,” Ruff said after Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks in noisy KeyBank Center pushed their latest run to eight games.
Since Dec. 9, when they started a 10-game win streak, they’ve compiled a stunning, NHL-best 29-5-2 record. Twice in the last 10 years they’ve won fewer than 29 games all season.
“We’ve won games in a lot of different ways,” Ruff said. “But I think the overall consistency of line to line and buying into how we need to play allows you to get to that point. Some nights it’s special teams. Some nights it’s our five-on-five play.”
There’s often a different hero each game.
Yes, their drivers – captain Rasmus Dahlin, center Tage Thompson and a few others – are often their best players. But they receive contributions up and down the lineup.
On Tuesday, a night Thompson’s 11-game point streak ended, winger Jack Quinn picked up the slack, ending a 12-game goal drought by scoring three times.
“I think after the (Olympic) break I was actually playing pretty good and our line was having a ton of chances,” Quinn said following his first NHL hat trick.
Quinn, Ruff noted, “probably led our team in top opportunities that haven’t gone in the net.”
“It was due to go,” he said.
In the second period, fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn scored a highlight-reel goal, undressing Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson before beating goalie Yaroslav Askarov.
“Great goal by Malenstyn,” Ruff said. “The night before we had (Sam) Carrick (scoring). The fourth line chipping in. You need all of that to get on a run and run games together. You can look every night it’s so tight.”
In notching their 40th win this season, the Sabres again displayed the tight group they’ve grown into over their breakout season.
When Dmitry Orlov hit Thompson low in the second period, knocking him to the ice, winger Zach Benson quickly pounced on the San Jose defenseman.
“That’s what we do in this locker room,” Dahlin said. “Big respect for Benny. He stands up for his teammates.”
The Sabres stood up for each other throughout Sunday’s intense 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, fighting five times.
Fresh off an emotional outing that moved them into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division, some wondered how they would respond against the Sharks.
Well, goals from Quinn and winger Alex Tuch gave them a 2-0 lead just 5:39 into the contest, igniting the capacity crowd of 19,070 fans.
Newcomer Logan Stanley and Malenstyn fought 12 second apart later in the period with the Sabres up 2-1.
“I thought the start was great,” Ruff said.
The 6-foot-7, 231-pound Stanley, who arrived from the Winnipeg Jets before Friday’s trade deadline, made his Sabres debut just hours after his visa was completed.
“I was definitely nervous, and I think it can only go up from here,” Stanley said.
After skating on his own Tuesday morning – he couldn’t practice because of his visa status – Ruff asked the defenseman if he wanted to play against the Sharks.
“Great first showing,” Ruff said. “Middle of the afternoon you find out you’re going to get your visa, coach tells you, ‘You want to play?’ He says he wants to play, so I say, ‘OK, we’ll play you.’”
Stanley skated 15 minutes, 51 seconds, mostly alongside 6-foot-5 defenseman Michael Kesselring. Ruff also gave Stanley some penalty-killing duty.
He said fighting Zack Ostapchuk helped settle him down a bit.
“I figured I was going to get one in one of these games,” he said. “I’m happy it happened early.”
Ruff said defenseman Luke Schenn, who came in the same deal as Stanley, and winger Tanner Pearson, who arrived later Friday in a separate deal with the Jets, also had their visas approved Tuesday.
Winger Jason Zucker scored the Sabres’ other goal, his 20th this season. Quinn scored his third goal into an empty net. Goalie Alex Lyon made 18 stops.
