Sabres’ win streak shows they might be starting something special

COLUMBUS – Hours before a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jackets ended the Buffalo Sabres’ win streak at 10 games, coach Lindy Ruff revealed some of the superstitions that materialized during one of the hottest stretches in franchise history.

For example, Ruff said assistant coach Marty Wilford refused to change his bench attire, so he wore the same brown suit each game.

Meanwhile, as the Sabres got on a tear and Owen Power kept reading the pregame lineup, part of the ritual included Ruff.

“I have to hand the card to Owen every night, so it’s actually been a proud pleasure,” a smiling Ruff said prior to Saturday afternoon’s game in Nationwide Arena.

In tying the franchise record for the longest win streak and vaulting up the standings into the thick of the playoff chase, the Sabres clearly had a blast. They possibly established something special – an identity and a higher standard – that could help them end their NHL-record 14-year postseason drought.

Little luck contributed to their hottest stretch in more than seven years. They earned each win because they did just about everything right, consistently showcasing their most complete game since perhaps Ruff’s first tenure.

But having lost their first game since Dec. 8, the Sabres can drop some of their superstitions and focus on their response in Tuesday’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks.

“This is when we really have to see if we’re a really good team,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said.

Wilford can wear a fresh suit and send the other one out to be dry cleaned. Ruff can assign someone else to hand a different player the lineup card.

“That’s the most important part,” Ruff said following the game. “It has nothing to do with winning 10 anymore. Now it’s about not losing two in a row, about responding to the game we just played, going back in our building and playing a good hockey game.”

Following Saturday’s loss, Ruff said winger Jason Zucker, who has missed the last 11 games with two injuries, is likely ready to play. The veteran began practicing more than a week ago and accompanied the Sabres on their three-game trip.

Under normal circumstances, Zucker, who skates on a scoring line and the top power-play unit, would’ve returned two or three games ago.

The Sabres’ struggling power play went scoreless in five opportunities against Columbus and has converted zero of its last 14 over the last six games.

“He was good on power play, he was good around the net front,” Ruff said of Zucker. “Could be the piece missing for us.”

On Saturday before a sellout crowd of 18,809 fans, the Sabres, whose strong puck management contributed to their surge, looked uncharacteristically sloppy.

“We didn’t look like ourselves,” Dahlin said. “Puck decisions and it was some individual (screw)-ups. This is our test. We need to bounce back here.”

The Sabres fell in an early hole when Denton Mateychuk scored 3:00 into the game. Sabres winger Josh Doan tied it at 11:26 before Brendan Gaunce’s short-handed breakaway goal restored the Blue Jackets’ lead. Dmitri Voronkov made it 3-1 later in the first period.

It was their worst period in weeks.

“I think the biggest thing today was how we started,” said Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who faced three early breakaways. “There hasn’t been many starts like that for us and when there has been, I feel like we kind of grasped the game sooner than that, so we kind of let the first period go.

“As a team and as myself, I have to be better at the start and kind of going 3-1 down in the first period just kind of kills the momentum for us.”

The Sabres, who recovered from early road deficits Monday and Wednesday, never got rolling.

“Our hands weren’t connected to our brain,” Ruff said. “There was plays there to made, and we had some good looks, but we just didn’t make the next play offensively. I thought we stayed on the outside a little bit too much on the offensive zone.

“We had plenty of zone time but didn’t generate enough. But when you’re not hitting holes quick enough or not getting people there quick enough, there’s nights you don’t get much done.”

The Sabres never trailed entering the third period throughout their 10-game win streak. On Saturday, after Mathieu Olivier scored in the second period, they faced a three-goal deficit.

Cole Sillinger scored an empty-net goal to make it 5-1. The Sabres hadn’t allowed allowed more than three goals in their previous 10 outings.

Notes: The Blue Jackets welcomed back Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who served as their GM for 11 years, and assistant GM Josh Flynn, who recently left the team to join Buffalo, on the video boards. … Associate GM Marc Bergevin, who was hired Dec. 21, watched Saturday’s game with Kekalainen. … The Sabres stayed in Dallas for two days following Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Stars before flying to Columbus.