As the Sabres were finishing another season without competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Alex Tuch expressed regret over how long it took for him to make a significant impact on the ice.
His production last October wasn’t pedestrian. The 28-year-old winger had seven points in 10 games as the Sabres started 5-5. He knew that he had more to give, though. Those dominant shifts that helped him produce 36 goals and 79 points in 2022-23 weren’t happening as often. He was back in top form during the second half of last season, but he expected more from himself.
Tuch was determined to use the offseason to ensure that he’d be ready to contribute when the Sabres’ season began Prague. His October didn’t disappoint. Tuch was one of their best players with three goals and nine points in 10 games, but he’s not satisfied, either.
The team is 4-5-1 and he wanted to do more in a 5-2 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champions on Monday night.
“I still want to be better,” said Tuch. “I still want to continue to have better puck touches, a little bit better offensive instincts. I think I’m still coming into my game a little more, too. Throwing out (the loss Monday night), I’ve gotten more opportunities and scoring chances. I’m finding myself in the right spots and finding my teammates a little more. Those are good steps. I have another level I can get to, though.”
Tuch’s line with Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka sparked the Sabres during a three-game win streak that ended Monday. The trio has combined for 14 goals, seven by Thompson, and it’s not relying on odd-man rushes to create offense. They’re willing to chip the puck into the offensive zone and forecheck to regain possession. The mature approach has helped them produce more than most lines in the NHL.
Among forward lines to play at least 50 minutes at 5-on-5 entering Tuesday, the Sabres’ top group ranked sixth in goals scored per 60 minutes (5.96), according to Evolving-Hockey. Tuch’s tenacity on the forecheck is one reason they’ve been successful.
Lindy Ruff referred to Tuch as a “puck thief,” because of the Baldwinsville native’s ability to hound a defenseman while they’re trying to exit their own zone. The 6-foot-4 winger routinely pressures them into forcing a bad pass or he’ll use his long reach to strip them of the puck. Tuch’s 91 takeaways since the start of the 2023-24 season rank second in the NHL, trailing only Evgeni Malkin (93) of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tuch’s 156 takeaways since the fall of 2022 are more than all but five players: Malkin, Mitch Marner, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid.
“It’s always been a big part of my game,” said Tuch. “I really honed in and focused on it. I’m trying to make their team as uncomfortable as possible, and I think it’s leading to our team having more puck possession. It’s leading to our team having more chances in transition, and I’m really trying to be as hard to play against as possible out there. I did a really good job against Detroit. [Monday] night was a little more inconsistent. I was still good defensively, but I have another level to get to on the forecheck.”
“It’s something that you have to take a lot of pride in if you want to get good at it because it takes extra effort, too,” Ruff added. “You can be that tracking guy and be a foot away, but you can give that extra one or two strides and get in position to take a puck away. It’s work, it’s reach, it’s a skill that I think that he’s learned to acquire.”
Sabres right winger Alex Tuch checks the Panthers’ Anton Lundell on Oct. 12. Tuch has worked hard to be difficult to play against.
The entire team has a level it must reach if it’s going to correct the mistakes that have caused the Sabres to lose games in which they could have gotten to overtime and earned at least one point in the standings. Statistically, they’ve only made marginal improvement compared to their first 10 games last season.
Buffalo has scored the same number of goals (32), but it’s allowing seven more than it did under Don Granato. The penalty kill hasn’t been as effective, and the Sabres are still leaning on their goalies too often to bail them out for failing to cover opponents in front of the net.
The Sabres’ defensemen have committed mistakes around their own net. They’re boxing out opponents more often than recent seasons, but their attention to detail has slipped more often than it should. Consistency has been an issue for two of the four forward lines. Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway have given Ruff a tool to shut down opposing lines, and the trio’s commitment to playing strong defense has led to scoring opportunities.
The Sabres look like a different team than a year ago. They’re earning more scoring chances around their opponent’s net and forwards are more detailed in how they’re defending, but Tuch agreed with others in the dressing room that they must reach a higher level.
“It’s cleaning up mental errors, cleaning up the compete side of things,” said Tuch. “Just a little bit more individual efforts in puck battles and support. Working together as a six-man unit out there will propel us forward. If we can do that shift after shift, instead of going two shifts and then taking a shift off, not giving them as much momentum.
“We do have momentum. We have a lot of momentum at times and we can’t let the other team break our momentum by a group of guys not going out there competing. It takes 21 of us to win a game, a full 60 (minutes). It can’t be half the guys working and the half of the guys not. Everyone’s got to be bought in. Everyone’s got to do it, and I think going forward we’ll have that.”
