BUFFALO – On Thursday, a day off for the struggling Sabres, injured captain Rasmus Dahlin and Lindy Ruff had what the coach called “a long conversation” about the team.
Dahlin has missed the last four games after suffering back spasms Dec. 3. The Sabres’ top defenseman skated on his own again Friday and is progressing, according to Ruff.
Still, the Swede has been a bystander as the Sabres’ losing streak reached eight games, and it’s driving him nuts.
“He’s 100 percent invested in what’s going on,” Ruff said following Friday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “It’s not like he’s injured and sitting on the outside. So I think it’s killing him like it’s killing everyone else.”
Dahlin, whose passion for the game and his teammates is evident in his actions and words, has sometimes watched practice from the bench during his absence.
On Friday, as the reeling Sabres prepared for Saturday’s game against the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals, he stood on the bench before practice with the hood of his Sabres sweatshirt pulled tightly over his head.
Saturday’s contest kicks off a three-game road trip. The Sabres also play Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tuesday versus the Montreal Canadiens. Practice time will be limited in the next week.
“The good part is he’s skating and he’s getting some conditioning in,” Ruff said. “The hard part is you’d like get into practice and battles, but we’re not quite there yet.”
While the Sabres sorely need Dahlin back – immediately after he left injured, they allowed four straight goals in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche – Ruff seems pleased with the blue line’s recent performance.
Without Dahlin, their ice time leader, defenseman Owen Power shook off a benching early in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers and enjoyed perhaps his best performance this season.
“His second half of the game was fantastic,” Ruff said.
Ruff said Power’s puck play and ability to read the action and get open impressed him. Power scored the Sabres’ first goal.
“I think he was involved in like seven scoring opportunities,” he said. “He took the one to the net that led to kind of chaos where we had a couple opportunities. He made a lot of plays in little ice. Some of his offensive physicality, like boxing people out and taking the puck up high for us were really good.”
Meanwhile, defenseman Bo Byram has earned more minutes, averaging 25 minutes, 38 seconds per outing in the last four games.
“Bo has stepped up his play,” Ruff said.
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who returned Wednesday after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, has shaken off his early-season struggles that forced Ruff to scratch him.
“I liked Samuelsson’s game,” Ruff said. “I thought his quickness, his puck play, better than before his injury. Even his practice (was) quicker. Everything was quicker about it. So I think if he continues down that road, that’s a great step in the right direction.”
The Sabres, who just lost all five games of their home stand, could be without winger Jordan Greenway against the Capitals.
Ruff said Greenway, who returned Wednesday after missing 10 games with a mid-body injury, missed Friday’s practice because he’s “dealing with soreness from the injury.”
“When he misses today, that’s a possibility (he misses the next game), for sure,” Ruff said. “Just see how treatment and everything progressed today. He was in yesterday, too, and talked to him. He was optimistic.”
If Greenway can’t go, winger Jack Quinn, a healthy scratch the last four games, could play.
Ruff said he’s “hopeful” to get Quinn in this weekend.
Quinn, who has scored one goal, an empty-netter, in 24 games this season, practiced at right wing Friday alongside center Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker. He also took reps on the power play.
“His on-ice play has to be elevated,” Ruff said. “Scoring goals is a product of winning battles, winning races and getting yourself in the right spot. And, really, that’s all it is.”
In other news, Ruff said forward Sam Lafferty, who has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, could be an option for this weekend after practicing Friday.
Ruff said he’s “hopeful” to get Quinn in the lineup this weekend.
Quinn, who has scored one goal, an empty-netter, in 24 games this season, practiced at right wing Friday alongside center Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker. He also took reps on the power play.
“His on-ice play has to be elevated,” Ruff said. “Scoring goals is a product of winning battles, winning races and getting yourself in the right spot. And, really, that’s all it is.”
In other news, Ruff said forward Sam Lafferty, who has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, could be an option for this weekend after practicing Friday.
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In an attempt to ignite the Sabres’ struggling power play – it’s just one of its last 26 – Ruff tried out different looks during Friday’s practice.
Most notably, center Tage Thompson, who can be a lethal presence from the circle, moved into spots around the net. Forwards Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich and Peyton Krebs also practiced on the top unit.
“We’re making a pretty drastic change to the unit,” Ruff said.
Ruff said he wants to move Thompson to “a different spot where he’s not covered all the time, where we can get more motion.”
“If we can get Tommer … where he can get around the net, get away from the net, where all of a sudden, a defenseman isn’t going to leave the net,” he said.
“He can empty that bumper position and get a little bit more rotation, he can pop up as the high guy, almost the same type of shot you’ve seen (Dylan) Cozens have several times on the power play.”
The Sabres have lost seven times at home during their eight-game skid (0-5-3), so a road trip is welcomed.
“To be honest with you guys, I think they’re all feeling it,” Ruff said. “They’re all feeling the effects of losing and losing at home. My job is to try to keep the spirit in the right place, to make sure the work ethic of practice, the attitude, the energy of practice is still up, that we’re still trying to get better inside every drill.”
The Sabres have six-one goal losses during their streak
“It (stinks) we haven’t gotten wins, but we have done a lot of good things,” Quinn said.
They haven’t endured an eight-game losing streak since November 2022.
