Ruff Sits Samuelsson, Jokiharju In 5-1 victory against Ottawa
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said going into Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators that he has not been able to get what he expected from his club through the first month of the regular season. After making some lineup tweaks, the Sabres were able to snap a three-game losing streak with an excellent effort in a 5-1 victory over the Sens at Key Bank Center on Tuesday.
The laundry list of concerns that Ruff laid out on Tuesday morning all fell into place against their Atlantic Division rival, with two power-play markers from J-J Peterka, a pair of tallies from defenseman Bowen Byram, a club-leading eighth goal of the season from Tage Thompson, and a 37-save effort from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
“We’ve discussed what is necessary to win hockey games,” Ruff said after the game. “I’ve probably been more patient than I’ve ever been trying to figure these guys out, but there’s a standard you have to play to, and the standard hasn’t been good enough.
Ruff sat regular blueliners Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju on Tuesday, re-inserting Connor Clifton after being scratched for one game, and veteran Dennis Gilbert. Jokiharju has played most of the season as the right-handed counterpart for Rasmus Dahlin but has only three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 12 games. Samuelsson, Dahlin’s former top-pairing partner, has been unable thus far to be the shutdown defender he was after missing the second half of last season with a shoulder injury.
“I want those two guys to raise their standard of play, I need their standard to be a lot higher,” Ruff said. “Other guys have sat, I met with both players and discussed what is acceptable and what will work when you’re in the lineup.”
Ruff did not provide any hints as to whether either defenseman will be in the lineup for the Sabres' game in New York against the Rangers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
