COLUMBUS – Jack Quinn, of course, is hardly alone. The winger is one of seven Buffalo Sabres forwards still looking for his first goal.
But Quinn, a second-liner, is expected to score. Through five games this season, he hasn’t looked like himself, struggling to generate offense.
He has compiled zero goals, one assist, five shots on goal and a minus-4 rating. He was a minus-2 in Wednesday’s 6-5 overtime road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Not surprisingly, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff scratched Quinn, 23, for Thursday’s game against the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena.
Rookie Jiri Kulich replaced him at right wing alongside center Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson. Kulich scored his first NHL goal 17:29 into the second period, tipping Cozens’ one-timer from the point by goalie Daniil Tarasov from the slot.
“He’s had some quality opportunities,” Ruff said of Quinn prior to Thursday’s game. “I think, again, I mentioned last night, managing the puck. We’re talking about competing on the puck as a group, win your 50-50s (battles). Jack, I think, he’s getting in that area. But staying on the right side of the puck in different zones is really important at the same time.”
Quinn endured a lot last season, recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and a leg injury he suffered shortly after returning to the lineup. The injuries sidelined him for 55 games. He looked effective during his healthy stints, registering nine goals and 19 points in 27 outings.
Meanwhile, Kulich, 20, played his fifth NHL game and fourth this season. The Czech’s talents clearly intrigue Ruff, who scratched him Wednesday.
“We know he’s got a bomb for a shot, and I’ve said that his ceiling in this league is kind of unlimited with the tools he has,” he said.
Ruff said Kulich, an elite scorer in the AHL, has been paying more attention to details and improved his play away from the puck
He said the youngster “understands a little better what the NHL game is about.”
“The speed you have to play at, the plays you have to make when you’re under pressure, where your options are,” he said. “So I think that’s his growth.”
Sabres goalie Devon Levi, who played Thursday, recently started wearing a mask inspired by the movie “Gladiator.”
“So I got the Coliseum, I got Maximus Aurelius on both sides,” he said Monday. “It’s a great movie. I love it. It fires me up every time I watch it. So I was like, might as well have some fun with it. Put it on the mask.”
The Sabres also scratched defensemen Jacob Bryson and Dennis Gilbert (both healthy). Bryson hasn’t played this season.
The Sabres close their three-game road trip Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
