BUFFALO – This isn’t the hottest stretch of Ryan McLeod’s career. No, 10 months ago as a member of the Edmonton Oilers, the Sabres newcomer scored four times and compiled six points during a three-game goal streak.
Following a pointless night, he registered one goal and two points in his next outing.
Right now, McLeod has scored one goal in each of the last three games entering Tuesday’s contest against the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center, the start of a four-game home stand.
The Sabres, of course, paid a steep price to acquire McLeod on July 5, trading forward prospect Matt Savoie to land him along with forward prospect Tyler Tullio.
His arrival filled a lot of needs, giving the Sabres a speedy, versatile center to anchor their third line and take critical faceoffs. They also likely envisioned he would keep developing offensively.
At 25, he is entering the prime of his career. In each of his three full NHL seasons, he has boosted his goal total, jumping from 9 to 11 to 12.
So last year’s brief but torrid run and his current streak might be more than a hot week or so. He could be maturing and adding more goal scoring to his repertoire.
His three goals rank second on the Sabres, trailing only the four center Tage Thompson and winger JJ Peterka have each scored.
“Coming here, I wanted to add that piece to my game,” McLeod said following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter “It’s coming still. It’s a confidence thing, shooting the pucks and getting to the net a little bit more. But (I’m) happy with how it’s progressing.”
In Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, he scored an empty-net goal. In Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, he converted a nifty feed from linemate Jason Zucker on a two-on-one.
McLeod utilized his speed to score those goals, zooming past a defender as Zucker lofted a pass and beating his opponent in the Chicago zone to cement a much-needed victory.
“He can catch guys by surprise in the neutral zone,” Zucker said. “I think a lot of the time having that speed through the middle makes it a lot easier on the wingers, (Jordan Greenway) and myself, when we get pucks later on.”
In Wednesday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, his third-period goal from above the left circle put the Sabres up 5-4.
“He’s a good offensive player,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think a lot of his offense is created with skating. When you look at the type of goals that he scores, most of it is through his speed. I don’t know what that upside is. I think he’s a good two-way player.”
McLeod’s checking ability and faceoff prowess could keep earning him more opportunities. Through seven games, he has averaged 15 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time, almost a minute and a half more than his career high last season.
Ruff trusts McLeod so much that a whopping 66.3 percent of his starts have come in the defensive zone. Last week, Ruff put his line out for the opening faceoff in Columbus and Pittsburgh. Why?
“We’re trying to win the first faceoff,” Ruff said. “His faceoff percentage has been good.”
Overall, McLeod is at 50 percent in the dot this season, the highest number among Sabres who have taken at least 50 draws. He won 50.8 percent of his faceoffs last season, a number that would’ve topped the Sabres. He was hot Saturday, winning seven of the 11 he took (63.6 percent).
The Sabres’ power play has struggled mightily this season, converting zero of its chances. Their inability to consistently win faceoffs has contributed to their problems.
Ruff said he and his staff have discussed adding McLeod or center Peyton Krebs, who has won 14 of his 22 draws this season (61.1 percent), to the units.
“If another team starts a lefty against a righty, to push him over to the other side, we would maybe start a McLeod or Krebs to win the draw, let them go net-front, and you’re going to automatically have possession instead of chasing it down the ice again,” he said.
The 6-foot-3, 188-pound McLeod has also fit in off the ice, quickly acclimating to his new team.
“He’s just … a fun-loving guy,” Zucker said. “He loves being around the guys and enjoying the time.”
McLeod, who played 24 contests during Edmonton’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final four months ago, is grateful for being welcomed.
“The guys have done a great job making me very comfortable coming in,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about the guys around the room. It’s been so much fun being here. … I’m trying to give them little tidbits of what we dealt with in the playoffs last year and how hard it is to win.”
Ruff said Greenway, who missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, is “a good possibility” to play against the Stars.
“I spent a little time talking to him, and he feels like he’d be able to go,” he said.
Greenway practiced Monday.
