News and notes
1. If Malenstyn does remain out against the Kraken, the Sabres could opt to stick with the 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup that played in Ottawa on Saturday.
The benefit of the 11-7 split, Ruff explained, is extra minutes for the middle-six forwards – which can lead to more of a rhythm in their game. Eight forwards skated 15 minutes or more in Ottawa, whereas six forwards hit that threshold in the previous game against Washington.
The risk is those ice times running too high in the event of an injury – a situation the Sabres narrowly avoided against the Senators, when Jason Zucker left the game early but returned before the end of the first period.
“The negative is, if you get in a game where you get a lot of penalties or you lose somebody, then you get yourself in a little bit of trouble,” Ruff said.
2. The 11-7 split allowed both Bryson and Dennis Gilbert to step into the lineup. The latter’s presence proved crucial opposite Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, whose trademark play-to-the-edge style included in an early hit that briefly sent Zucker to the dressing room.
Gilbert challenged Tkachuk shortly after the hit on Zucker and ended up fighting the Senators captain during the third period after laying a hard hit of his own on defenseman Nick Jensen.
“I think he filled his role to a T,” Ruff said. “I think having him in the lineup, he went after Tkachuk right afterwards down on the end, Tkachuk didn’t want anything to do with it. And that’s the response you want. I think he’s the one guy that will get his nose in for everybody.”
Ruff also complimented Gilbert’s preparedness and acceptance of his role. The defenseman has dressed for just two games since Dec. 20 but had a combined five hits in those contests and was not on the ice for a goal against.
“It’s hard a lot of times for a guy to be a good teammate when he’s in and out,” Ruff said. “Every player is frustrated when they don’t play, don’t get the call, they don’t get to play every night. I think that part of it is understanding your role and the other part is, when you do get in, play really well and make it really hard for the coaches to take you out.
“But he has been a great teammate. He’s well-liked in the room. He understands that he’s probably not going to be in every night. But when he’s in, he said, ‘I’ll do whatever you need.’”
