The Buffalo Sabres have struggled at home in recent weeks, currently on an eight-game losing streak. They will try to change their luck as they start a three-game road trip with a visit to the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
During their losing streak, the Sabres have gone 0-5-3, with seven of those losses occurring at home. Six of the losses were by just one goal, and on three occasions, they had a lead going into the third period. Twice, they were ahead by multiple goals after two periods.
“To be honest with you, I think they’re all feeling it,” said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. “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.”
Ruff has focused on two key areas for improvement: shots on goal and the power play.
The Sabres are 24th in the league with 623 shots on goal during 5-on-5 play. They’ve missed the net 455 times, which is the fourth-most in the NHL.
“We have to start finishing more,” Ruff said. “That is, the inside plays that we were making, getting around the net and just hitting the net more on key opportunities. We’re still a team that misses the net too much.”
The Sabres’ power play has struggled too, converting just 1 of 26 chances in the past 10 games. Before this stretch, they had a much better 11-for-37 success rate in the previous 11 games.
Ruff made adjustments to the power play at practice, moving Tage Thompson (who leads the team with 16 goals) from the left circle to the bumper spot.
“Looking to get Tommer in a different spot where he’s not covered all the time, where we can get more motion,” Ruff explained. “I just think if we can get Tommer around the net 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 can empty that bumper position and get a little bit more rotation.”
The Capitals, on the other hand, are looking to extend their eight-game point streak. They are 7-0-1 in that stretch and haven’t lost in regulation since Nov. 23.
Washington is coming off a 2-1 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaving them tied for second in the NHL, just one point behind the Winnipeg Jets for first place.
“It’s been fun so far,” forward Aliaksei Protas said. “We’ve got a great group of guys who compete for each other, fight for each other. We don’t give up. … We know in the end of the day, we’ve got to be patient and we’ll find a way to win the game, so that’s what we’re doing so far, and we’ve got to keep it rolling.”
Protas has been a big part of that success, with eight points (four goals, four assists) in his last seven games. He has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in total, just three points shy of his career-high from last season.
“He’s just relentless,” said forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. “He plays well on the penalty kill and is just such a smart player. He is sneaky, one of our most valuable players every night.”
