Practice Report | Maintenance days for Tuch and Zucker

After enjoying a day off following Saturday’s 8-2 thumping of the Rangers, the Buffalo Sabres returned to the ice for practice on Monday at KeyBank Center.

They skated without forwards Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker, who sat for “maintenance” reasons but haven’t been ruled out for Tuesday’s game versus Anaheim, per Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.

“We’ll probably gameday skate them to find out whether they can play or not,” Ruff said.

Both wingers were banged up in Buffalo’s first game back from the break. Zucker crawled to the bench early in the third period after blocking a shot with his foot, but he returned a few minutes later to tally his third assist of the night.

Tuch, meanwhile, was crunched into the corner boards on a shoulder check from New York defenseman K’Andre Miller. He remained on the ice for a couple minutes, appeared to be in considerable pain and, after making his way down the tunnel, didn’t return for the final 15:38 of the game.

Tuch or Zucker have been key contributors to the Sabres this season, including in Saturday's win. Zucker’s trio of assists gives him six in the last three games, and his 44 points (18+26) rank third on the team. Tuch sits just behind him with 43 points (19+24), including eight in the last five games.

The last couple games, they’ve settled onto Ryan McLeod’s wings, forming a trio that has outscored opponents 4-2 in its 32:55 of 5-on-5 ice time this season.

Here’s more from Monday’s practice.

News and notes

1. The Sabres didn’t have line rushes in the absences of Tuch and Zucker. Goaltender James Reimer also missed practice to tend to a family matter, so an EBUG practiced in the net opposite Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

2. Working their way back into playoff contention remains a tall task for the Sabres, who entered Monday 11 points out of the second wild card spot. A late-season comeback will require some help from the Eastern Conference’s other contenders, and on that note, Ruff admits to keeping an eye on out-of-town results.

“I look at the scoreboard,” said Buffalo’s coach. “You’ve got to know where you’re at to know where you’ve got to get to.”

Other results aside, the Sabres’ fortunes hinge primarily on their own performance these final 27 games. Buffalo, which has gone 5-1-0 in its last six, must continue stringing together wins to make things interesting in the standings.

“One game at a time, at the pace we want to try to play at, will get us close with probably five games to play,” Ruff said.

3. In a Sunday scoring change, the NHL awarded Rasmus Dahlin a secondary assist on Tage Thompson’s third-period goal versus the Rangers. As a result, he joins Zach Werenski as the only defensemen with multiple four-point games this season.

Buffalo’s captain has 12 points (3+9) since Jan. 28, the most in a six-game span in his career. And he leads the league with 24 assists since Dec. 23, when he tallied four helpers in his return from back spasms. Ruff attributes Dahlin’s recent excellence, in part, to improved health.

“This is the healthiest he’s been,” Ruff said. “He started the year where he missed some camp and he missed some games. I think it’s taken him a long time to catch up, and he’s played through a lot of stuff. So, this is by far the best I’ve seen him play and move on the ice.”

Up next

The Sabres host the Ducks on Tuesday, which is also Black History Celebration at KeyBank Center. Tickets are available here.

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.