If practice on Friday is any indication, that chance could come when the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon. Rodrigues skated on a line with Vladimir Sobotka and Kyle Okposo, and Housley said he'd like to see the forward pick up where he left off.
"I just think the way he played before he got out, I thought he was playing really good hockey," Housley said. "He had the birth of his child and we gave him some time to regroup, but I think when he's at his best, he's skating and he's making plays.
"… He's got all the intangibles, being tough to play against. I like to see him go to the net hard. When he does that, he creates offense for us and he makes it difficult for the goalie. He's just got to get back to where he was before he got out of the lineup."
Rodrigues will look to help jump start an offense looking for more even-strength production outside of its top line. Though he went without a goal in his first 10 games, he felt he was putting himself in position to contribute.
"Just continue to play with speed, continue to play with pace, and focus on winning my one-on-one battles and I think things will come naturally," he said.
The Sabres provided a template for success during the third period of their loss in Ottawa on Thursday, when they outshot the Senators 23-7 and came within a goal of erasing a 3-0 deficit. Both goals came on tips in front of the net, which Housley said should be a lesson for the forwards.
"I think you look at where we're scoring our goals, you look at two of the goals we scored last night. They're right in front of the net," Housley said. "I think that's one thing they can learn. It might not be pretty, it might just be going to the net. It might hit you, it might go off a shin pad, you might get a second opportunity.
"But I think we didn't do a very good job against Calgary in that area and, for the most part, I think in the first period [in Ottawa] we didn't go a good job getting to the net. Once we made a decision, we played the right way."
