‘Defensively, we were menaces’ | Sabres playing to enhanced defensive identity through 2 preseason games

Head coach Lindy Ruff entered the second training camp of his second Sabres stint with one simple message: Be stronger defensively and tougher to play against.

Through two preseason games against Columbus, Ruff’s group has performed to its enhanced defensive identity by allowing just one total goal.

This mantra, cultivated by difficult training camp practices and situational work, paid off Tuesday at KeyBank Center with a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets. The Sabres practiced 6-on-5 situations during the morning skate and found themselves in the same situation, clinging to a one-goal lead, as the clock raced towards zero.

“I thought we did an excellent job,” Zach Benson said. “I thought, defensively, we were menaces. I think we made it really hard on them, and obviously (a) big kill at the end. You're gonna need lots of those down the road, so it's nice to work on it early on.”

Benson said clogging up the defensive zone and playing sound positionally in the neutral zone forced Columbus to turn the puck over, and this was evident in the second period as Columbus recorded just one shot at 5-on-5.

The Blue Jackets had just five total shots in the third period despite getting a power play with less than five minutes to play and pulling goaltender Zachary Sawchenko to create a 6-on-5 in the closing minutes.

Jason Zucker was on the ice for nearly two minutes late in the third period and helped force several Columbus turnovers to maintain the one-goal advantage. Zucker said working 6-on-5 situations in practice provides structure and helps the team with “just being on the same page.”

“I think last year, we had a tendency of sitting back a little bit and just trying to not let them score, which seems like the right thing to do, but at the same time you’ve got to stay aggressive," said Zucker, whose goal 11:57 into the third period proved to be the game winner.

"You just sit back and let them come in waves at you, it's going to be tough to defend. I thought we did a better job staying aggressive, getting pucks out, making them have dirty pucks along the boards and get them out of our zone."

Playing close games in the preseason not only provides value in terms of building those schematic habits, but it also gives players the chance to learn how to best dictate the pace with a one-goal lead.

“I think I mentioned 78 percent of the games last year were one-goal or two-goal games that are decided with an empty (netter),” Ruff said. “So, I’d rather have, tonight, been in a close game, which we were in, because you battle harder. One mistake costs you. I like that we didn’t get frustrated. We missed a lot of chances. I don’t believe we gave them an even-strength shot in the second period, so (we) defended really well.”

Here’s more from the Sabres’ second straight preseason win.

Benson-Norris-Thompson line dominates

Josh Norris stood adjacent to the hashmarks along the boards and dished a pass to Benson, who began to circle the net before sliding a backhand pass to Tage Thompson. Thompson buried the Sabres’ first goal, tying the game 1-1 late in the second period and rewarding the trio for its strong night.

Per Natural Stat Trick, the line helped generate eight scoring chances at 5-on-5, didn’t allow a chance against and recorded a combined 13 shots attempts – 10 coming from Thompson, including six on goal.

Benson told Sabres.com on Monday he’s striving to be an energy player and a key playmaker for Norris and Thompson, and he’s hoping to replicate that type of highlight-reel pass throughout the season.

“Obviously those two are elite, elite players,” Benson said. “I think we all read the game at an elite level. Those two are so good at finding pockets and just making the right read. It makes it easy on me to just try and find them in the spots and try and create chaos, so they have the ability to get their elite shots (off); anytime they can rip the puck, there's a chance (it’s) going in the net.”

Helenius shows maturity

Ruff wasn’t sure how his 19-year-old forward would respond to taking a penalty in the final five minutes of a one-goal game. But Konsta Helenius’ resolve was a game changer, as multiple created turnovers in the defensive zone and strong stick play forced the Blue Jackets out of their attacking end.

“Well, I looked at it two ways,” Ruff said. “I could have sat him, or I could see what his next shift was going to be like. I liked his answer after he took the penalty. Came out, gave us a heck of a shift and had an opportunity inside the zone where they could have beat him. ... His battle was real good.”

Helenius’ role as a tone setter was evident on Zucker’s game winner, as the 2024 first-round pick kept the puck hemmed in the Sabres’ offensive zone and then crashed the net to leave Zucker wide open for the tap-in goal. It was an all-around performance from Helenius, one of three Sabres playing for the second night in a row, as he skated 16:01 and saw time on the second power-play unit.

“I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time,” Zucker said.

Lyon and Levi shut the door

For the second time in as many games, the Sabres’ goaltenders rose to the occasion.

Alex Lyon – who signed a two-year deal with Buffalo back in July – got the start and saved the first 12 shots he faced, extending the Sabres’ shutout streak to four periods to begin the preseason.

The veteran faced just two shots in the second period: Miles Wood’s goal 8:37 in, then a tip by Wood in the final seconds of the frame.

“It's just the name of the game: sometimes you're going to get in the groove, and sometimes [shots are] going to be few and far between,” Lyon said. “Unfortunately, they were 1-for-1 for a long time in the second, and that's how it goes, but you’ve just got to be mentally tough in those situations and tighten it back up and continue to grind.”

Lyon then gave way to Devon Levi, who played the third period for the second consecutive game and saved all five shots he faced.

Norris knows faceoffs

Norris has been acclaimed for his two-way style as he enters his seventh NHL season. That was on display Tuesday night as he played a major role on the power play and penalty kill and dominated in the faceoff circle – he went 11-for-14 on draws, seven of those wins coming in the offensive zone.

The Sabres as a team started the game 8-for-8 on faceoffs, finished the opening period 16-for-21 and finished the contest 35-for-52 (67 percent).

“Just because you win the faceoff, zone time goes way up, the opportunities go way up,” Ruff said. “... It's a big deal. We had a good night in the dot. His night, whether it's penalty killing or whether it's power play, important faceoffs for us.”

Up next

The Sabres are back in action on Thursday in Detroit against the Red Wings. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., and the game will again be streaming on Sabres.com.