Unchanged lines mean Ryan McLeod and Louis Crevier could sit out again Sunday. They both played the first 15 games of the season before being healthy scratched against the Blue Jackets.
McLeod, in his third year with the team, is minus-seven with three points (1+2). Nights out of the lineup are unusual for a guy who played 79 games in 2024-25 and 81 games (with a career-high 54 points) last regular season. In recent meetings with the coaching staff, Ruff has called on McLeod to win more puck battles and find more inside ice in the offensive zone.
“We go through some video, and you try to get the player where you think you can get him to,” Ruff said. “We know when he’s playing his best, he helps our hockey team win.”
“There’s a certain level and standard that they want (us) to buy into,” McLeod said Friday morning, “and I don’t think I’ve played to that level, so it’s frustrating. Just gonna take a little mental reset here and find my game.”
Crevier, meanwhile, is minus-four with one assist in his first 15 games as a Sabre. Conor Timmins’ return from injury adds playing-time competition on the blue line, but the team still has high hopes for a defenseman they traded for and extended before the start of the season.
“We really feel he’s going to be a big piece of our team,” Ruff said of Crevier, “and we’ve got seven defensemen we like to use. And I think the one game or whatever that leads to, your next opportunity is going to be there. Just use that time to become a better player. Spend the extra time at practice. Get out early. Stay out late that day you’re not playing. Work on your hands. Work on your feet.”
