Ruff provides injury updates, talks playoff history with Boston

With the regular season in the rearview and the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the horizon, the Buffalo Sabres were back on the ice at LECOM Harborcenter for practice on Thursday. 

The Sabres will host Game 1 of their first-round series with Boston on Sunday. The NHL will announce the time of that game and the rest of the series schedule on Thursday night. 

That leaves a few days of runway for the Sabres to get prepped. Here are some notes from Thursday’s practice.

Updates in net

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the lone rostered goalie at practice, and he’s expected to get the start in Game 1. He finished the season 22-9-3 with a .910 save percentage, eighth best among NHL goalies with 30-plus games.

Colten Ellis missed practice for maintenance. Alex Lyon, meanwhile, “felt really good” with his lower-body injury, per coach Lindy Ruff, and he could rejoin the team at practice in the next couple days. 

• Injuries and transactions | Updates on Carrick, Ostlund, others

Practice lines

Alex Tuch did not practice, getting a maintenance day after playing in Wednesday’s regular season finale. Tanner Pearson filled in for him on the top line. 

Josh Dunne slotted in on the fourth line with Beck Malenstyn and Tyson Kozak. Jordan Greenway filled that role in the last few regular season games.

PP units

The Sabres placed Rasmus Dahlin back at the top of the first power-play unit – a position briefly held by Jack Quinn on Monday in Chicago – while Jason Zucker, Josh Norris and Tage Thompson rounded out the top unit. 

Zach Metsa filled in for Tuch in the middle of the second power-play unit that was comprised of Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod and Bowen Byram at the top.

Bad-blood rivalry could be rekindled in Round 1

The Sabres and Bruins will have a chance to rekindle their once-fierce rivalry. It’s one that hasn’t been played on the Stanley Cup Playoffs stage since 2010, but the Sabres and Bruins have played eight playoff series against each other.

“It might take just one play inside the game to develop bad blood,” said Ruff, who played in three of those series and coached two more.

Ruff said it historically mirrored an “arms race” with the two teams jostling to see who could bring a tougher group to the fight.  

While there’s ample skill on both teams, there’s an underlying physicality that’s made the Sabres and Bruins successful. It’s an element the Sabres thrived with during the regular season, highlighted by a 3-0-1 record against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who use a physical style to disrupt other teams.  

The Bruins’ fourth line of Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic like to play with a physical edge. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov and Kastelic finished first and second, respectively, in penalty minutes in the NHL, while Beck Malenstyn ranked fifth in the league with 282 hits – the Sabres’ single-season record. 

While the series may not resemble the old bloodbaths the Sabres and Bruins used to have, some of these new pieces could reinvigorate the rivalry.

“At times, we've been a real, physical team,” Ruff said. “I think that's been part of our strength where we can wear people down. Part of our goal is to try be physical, be hard, go through people. I think their answer is the same.

“This is always the time of the year where everything gets elevated. Some of the guys that maybe aren't quite as tenacious become tenacious. ... That's the fun part about the playoffs.”

Practice sound

Up next 

The Sabres begin the opening round of the playoffs with Game 1 against the Boston Bruins on Sunday, April 19, at KeyBank Center. Faceoff time is to be determined, so stay tuned to Sabres.com and team social media channels for more information.