Practice Report | Wilford breaks down defensemen’s rush play

A red-hot first line has led the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2-0 record since Jan. 21. During that span, the team’s leading goal scorers are Tage Thompson with six, JJ Peterka with five and Jiri Kulich with four. Speed, passing chemistry and shooting ability have made the line a lethal combination on the rush.

Following Wednesday’s practice at KeyBank Center, assistant coach Marty Wilford broke down the versatile roles Sabres defensemen have played in that high-flying rush offense of late.

Sabres defensemen have combined for 23 points (2+21) in this seven-game span and rank sixth in the NHL with 123 points this season. Among the league leaders in even-strength points by defensemen, Power (27) is tied for for sixth, while Dahlin and Bowen Byram (25 each) are tied for ninth.

Jan. 28 versus Boston, Thompson capped off his seventh career hat trick on a perfectly executed give-and-go play with Rasmus Dahlin. Upon exiting the defensive zone, Thompson passed to Rasmus Dahlin on the right wall near the offensive blue line and sped through center ice. Thompson collected the return pass in stride, entered the zone and beat Jeremy Swayman from the right faceoff dot.

“[Coach Lindy Ruff], from day one, has enforced our D being part of the rush,” Wilford said. “Any good team always has D jumping up in the rush and four-man rushes, and that’s how you create offense.”

Dahlin has flexed his offensive skillset since debuting as the first-overall pick in 2018. He used one of his greatest tools, the stretch pass, to punish Nashville during a line change last Friday; Kulich, unaccounted for at the blue line, received the long-distance dish before extending Buffalo’s early lead with a top-corner snipe.

“That’s something we do every day in practice,” said Wilford, a former defenseman himself. “You want to play fast, you’ve got to get the puck up fast. That’s not only Dahls, that’s everybody. They root for each other on the bench every time somebody else makes a play like that.

“That’s the way we want to play. That’s how you can catch teams when they’re not setting their defense, by playing fast.”

Even Dennis Gilbert, typically a stay-at-home defenseman in the lineup for his physicality, has gotten involved with an assist in back-to-back games. Sunday versus New Jersey, he absorbed a hit at the defensive blue line to chip a clearing pass into the Devils’ zone. Thompson outraced the speedy Jesper Bratt to the rolling puck and assisted Peterka with a cross-crease pass.

And Tuesday against Columbus, Gilbert’s slap pass from the point found Alex Tuch’s stick in the slot and netted his first primary assist in two years. Postgame, the Sabres spoke glowingly of Gilbert, a popular locker-room presence who also opened the game by fighting Mathieu Olivier.

“That was kind of the gameplan last night – when Gibby’s got the puck, make sure the forwards get open,” Wilford joked. “It was great, though. Great vision, great look. Obviously it’s awesome. They all gravitate towards those type of guys, so any time they can jump in and help out, it’s just an emotional lift for the rest of the bench.”

Buffalo’s blueliners have set up goals with shots of their own, too. On Sunday, Owen Power recorded a career-high nine shots on goal, one of which followed his offensive-zone entry and, producing a rebound, led to another Thompson tally.

“A lot of our top defensemen have studied the other top defensemen in the league, and they understand that shooting is first and foremost,” Wilford said. “It creates a lot of momentum for our team and gets them feeling good about their game – you always feel good about yourself when you’re creating offense.”

Indeed, they’re generating offense and feeling great about themselves as Buffalo rides its longest winning streak – four games – in two years.

Here’s more from Wednesday’s practice.

News and notes

1. The Sabres didn’t have line rushes amidst several absences. Here’s the rundown from Ruff:

• Thompson, who took a hit to the head Sunday, skated on his own before practice but still needs to clear concussion protocol.
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) is expected to practice Friday before the Sabres travel to Nashville for Saturday’s game.
• Mattias Samuelsson (lower body) is on injured reserve and will miss Saturday’s game.
• Dylan Cozens missed practice due to a “lower-body aggravation.”
• Beck Malenstyn (back spasms) was also absent from the team session.
• Tyson Kozak returned to practice after missing two games with an illness.
• Jordan Greenway continues practicing and is expected to play Feb. 22, when the Sabres return from their two-week break.

Check out the Injuries and Transactions page for the full report.

2. The Sabres all began practice with wooden Sherwood sticks. Players who broke theirs returned to using regular sticks, and by the end of practice, only a few wooden sticks remained.

“It was actually a nice touch by one of the players,” Ruff said, not divulging who provided the old-school lumber. “There’s a few sticks (that) didn’t last very long.”

Wooden sticks are a foreign concept to some of Buffalo’s younger players, but they’re part of 33-year-old Jason Zucker’s early hockey memories.

“I remember my first Easton Synergy,” Zucker said. “I was 10 years old, playing in LA, and my dad bought me two of them. I remember it was like the best day of my life. So I used wood all the way till then.”

Up next

The Sabres visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday for their last game before the break.

Coverage on MSG begins at 7:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 8.