Jason Zucker has seen plenty of winning hockey in his career, having been a member of nine playoff teams in Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Nashville.
As he’s watched the Buffalo Sabres through their eight-game winning streak, one habit has stood out in particular.
“I think a lot of it’s just finding different ways to win,” the veteran winger said after Sunday’s practice at KeyBank Center.
“There’s going to be games where you’re up 5-0. There’s going to be games where you’re down three and you’ve got to come back – those tight games where you’ve got to try to win down the stretch in the third period. We’ve been finding ways to win all those games and I think that’s the biggest key of it all.”
Indeed, the Sabres have left no stone unturned when it comes to their variety of wins on this streak, their longest since 2018. They survived late comebacks against the Oilers and Islanders, controlled games from beginning to end against the Kraken and Flyers, overcame early deficits against the Devils and Bruins.
“It’s been fun to watch,” Zucker, who’s been out since Dec. 8 with both upper- and lower-body injuries, said. “They’re playing really well, doing the right things and winning in a lot of different ways.”
Zucker may soon join in on the fun. He joined the team on the ice for the first time since his injury during the morning skate on Saturday and was a full participant in practice on Sunday. He will travel with the Sabres for their three-game road trip, which opens Monday in St. Louis.
Buffalo loaned forward Isak Rosen to Rochester on Sunday morning, which clears roster space for Zucker to be activated from injured reserve once he’s ready.
Zucker has 18 points (9+9) in 21 games this season. He leads the team with five power-play goals despite having missed nearly a month.
“I thought for probably the first real, full, hard practice he looked good,” coach Lindy Ruff said following Sunday’s skate. “So, just coming out of it, we’ll see where he’s at in these coming days.”
Here’s more from Sunday’s practice.
