Storylines
1. Tweaks to the top six
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff swapped Ryan McLeod and Dylan Cozens atop the lineup during the win over the Hurricanes, a move that paid immediate dividends with both players scoring goals on their new lines.
The team stuck with the new look for practice on Thursday, with McLeod centering Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson while Cozens slotted in between JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch.
“It’s just part of hockey, you’re always looking for something just a little better,” Ruff said. “And if it’s not working, let’s just switch one piece around and see if we can get something going inside of a game.”
McLeod, who is coming off his first career hat trick on Wednesday, has six points (4+2) in three games since moving up in the lineup as a result of the injury to Kulich. He is two goals shy of matching the career-high 12 he scored in 81 games with Edmonton last season and one point shy of 100 for his career.
2. Scouting the Penguins
The Penguins waived goaltender Tristan Jarry on Thursday after he’d allowed a combined six goals on 34 shots in the last two games. Their current tandem consists of Alex Nedeljkovic (.886 save percentage) and Joel Blomqvist (.904).
Pittsburgh’s inconsistencies in goal have contributed to an NHL-worst average of 3.67 goals allowed per game this season, including three-plus goals against in each of the team’s seven January contests.
Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins offensively with 48 points (12+36) in 46 games. The Penguins power play ranks sixth in the NHL at 25.6 percent, led by eight goals from forward Michael Bunting and six from Crosby.