Game 7 notebook | Tuch, Ruff look ahead to Monday's deciding game

MONTREAL – Alex Tuch couldn’t help but flash a smile when asked about his Game 7 experience.

The Sabres alternate captain played in three Game 7s with Vegas, winning the last two – a blowout victory over Minnesota in 2021 in which he was plus-3 with an assist and a shutout win over Vancouver in 2020 in which he scored an empty-net goal.

But it was his first Game 7 that likely inspired his reaction on Sunday, an infamous overtime loss by the Golden Knights marked by a controversial major penalty that fueled a San Jose Sharks comeback. The fallout of that game prompted the institution of video review for major penalties.

“There was a rule change because of that,” Tuch said Sunday morning when asked about that game, still smiling. “So, I'm gonna say no comment.”

Such is the spirit of Game 7, when high stakes for both teams becomes fertile ground for memories and signature moments. To give that experience to Buffalo – the city’s first Game 7 since 2001 – is what really had Tuch smiling Sunday.

Tuch’s three Game 7s are among the most of any player on the Sabres roster. Ryan McLeod has also played in three while Tanner Pearson – who hasn’t yet played this postseason – has appeared in four. Bowen Byram and Jason Zucker have played one each.

It’s a different dynamic from Game 6, given the fact that the Canadiens will now be playing with their backs to the wall, too. Tuch did his best to explain the feeling.

• Read: Sabres meet the moment in Game 6 win

“You just got to go out and work,” Tuch said. “You just go out and try to out-work and out-compete the other opponent. Yeah, I don't know, it's hard to explain. Everyone's gonna have nerves. Everyone sitting in the same spot. If you're not nervous, you're not human.

“But it's exciting. You'll have fun with it. It's the reason why we play the game of hockey. It's what you thought about playing street hockey and playing in the backyard and playing -- crap, I've been playing mini hockey with my oldest son every single day that I've been home these past three, four months.

“So, it's the things you dream of. And to do it in the playoffs, and for me to do it at KeyBank Center is a dream come true.”

Here’s more from Sunday’s media sessions with Tuch and Lindy Ruff as they looked forward to Game 7.

Sabres aim to bring road habits to Buffalo

Ruff confirmed again on Sunday that the Sabres are exploring ways to make their gameday routine for Game 7 more like a road game – including a possible hotel stay in Buffalo.

The road team has won four of six games in this series and the Sabres are 5-1 on the road in these playoffs. If any part of that success has to do with the road routine – when players are regimented by necessity, spending all of their time together in hotel ballrooms and on buses – then the Sabres will do what they can to capture that feel.

“We're still in that process, but we are going to try to change up the routine a little bit,” Ruff said.

The Sabres are also likely to stay away from the rink until gametime on Monday, just as they did for Game 6. Ruff said he took that same approach for his most recent Game 7, a win over the New York Rangers when he was coaching New Jersey in 2023.

“I kept them away from the rink and just brought them in just in time for the game,” Ruff said. “Because I think everybody realizes, you feel that pressure. I mean, we feel it and you got to imagine how they feel.

“We've gotten a great number of players that have never experienced it. But our group has got to a point where I believe that this is just another opportunity for our group and prove who we can be.”

Ruff on goalies: “We’re going to keep using both”

Ruff spoke to Alex Lyon immediately after the first period on Saturday. Lyon had been pulled after allowing three goals on four shots, and Ruff wanted to offer encouragement.

“I just patted him on the back and said, 'Listen, we're going to keep using both,’” Ruff said, referring to his tandem of Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. “And that's really been the message the whole year.”

Lyon has picked up the Sabres on countless occasions this season, and his teammates returned the favor with seven unanswered goals on Saturday. Luukkonen did his part too, stopping each of the 18 shots he faced in relief.

“Those guys have supported each other,” Ruff said. “It's a time of desperation right now. [Lyon] was the biggest supporter of UPL. As soon as he went in, I think he might have been the happiest guy in the room.”

Mission for Game 7: “JFG”

Ruff revealed a new mantra the coaching staff had embraced while showing clips on the morning of Game 6: “JFG.”

Just F’n Go.

The point was for the Sabres to lean toward skating and playing aggressively, be it closing on pucks in the defensive zone or rotating on offense. The result was an eight-goal performance that looked a whole lot like the Sabres hockey we’ve seen at its best since December.

The mission for Game 7 is to do that again.

“The goal is to make Game 7 like a Game 6,” Ruff said. “Move the puck quick, play with a lot of pace, keep our feet moving in the offensive zone, and close real quickly in the defensive zone. That's our recipe.”