Lehner returns to the ice, expects to be ready for Thursday

With another day to practice ahead of their game in Detroit on Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres stayed off the ice on Tuesday morning, opting instead to report to KeyBank Center for a stretch and a team meeting.
The one Sabre who did take the ice was goalie Robin Lehner, back after taking the day off on Monday to nurse an injury. Lehner said he expects to be a full participant in practice on Wednesday and should be ready to return in Detroit.

The next week figures to be an anxious period for a number of players, and Lehner is no exception. The goaltender is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and given Buffalo's place in the standings, his name has naturally been circulated in trade rumors.
The NHL's trade deadline is next Monday, Feb. 26, at 3 p.m.
"You follow it a little bit, obviously," Lehner said. "It's nothing I think constantly about. In the end, we play in a pretty great league. Either I stay here or go somewhere else. It's what it is."
Lehner has long maintained his belief that the Sabres have the talent in their room to succeed. He said he would like to remain with the team to see it through.
"One-hundred percent," he said. "When we're clicking and we're playing the way we can, I think it looks good. It's just that we've all got to be on the same page and get that consistency. … I don't give up. I have full trust in the guys and I don't like to give up."

It's how you finish

The Sabres have seen comeback attempts fall short in back-to-back losses, in each case lamenting the fact that they were unable to replicate their third-period efforts for a full 60 minutes. The Sabres outshot their opponents a combined 35-11 in the last 20 minutes of those games.
It's the continuation of a season-long trend. Buffalo's score differential in the third period this season is minus-4, a relative improvement compared to their differentials of minus-22 and minus-19 in the first and second periods, respectively.
In some instances, Lehner surmised, opponents might be backing off in the third period after building early leads. In others, such as the loss to Washington on Monday, the Sabres simply adjust their mindset as the game goes on.
"I think it's just more aggressive," alternate captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "I'm not saying we're taking risks, but we just seem to be a little more clear and just kind of go, just kind of trust our forecheck and trust certain things like that that seem to get us the puck back.
"I think we do a solid job of defending and we're not giving up a ton and we keep it to the outside, but it's that offensive part that needs to be there a lot more."
Evander Kane said after the game on Monday that Buffalo's best defense was a good forecheck, as it wears opponents and keeps the puck of your own zone. O'Reilly echoed that sentiment on Tuesday.
"It's difficult right now," he said. "We played two good teams that I think we were a little hesitant of. We knew they were coming off tough losses and they were going to come hard, and maybe we got a little too much back on our heels watching instead of dictating the play."