Young trio finds quick chemistry as linemates

While they waited for an optional practice to begin at KeyBank Center on Tuesday morning, the trio of Justin Bailey, Evan Rodrigues and Nicholas Baptiste warmed up on the same end of the ice. The three forwards laughed and joked with one another as they took shots on an open net.
The three players have spent quite a bit of time with one another as of late. Before games they can be found sitting together on the home bench, looking out onto the ice. Their stalls in the Buffalo Sabres dressing room are situated next to each other: Bailey on the left, Rodrigues in the middle and Baptiste on the right.
Coincidentally, that same arrangement has clicked on the ice for the Sabres over the past two games. Phil Housley put Bailey, Rodrigues and Baptiste on a line together in the third period of the team's win over Chicago on Saturday, and the trio used their speed on the forecheck to combine for the game-tying goal:

"We're having fun," Baptiste said. "We're all pretty young guys that are just having fun out there, enjoying our time with each other."
The fun continued against Nashville on Tuesday, their first full game together as linemates. They didn't score this time around, but their speed and tenacity on the forecheck was evident from the get-go. Rodrigues said they're trying to simplify their game, working hard to wear down the opposing team in their own zone.
That approach very nearly led to a goal during their first shift of the game. After a long possession in the offensive zone, Rodrigues was quick on the backcheck and forced a turnover. Casey Nelson made a long breakout to Baptiste, who sped past the defense to take a quick shot on Pekka Rinne while Bailey and Rodrigues crashed the net, just missing an attempt at a bouncing puck in the crease.
On their next shift, the trio's forechecking led to a hooking penalty drawn by Rodrigues for Buffalo's first power play.
"I think we're pushing the pace," Bailey said. "We're trying to play fast, we're trying to play the way we need to play to be successful. We're getting on top of guys in their end and keeping guys in their D-zone longer than they want to so that when they come out, they don't have too much energy left to play offense."

The three players complement each other with their skillsets - Bailey and Baptiste offer blends of speed and size on the wings, while Rodrigues considers himself a playmaking center - but they also benefit from a comfort formed off the ice.
Bailey and Baptiste were both selected by Buffalo in the 2013 draft and have been part of development camps with the organization ever since. They were joined by Rodrigues in 2015-16, when all three were rookies with the Rochester Americans.
Since then, Bailey and Baptiste spent two seasons living together in Rochester, and Bailey was in Rodrigues' wedding last summer. Ironically, the first time all three of them played together on the same line at the same time was in Buffalo on Saturday.
All three players said that sharing the ice gave them a confidence boost.
"I think it makes you hold onto your stick a little bit looser when you're playing with guys you've played with a few years," Rodrigues said. "You trust them, and you're not worried to make a mistake. We have each other's back. I think it also gives you a little bit of a boost, it's a little bit of fun and it puts a bit of extra giddy-up in your step."
"I think we're pretty predictable to each other, not to the other team but to each other," Bailey added. "We know exactly most of the time what each other's going to do so we're one step ahead of the defense. I think it definitely makes a difference when you're playing with guys you have chemistry with."
Bailey, Rodrigues and Baptiste are just a few of the players who began the season in Rochester and are now playing integral roles in Buffalo. Nelson and Brendan Guhle both skated 18-plus minutes on defense Monday, while Linus Ullmark started in net.
Bailey said that the changed culture in Rochester, where the Amerks are close to clinching a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013-14, had translated to the NHL.
"For me the culture in Rochester the last few years was tough, just with the team not being successful and a lot of moving parts around the organization," Bailey said. "I think this year they brought in a really good group of guys and I think a lot of the success that comes down there aside from working hard - aside from having really good, skilled players - comes from the family-like atmosphere and wanting to win for your teammates.
"I think that's something that the guys who are getting called up here were trying to bring, that family atmosphere that we have down there."

Eichel's answer

Jack Eichel has heard the questions regarding his return from a high-ankle sprain with just 12 games remaining in the Sabres' season, with some wondering why he would come back to play as opposed to shutting himself down until the summer.
The answer, he said, should be a no-brainer.
"It's been frustrating for myself to get that question, because it's a pretty simple answer, to be honest with you," he said. "I'm playing because I'm a hockey player. It's kind of ridiculous for somebody to think we're out of the playoffs and we don't have an opportunity to really do anything with our season that I would just pack my year in. It's not who I am as a person, it's not who I've ever been, it's not who I am as a hockey player.
"At the end of the day, I love to play hockey. Whether we're in first place or last place in the league, it doesn't matter to me. I like to put my equipment on, go out there and play hockey. That's why I'm playing, and I love to play and I have a lot of fun doing it. It's what I look most forward to in my day. … I'm a competitor, I want to be out there competing. I want to play, so that's why I'm playing.
Eichel said he took all the necessary precautions before returning to ensure there was no added risk of injury.
"I think I did a great job in terms of not rushing it," he said. "I think at the time of the injury, if you ask me how quick I would've played, I probably took a little more time to be safe, be cautious. That's being smart. There's a lot more hockey that I hope to play in my career. This is not something that I want to continue to deal with over the summer, effect my training, effect my preparation for next season. I tried to handle it the best way I could."

Arizona up next

The Sabres continue their homestand against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m., or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.