The Sabres embraced that mentality during another vocal, up-tempo practice in preparation to visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday.
"I thought today's skate was good," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "They worked hard, they competed, and I was happy with it. Now obviously the hope is that it flows into tomorrow and tomorrow's success."
The Sabres are working to recapture the rhythm they were playing with prior to the bye week. They had earned points in seven straight games - including five wins - prior to dropping their pre-break finale to the Carolina Hurricanes in regulation on February 1.
They started strong in their return from the break against Calgary but saw a 2-0 lead slip away after the Flames scored seven unanswered goals. That loss prompted Granato to shuffle the forward lines and emphasize pace during an intense practice in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The Sabres parlayed that preparation into another strong start against the Kings. The two teams were tied 0-0 midway through the second period, a similar script to their previous head-to-head meeting in Buffalo in December. The Sabres stayed patient in that game long enough to pull away for a 6-0 win.
This time, an Adrian Kempe shorthanded goal swung momentum in Los Angeles' favor. The Sabres eventually recaptured their identity in the third period, but the 5-0 deficit was insurmountable.
"I guess when you're down 5-0, the pressure's off," Tuch said. "That's how we have to play more of. We have to play with a little bit more of a chip on our shoulder, not worry about the pressure, not worry about anything else - all the talk, everything else going on.
"We just have to worry about the 23 guys we have in the locker room and coming in and working hard for one another and the crest on the jersey each and every day."
The Sabres are still firmly in the playoff mix - six points behind the Capitals, who hold the first wild card, with three games in hand. They have four games in hand on the Panthers and Islanders, both of whom sit four points ahead.
Gaining ground, Tuch said, will simply be a matter or playing to their identity and not lingering too long on any one result.
"That's how teams are able to do it year after year after year," Tuch said. "It's not looking too far ahead, it's not trying to compete with these expectations each and every day. You have to come in and you have to worry about the day that you're living in currently and you have to be the best that you can be that day. Not looking too far ahead really helps."
Here are more notes from practice in California.
1. The Sabres shifted their forward lines, including a return for Tage Thompson to a line with Jeff Skinner and Tuch. Henri Jokiharju also moved to a defense pair with Rasmus Dahlin while Mattias Samuelsson skated alongside Owen Power.
Here's how the group lined up in full:
| February 14 |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 19 Peyton Krebs | 22 Jack Quinn |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 17 Tyson Jost | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 38 Kale Clague | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | | |
2. The Sabres play the middle game of their California road trip against the Ducks on Wednesday. Coverage on MSG begins at 9:30 p.m. The puck drops at 10:30 on MSG and WGR 550.
