Sabres seeking confidence on offense heading into meeting with Devils

Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said he dedicated a large portion of practice on Friday to drills geared toward building players' confidence with the puck as the team worked to pull itself out of a scoring slump that has stretched through its past three games.
The Sabres have combined to score two goals - none at even strength - in a pair of losses to the New York Islanders and another to the Washington Capitals since returning from a 15-day hiatus on Monday. Buffalo held an edge in high-danger chances at 5-on-5 in the latter two games, according toNaturalStatTrick.com.
With little time to catch their breath before opening a set of three games in four days in New Jersey on Saturday, Krueger said the balance Friday was addressing the issue in a way that would not force offensively struggling players to grip their sticks even tighter.

"It's a delicate balance that I find the best way to deal with this is lots of communication," Krueger said. "So, we're over-communicating right now, especially with the leaders and the key players, giving them opportunities of outlet.
"I'm getting into more one-on-one talks than I would usually have as a head coach to try and help work together on the solutions versus putting more pressure in a negative sense on the players. So, it is a fine line."

Almost to a man, the Sabres' top offensive threats have seen grade-A scoring chances go unrewarded over the past five days. Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner both hit posts during the first period on Thursday. On Tuesday, Taylor Hall was stopped on a breakaway and Victor Olofsson had a goal overturned.
"We feel a total buy-in here on what was forever an Achilles in the organization and also last season at times, was the defensive structure of the group," Krueger said. "So, there is a commitment there to what we need to have happen without the puck.
"Now, we need to get it right with the puck. … They don't believe in themselves and they don't see themselves celebrating. They see themselves missing the net, hitting the shaft of the goalie, not finding the hole between the legs that they usually find."
Members of the team's leadership group echoed their coach in terms of solutions moving forward. Eric Staal stressed simplicity, which could be particularly relevant going into a matchup with a New Jersey team that used speed and relentless checking to feast on Buffalo mistakes in their last meeting. Both Staal and alternate captain Jake McCabe also mentioned positive reinforcement.
"At practice today I thought we were really crisp, energy levels were up," McCabe said. "That's a great sign, especially after another tough loss last night. So, just moving forward, continuing to be upbeat. If guys are doing good things out there, make sure they know it coming back to the bench.
"Just try to, I guess, integrate as much energy and positivity as you can on the bench, keep trying to pick each other up. … You just can't keep continuing to compound the situation with frustration, as frustrating as it is."

McCabe: Ristolainen details show "how serious this virus really is"

Rasmus Ristolainen detailed his experience with COVID-19 to Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, revealing harsh symptoms including chest pains and low oxygen levels. The defenseman is still working his way back into playing shape and is not expected to join the Sabres on their current road trip.
McCabe said he and Ristolainen texted while they both dealt with the virus, though McCabe's symptoms only lasted for roughly five days.
"It just goes to show how crazy and serious this virus really is," McCabe said. "Risto's probably the fittest guy on our team. For him to battle like this, it's very tough and unfortunate. But knowing Risto, he's going to be just fine and he'll be back here hopefully soon."
McCabe has appeared in two games since returning from the COVID-related absence list and said he has been pleasantly surprised by his stamina.
"I didn't really know what to expect, frankly, in that first game," he said. "I felt really solid. In the second period, I had a couple longer shifts that I felt my legs were getting pretty tired. But all in all, I've been feeling much better than I anticipated. So that's been a real positive. It just continues to get better and better every day. But these first couple games I felt really good."

Up next

The Sabres visit the Devils, whom they will see three times in their next four games. Coverage on Saturday begins at 12 p.m. on MSG. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30.