Day 11 Notebook | Sabres arrive in Prague, shift focus to regular season

PRAGUE, Czechia – Lindy Ruff stood in front of his Buffalo Sabres players on the opening day of training camp and assured them that the road ahead would be intense, but it would be worth it.

“I want you to enjoy coming here every day,” Ruff told them. “You might say after tomorrow, ‘Woah, that was hard.’ And the next day you might say, ‘Woah, boy, was even harder.’ But I’ll tell you what, when we get to Day 9, Day 10, it’ll seem easy.

“We’ll put the work in right from Day 1, and we’ll be a winning hockey club from Day 1.”

The Sabres took the ice for Day 11 of on-ice sessions Monday morning, signaling a new phase of camp in two senses – it was their first skate in Prague after departing from Munich on Sunday, as well as the start of the first week of the regular season.

It was, once again, a fast-paced, physical skate. And true to Ruff’s words, the players enjoyed it, smiling and celebrating loudly each time a goal was scored or a drill was won.

“I loved the energy today,” Ruff said. “… The energy the guys have brought has been great from Day 1. The way we skated today, you’re skating like you’re preparing to play. The focus was good, the execution was good.”

Ruff has made it a point to make practice competitive in an engaging way, leaning into drills that end with a winner and a loser. To end one practice last week, he challenged defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to score a 200-foot empty-netter. If he made it, the team would avoid doing sprints to conclude practices.

Samuelsson hit the empty-netter and was mobbed by teammates. (The team did do sprints the next day, when Samuelsson was given the same challenge and missed.)

Samuelsson, who was named an alternate captain last Thursday, said the competitive practices have brought the team closer together.

“I think you just have to enjoy it together,” he said. “You’re all battling through it, so just trying to enjoy the little things along the way. Whether it’s something stupid like me putting it in the empty net and we all go nuts, it’s just enjoying the little things. Have fun with it. It’s going to be hard, but that’s the job.”

The job shifted on Monday to include opponent-specific planning for the games against the New Jersey Devils on Friday and Saturday, which will open the regular season. Ruff said the team reviewed New Jersey’s personnel and style of play before taking the ice and implemented that preparation into the skate.

If the energy was any indication, the group is ready to get the season going.

“I thought we had extra jump from everybody,” Ruff said. “Everybody gave us what we needed.”

Here’s more from Monday’s practice in Prague.

1.The Sabres have rolled with the same forward lines since the start of training camp, with the exception of minor tweaks during preseason games when some veterans had days off. The defense pairs have also been consistent since Rasmus Dahlin returned from injury last Tuesday.

“I like the way they look,” Ruff said. “They play well together.”

Both groups remained untouched on Monday:

2. One player who smiled often on Monday was forward Jordan Greenway, who unleashed emphatic celebrations after scoring a trio of goals during the opening drill.

Ruff praised what he’s seen in camp from the 27-year-old forward, who had 28 points in 67 games last season while establishing himself as a mainstay on the penalty kill.

“I love his game,” Ruff said. “I think his game fits the way we want to play. When you see a big man like that, what he did at the start of the game the other night and a couple of the offensive opportunities, drew a penalty. Some of his backchecking and tracking in the game was awesome. And he comes back to the bench, he has a big smile on his face. I think he lights up the bench.”

3. The first two games of this season will double as Ruff’s first games against his former team. Ruff coached New Jersey from 2020-21 until March of last season and led the young Devils to a franchise-record 112-point campaign in 2022-23.

Ruff said he sees similarities between the two Devils and Sabres – young groups with highly skilled players at the top of the lineup and impactful depth pieces.

“It will be a little bit strange (playing the Devils), but at the same time it was such a great group to be around,” Ruff said.