Alex Tuch immediately cracked a smile after practice Tuesday when he was asked about the latest initiation to his new world with the Buffalo Sabres, the team he grew up watching.
It comes Wednesday night in Scotiabank Arena, with Tuch's first meeting in Blue and Gold against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Anyone who grew up following the Sabres knows what that means.
Quinn looked as if he were in for an extended stay in Buffalo when the injury struck. But to get back into game shape and to help sort out multiple roster contingencies, it made more sense to initially send him to the AHL.
"It's a rivalry that's gone back a ways now," Tuch said. "It's right over the border, and they have a really good team over there, so we're going to have to give our best and come out and have a really good start to the game. Try to make them play in the defensive zone as much as possible because they've got a lot of offensive weapons over there. I'm really excited for the opportunity."
Pretty good capsule. While the Sabres have lost six straight to fall to 16-30-8 on the road to nowhere, Buffalo's first visit to Toronto since Dec. 17, 2019 is a massive game for the Leafs. They're 35-14-4, and have scored 18 goals in winning their last three games. And they can leapfrog idle Florida and Tampa Bay to take over first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Leafs scored 10 goals Saturday in Detroit and are an offensive juggernaut right now. Mitch Marner was named NHL First Star for February after collecting 23 points in 12 games. Auston Matthews entered Tuesday leading the NHL with 37 goals and was fourth in scoring at 68 points. John Tavares has 50 points. William Nylander (21 goals) and rookie Michael Bunting (19) are also having big seasons.
It’s a slate that has the potential to drive fans mad, as the franchise’s focus is on the future, rather than a playoff drought that will reach a league-record 11 seasons.
The Sabres' top line of Tuch, center Tage Thompson and left winger Jeff Skinner has produced some numbers, too, although those have slowed of late. But their defensive deficiencies have showed during the losing streak. In those six games, Tuch and Skinner have identical stat lines: No goals, three assists and minus-6 ratings. Thompson, meanwhile, has six goals in the stretch, but is minus-9.
"They're commanding the respect of the other team, which means the top defensive pairing and the top checking line are salivating waiting to play against them. It's their challenge to shut them down," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "So do they press to score? But they also have to make sure they aren't a liability by pressing to score. So it's more of a matter of, 'OK, we know they can score, but now it's about winning.' Now can we compete to win, and that might be putting the puck behind the 'D,' instead of trying to toe drag or make a play. That's a learning process that they have to engage in."
"Last game, we weren't effective defensively, at all," Tuch said of Sunday's 4-2 loss in Dallas, where the line was on the ice for the Stars' first two goals. "We gave up a couple of goals that we would like to have back. We might be able to produce with the time on ice given, and when we're clicking, we're going to score some goals. But we do have to be better defensively.
The team is asking for all renewal commitments to be made by April 25 to retain seats. Fans who renew are eligible for prizes to be awarded at each remaining game this season starting March 4.
"Our effort level has to increase, our compete level has to increase. We have to play a 200-foot game, because we're playing against some top lines that have a lot of skill, and we can't give them an inch out there."
Granato said he needs to see the line attack the game right from the outset to set a tone and not be forced to elevate its play during the game. And its challenge defensively is growing on a nightly basis. They will likely see a lot of Matthews between Marner and Bunting on Wednesday. First-line roles are new for Thompson and Tuch. How will they do in the matchup?
The Sabres are averaging just 8,657 tickets sold per game in the 19,070-seat arena for their 26 home games thus far, and in-house crowds have been far fewer than that some games.
"We're seeing moments of great execution, and we need more moments more consistently," Granato said. "And that's part of the process. If Vegas lost a game, it was really challenging to blame Alex Tuch. If Jeff Skinner doesn't score here, Jeff Skinner is blamed for not scoring. Let's face it, with the contract he's on, the history that he's had, so he's dealt with that pressure.
"If we turn to Thompson and Tuch, they haven't dealt with that pressure, yet. They've been in a fortunate luxury of just being able to be happy to be here. And now that's not good enough now. They want to be top, top guys."
