(WGR 550) -- There was a game Monday night, but plenty of folks would tell you the Sabres took the night off. It was a performance that left Lindy Ruff fuming, searching for answers from the lackluster performance of his squad.
"We flat-out didn't work hard enough," Ruff said during his weekly 8 a.m. Tuesday appearance on The Howard Simon Show. "When you aren't on your toes, you get caught on your heels."
Ruff said that he may have given the team too many days off last week, putting their hands and legs out of whack. Still, the Sabres team looked anything but fresh, and Simon asked Ruff if the team was getting cocky.
"This is a tough league to rest on your laurels," Ruff said. "This league is so close... that if you don't work harder than the other team, you aren't going to win."
"We weren't good enough at our system. We had too many breakdowns. Too many breakdowns lead to long shifts in your end."
Ruff was asked whether the absence of Paul Gaustad (injury) and Mike Grier (family matter) were the reason the team sloughed off against New Jersey.
"I think they're very important, but I don't think they're that important to lead to a night like that," Ruff said, pointing to Derek Roy and Jason Pominville as leaders in "the second tier... the guys who have to step up."
With three games in four nights coming up, Ruff has to be careful not to wear out the players with overly-demanding practices, so the hard work began after Monday's game.
"I felt last night that we didn't move our feet enough... we didn't get to pucks quick enough," Ruff said. "I put them on the bikes last night. Nothing that was too demanding, but the message was if you don't put the work in, we'll put extra work in... nothing that will cost our team the chance to win a hockey game."
For the entire conversation, including talk about Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad, head to our Audio Vault shortly.
Regardless of the steller workhorse in the Buffalo net the top 5 forwards on this team are far too soft to carry this team by th estandards of todays NHL. Pommer, Connelly, Stafford, Vanek, and Roy rely too much on the perimeter game and far to willing at giving up ice to ever make this club a playoff run. Without trades ( and we know how poor Reiger is at coordinating such) this team will again miss the playoffs. Don't be conned again!
12/08/2009 9:12AM
Coasting Along
So what Ruff works them hard - big deal, it doesn't translate into any grit and passion o the top two lines. Players are way too comfortable playing in the Quinn regime.
12/08/2009 9:32AM
Bikes
So is Lindy trying to take a page out of Herb Brooks' notebook?
12/08/2009 9:33AM
It's time
To start questioning Darcy and Larry. We need to start making changes to this team before it gets worse.
12/08/2009 9:49AM
Lets make a deal
How loud do the fans have to scream to have our whiny GM move a couple of the tinkerbells up front? This team is fooling no-one. Reiger and Quinn need to make the presence known now rather than the March deadline!
12/08/2009 9:57AM
waste of time
Same od' sabres, 50% of the time they are great and 50% of the time they play like last night- complete garbage. Thanks Sabres for wasting my time. At least lindy got his money's worth out of them after the game. I seriously think we need to get rid of pominville and hecht...they are both awful.
12/08/2009 10:06AM
Play McCormick
I would bring up the scrappy center McCormick from Rochester before I would play Connelly or Pominville. We have assembled the wrong type of chemistry on our top lines. Too much of the same.
12/08/2009 10:09AM
Whats up with Vanek?
Does he just not care anymore? Big Money is playing like its co-ed broom ball out there. yikes
12/08/2009 10:28AM
You guys are funny
1 point out of first nearly half way through the schedule, and you come out after one poor loss.
12/08/2009 11:14AM
Yes, The Posiedon Adventure
There's got to be a morning after...
12/08/2009 11:36AM
call up cody
McCormick plays for Portland not Rochester
12/08/2009 11:36AM
I'm new at this
Any trade rumors out there?
12/08/2009 1:07PM
Trade Biron back
trade Hecht for Biron...he's the only goaltender that can relieve pressure off Miller, Sabres dont have fire-power, so like the dominator years - they need goaltending.
12/08/2009 9:23PM
Ruff is a part of the problem
Granted the players are not good on the Sabres team but Lindy shared in the blame. 13 years of coaching the Sabres and Lindy has accomplished nothing. One on Finals appearance and that was due soley to Domminick Hasek. 13 years is a long time. No other current NHL team has a coach for that long. And there is a reason why. You either produce or get out. But oh no, not the Sabres. They will keep Lindy around for another 10 years. The sabres upper management has no clue what they are doing. For example, if the management knew what they were doing, they would have ner began this year with Lalime as back up and certainly would have gotten rid of him by now. Ruff has a new slogan each year and a new motto but the results are always the same. No playoffs and no Cups for the Sabres. Hey, fire Ruff, you can't do much worse with a new coach in here. The Sabres have nothing to lose at this point. bring in some fresh blood!
12/09/2009 2:19AM
RE:Ruff is a part of the problem
do you know what your talking about. have you ever even watch a Sabres game. besides butchering Dominik Hasek's name the Sabres CAN do alot worse with a new coach in here!!! were not a bad team this season. we need to get a top 6 forward and a backup goalie. preferably before the new year. if you wanna see a new coach go back to worrying about the Bills coaching situation.
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