MONTREAL — It appears coach Lindy Ruff is going to shake up the Buffalo Sabres lineup ahead of Tuesday’s Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens.
At the Sabres’ morning skate Tuesday, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had a net to himself — typically an indication of which goalie will be starting. Alex Lyon started seven straight games after Luukkonen opened the playoffs as Buffalo’s starter. Luukkonen had a rough Game 2 against the Boston Bruins in Round 1, including an allowed bouncing goal to Morgan Geekie from center ice. Lyon played great the rest of that series and hasn’t played poorly to start this series, but he did allow nine goals in the last two games.
Luukkonen may not be the only change. Sam Carrick, who returned from injury in the last game, was wearing a gray jersey at the morning skate, typically reserved for extra forwards. At the end of the game, Carrick took a punch from Arber Xhekaj, who received a roughing minor and a $3,385.42 fine, but Ruff said Carrick is available to play. Carrick didn’t skate on a line during morning skate. Rookie Konsta Helenius, who turned 20 on Monday, was skating on a line. These are the forward lines the Sabres had during their skate:
LineLeft wingCenterRight wing
1
Peyton Krebs
Tage Thompson
Alex Tuch
2
Zach Benson
Josh Norris
Josh Doan
3
Jason Zucker
Konsta Helenius
Jack Quinn
4
Jordan Greenway
Ryan McLeod
Beck Malenstyn
This is the first time Ruff has broken up the line of Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn. Ruff would not confirm any lineup changes but said Helenius is a talented player who can provide some offense for them. He was a point-per-game player in the AHL this season and has produced in the playoffs at every level he’s played in. This would be his NHL playoff debut and 10th game this season, which would burn a year of his entry-level contract.
“I play a physical game,” Helenius said before this series. “I’m not the biggest guy, but I like to play hard and get the emotion of the game, and then it’s much easier to play. These are big games. It’s best of seven; every play matters. You know what? Everyone is watching you. You want to show everyone you can play and stuff like that.”
On defense, Ruff appears to be making a change, as well. Luke Schenn skated on a defensive pair with Conor Timmins in place of Logan Stanley, who struggled in the last game. Schenn and Timmins were also both getting penalty-kill reps during the morning skate. Asked what Schenn would bring to the lineup, Ruff was coy.
“How do you know he’s going in?” he said.
Schenn, 36, has played in 58 playoff games and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Canadiens’ speed has been an issue for the Sabres in this series, defending the front of the net has also been a problem. Ruff has lamented how many mistakes his team has made in the defensive zone. Schenn should be able to help with that. He’s also a strong net-front defender and a physical player who is willing to stick up for teammates. That could matter as the emotions in this series have ramped up in the last couple of games.
Schenn hasn’t played yet for the Sabres in the playoffs. He played only four games for the team after coming over at the trade deadline in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. When the Sabres acquired him, they liked that he had experience playing on Stanley Cup-winning teams. But now he’s been challenged to keep himself ready to play despite very little game action.
“It’s experience,” Schenn said. “It’s not the first time I’ve been in this situation where you just have to stay patient and stay ready. It happened to me in Tampa the first year for sure; I don’t think I played at all in the first series and got going in the second series. You work with the coaches, work with the extras and keep yourself as ready as you can.”
