"We didn't skate, we didn't compete. Our puck play wasn't good, it wasn't crisp. It's on me to get them in a better place, it's on me, I don't care what the situation is, we've got to play a lot better than that."Lindy Ruff
The Buffalo Sabres are seeing their season fall by the wayside, losing a ton of the good faith they built with the hiring of new old head coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff was the head coach of the New Jersey Devils before he was fired midseason. Ruff led the Devils to their best regular season in history in terms of points and wins, but every other season in New Jersey, he missed the playoffs.
Which brings us to the quote above. The Buffalo Sabres just lost their 10th game in a row. A team that not too long ago was in a playoff spot is now 11-16-4 on the season. They are six points behind the Senators for that last playoff spot, but the two teams are going in very different directions.
The Devils got an early look at the Sabres, taking on their former head coach in the first two games of the season. The games took place in Prague, Czechia in the Global Series, and the Devils did not hold back. They dominated both games, and it was a sign of things to come for Buffalo.
The Sabres are a team that hasn't even made the playoffs in 13 years. It looks like it's about to be 14 years unless something crazy happens in the standings. Lindy Ruff is a coach that just saw the league pass him by. It happens.
That quote at the beginning of the article? It's from last November. However, it's very similar to the quote Ruff said on Sunday night, as the Sabres were stuck in another terrible stretch.
"It’s on me to solve this. This is as tough a solve as I’ve been around, but it’s on me to get these guys in the right place to win a hockey game. Nobody else. Just me."Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres head coach
We're looking at Ruff once again facing a very difficult situation as he attempts to find answers on the fly. The Sabres are a talented roster with players who could be stars. They have talent at every position, but they are missing something. It seems like it's coaching, but as Devils fans already know, that was never coming from Lindy Ruff.