‘A tough skate’ for Sabres in Lindy Ruff’s return to training camp

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Sabres dropped the puck for training camp Wednesday at KeyBank Center, marking the first day of an exciting new chapter.

This season, a fresh coaching staff takes the helm, with Lindy Ruff making his comeback as coach in Buffalo. The first practice under Ruff was anything but easy; it was a challenging start for the team, setting the tone for the season ahead.

“The focus today was on a high compete,” Ruff said. “A lot of individual battles, a lot of physicality. There were a couple drills that pushed them to the limit.”

As players moved between drills, they appeared hunched over and visibly tired. Ruff is known for his demanding practices, and it seems he’s bringing that same intensity to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 13 years.

“That’s a tough skate for them,” Ruff said. “I was impressed, I liked the day, I liked the practice, I liked what the group did.”

Alex Tuch said at one point during practice he looked up at the clock and thought to himself, “it’s going to be a long day.” The veteran felt the intensity and compete from the start.

“I thought they gave me everything they had,” Ruff said. “We want this to be a highly competitive two days.”

The team has limited time to practice in Buffalo before the regular season begins. They will be heading overseas in less than a week to play games in Prague and Munich, Germany.

Tuch is eager for the off-ice bonding the team will experience during the flight and the chance to play hockey together in another country. That said, the team is excited to showcase their skills on the ice as soon as the puck drops.

“It’s not preseason; it’s not just go out for a skate and enjoy it because we are in Prague and Europe; it’s time to win,” Tuch said.

The lines and defensive pairings were changing regularly during today’s skate. A frequent combination featured JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Tuch on the top line. However, we also saw some moments with Dylan Cozens and Jiri Kulich joining that top line. Some fluidity within lines and defensive pairings is expected as Ruff learns his players more.

Sara Holland is a Sports Anchor/Reporter at News 4. Follow her on Twitter @SaraaHolland and see more of her work here .