Practice Report | Greenway returns to action; Sabres seek power-play results

After missing 10 games with a middle-body injury, Sabres forward Jordan Greenway returned to the lineup for Monday’s shootout loss to Detroit.

“I felt good,” Greenway said following Tuesday's practice at KeyBank Center. “Of course, I haven’t played in a couple weeks so there’s a little rust, conditioning, this and that. But outside of that, everything felt pretty good.”

There was no easing into Greenway’s first game action since Nov. 14. He, Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker matched up primarily with Detroit’s high-octane top line of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Greenway provided a net-front screen for the first of Zucker's two goals, but he also found himself on the ice for three 5-on-5 Red Wings goals.

“That’s a good team and line we played against, so we could do a better job probably in the D-zone, neutral zone, but we’ll get there,” Greenway said.

Twice in the game, the 6-foot-6 forward came to his teammates’ defense after big hits. In the first period, he toppled Raymond after the Detroit winger got away with a cross-check on Owen Power.

And during a third-period 4-on-3 situation, after defenseman Moritz Seider made head contact with a hit on Jacob Bryson, Greenway chased Seider halfway up the ice and exchanged words with him.

“I like sticking up for the guys,” Greenway said. “Someone hits Bryson like that, I’m usually gonna fight the guy, but 4-on-3, it wasn’t the right time. But yeah, I’ve got to stick up for the guys when I can.”

Greenway could only watch the first six games of Buffalo’s current seven-game winless streak. Now, healthy and back in the lineup, he joins his teammates in search of a solution.

“We’ve just got to play with some confidence, get connected as a five-man unit,” he said. “When you lose a couple in a row, it’s easy for guys to lose their confidence, start doubting themselves, start doubting others.

“Bottom line is we’re three points out of the playoff race. We’ve got to continue to move forward.”

Here’s more from Tuesday’s practice.

News and notes

1. Rasmus Dahlin remained absent from practice as he recovers from back spasms. The Sabres captain is progressing toward a return, though, according to coach Lindy Ruff.

Forward Sam Lafferty (lower body) was also absent from practice.

Ruff indicated that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson could return from injured reserve and re-enter the lineup as soon as Wednesday. Samuelsson, who missed 12 games due to a lower-body injury, was a full participant in practice.

“I’ve liked what I’ve seen in the practice since he’s come back, his rehab skates, everything looks a lot quicker, a lot more efficient,” Ruff said.

2. Forward Tyson Kozak, who made his NHL debut Thursday versus Winnipeg and has tallied one goal in three games, was loaned to AHL Rochester on Tuesday. The 21-year-old impressed during his first stint with the Sabres.

“It was a good showing,” Ruff said. “I thought last night, defensively, he got run a little bit. I thought his first game, almost a model game defensively for a first game, which you don't usually expect. But I mean, a great two games, really, for a young man who’s just stepping in playing his first two NHL games.”

3. Buffalo’s power play, which has gone 1-for-24 in the last nine games, was the focal point of Tuesday’s session. Here are the units the Sabres practiced with.

The Sabres’ most recent man advantage, with two minutes remaining in regulation of a 5-5 game on Monday against Detroit, exemplified the units’ recent struggles with gaining the blue line and maintaining offensive-zone possession.

“Whatever that right play is, we’re not making it right now,” Ruff said. “There’s frustration with it. You can see that in the way they execute.”

Even in practice, Ruff explained, the Sabres aren’t thinking or playing with the speed necessary for power-play success.

“I didn’t like today’s power-play practice,” Ruff said. “This is something that we’ve got to fix. It was too slow, and I think that’s probably in the game too. Let’s quicken things up. The next play isn’t there, the right play isn’t there quick enough for the group.

“It’s not going to work this way. So we’re not gonna beat a round peg in a square hole. We’ve got to change that approach.”

Forward Dylan Cozens, a regular on the first power-play unit, believes a simpler approach will remedy Buffalo’s man-advantage woes.

“I think when we had success, it was just about keeping it simple,” Cozens said. “Once it’s not going your way, you tighten up a bit and try to make the perfect play. It just doesn’t work. You’ve got to keep doing simple things and getting it on net, recovering it and attacking off that.”

Up next

The Sabres host the New York Rangers on Wednesday night to conclude the five-game homestand. Tickets are available here.

Puck drop for the nationally televised game (TNT, Max) is scheduled for 7 p.m.