Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) – On Tuesday the Sabres flew to New Jersey as they finally get to continue the season Wednesday against the Devils. It was last Tuesday when the team got back and had meetings with the coaching staff.

It’s been a tough week of practices, but Alex Tuch doesn’t equate it to training camp,

“Coming into training camp you’re still trying to get into shape, you workout all summer and you get into conditioning, but you’re not really in game shape. Here it’s you take a week or so off and you don’t really lose everything you’ve done, you just want to ramp it back up, get back into the mindset, compete a little bit and it’s a lot easier to jump back in.”

The Sabres were 21-5-2 in their 28 games before the break which was the second best points percentage in the NHL behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tuch said that’s great, but nothing has been accomplished yet,

“We’ve had some time to reflect on it to appreciate what we’ve done especially in the last couple of months, but not to rest on that because we haven’t accomplished anything. It’s a couple of good months and a playoff race and we’ve got to bring it home, we’ve got to make sure that in the last 25 games here has to be our best 25.”

Before the season started Lindy Ruff said he breaks the schedule down into five game segments. The goal he set for the team is get six points in every five game segment and you’ll make the playoffs. Here’s how that’s gone,

2-3-0  4 pts

2-1-2  6 pts

1-2-2  4 pts

2-3-0  4 pts

3-2-0  6 pts

2-3-0  4 pts

5-0-0 10 pts

4-1-0  8 pts

4-1-0  8 pts

3-1-1  7 pts

4-1-0  8 pts

So in these 11 segments Ruff was shooting for 66 points, he got 69.

For many on this team, this is their first time in a playoff run. Tuch was in the playoffs all four years he was with the Vegas Golden Knights so he can pass on to teammate what they’re in for,

“Playoff hockey starts a lot earlier than in April. You see it starting in the end of January and right before the break I thought everyone had a big push and then you’re going to get everyone back in and it’s going to be a weird stretch the first couple of games, the Trade Deadline is right there around the corner (March 6), you see what teams are going for it and what teams are bowing out and that’s when it really picks up and that’s when everyone is playing that playoff hockey mindset and it’s just pedal to the metal and you’re just trying to get as many points as possible.”

Tuch doesn’t have a contract extension, so I wondered if he was worried as the deadline approaches. He said, not at all,

“No, I haven’t focused on that, I’m just focused in on playing in the next game, focused on being a Buffalo Sabre and doing whatever I can to help our team win.”

Tuch is on pace to score 32 goals and 38 assists for 70 points. Last season he had 36 goals and 31 assists for 67 points.

Before the team left for New Jersey, they called up Anton Wahlberg. With Tage Thompson possibly missing Wednesday’s game due to being at the State of the Union Address in Washington with Team USA, Buffalo needed a forward.

Wahlberg was drafted in the second-round of the 2023 NHL Draft. It was a pick acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. The 20-year-old has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 47 games. He’s a natural center, but has played a lot of wing with the Amerks. He’s listed at 6’4, 205 pounds. In his last nine games he has seven points.