09-18 Lindy Ruff

0:00Hey, I arrived almost here. Are you ready? Just grabbing my shoes. That's what you said 10 minutes ago. I just wrapped a video call, uploading this giant file on my tablet, looking at my watch group and Nana's with the group chat, and of course, still lining up tonight's playlist on my phone. All at once? Yep, story of my life. That's why I switched to D-Mobile. They have the fastest 5G network. Okay, multi-tasker. I see you. Honestly, I never imagined I could do all this at once. It's awesome. Say no more, I'm totally switching. My post is taking way too long to upload. That's a sign you've got to get D-Mobile. So many reasons to join D-Mobile. Find yours at T-Mobile.com Fastest based on analysis by Uclos Beat Distant Intelligence data of national speed score results in incorporating 5G download and upload speeds for the first half of 2026.

1:25Let's clear the air about hybrids with Kia. I live in Pasadena, so my Kia Telluride Turbo Hybrid has to do a little of everything. School bags, speech chairs, a grocery run, I swore would be small. And somehow there's still room in my sister-tex. I'm landing in Burbank, comp at me up. It seats 7, has over 600 miles of range, and makes the 134 feel a little less like a test of character. Space, range, flexibility. The Kia Telluride Turbo Hybrid is built for the way LA moves. Find your way forward at Kia.com. Kia, movement that inspires. The Ford talk, not. What do you think of the stadium and the... Oh, unbelievable game. Stadium was electric. The atmosphere was unbelievable, and... Josh Allen's performance was second and none again. How was the tailgate? That's all private information. So I was talking about the pole in the seat. And broke three tables.

2:25I was talking about the fans here, but being there to kind of experience with them, really kind of happy for the fans too, and they got this cool great football place and the team and everything. Yeah, I mean, everything about it was, I think, just top notch from the way they started the game to... Just how loud the stadium got at times was incredible. So, you know, I think you've got great memories from the old stadium. I think those are going to fade pretty fast because it's a pretty special building. You know, when if that stadium had opened a year ago, they put the Buffalo Sabers on the jumbo track. That might have been a different reaction. What was your reaction last night to see your guys get that kind of notice from those people in that place when they put them on the ground? I thought it was awesome. I think the great thing about our community is the relationship that, you know,

3:25we're in the playoffs and we've got some of the bills riding this anbony and doing the beer sword, and, you know, just here supporting us and for our guys to go there and support them and to be part of it, it's just a great thing about being in Buffalo. You've got two sports teams that interact with each other that... That reception, you know, our boys got it, I thought was special. I thought for all the effort to put in and where we got to last year, I thought the reception they got from the fans was incredible. How did you feel like the guys bounced back this morning? I thought the practice was really good. I don't know if it was, you know, that late for them. I mean, that... it was kind of a typical game night turnaround. Except it, I don't think you have horns on game nights here. That was actually jealous.

4:26You like Lefty Right, he's not an offense right now, you don't have that, but we're early in training now. I mean, he's drowning everything up. What do you see with a guy like Krebi? He's only had one year in the NHL, but we do like to maybe give him a top four opportunity at some point here. Because he did have a little bit of top four opportunity in Chicago. You know, I think he'll be in charge of creating whether he'll be a top four or not. I think it's just his play or dictate. I think the chemistry he'll create with who he's going to play with will dictate where he's going to play. I think what is really good is we've got some D that are pretty connected already. You know, when you look at the, you know, Dulling and Samson, that's a pretty connected pair. And although I'm a bigger fan of Lefty Righty, you have to be a pretty special player to play the off side. And we have a couple guys that are pretty special players that can handle that.

5:27In an ideal world, Lefty Righty, I think is still better. But when you have the talent that, you know, our top guys have that are playing the off side, I don't think it makes that big a difference. No, I was then team-sided to a long-term contract this year. How do you project his role for this season? Yeah, really the same as last. You know, step in and be a real good player for us. I played really well-defensively, created some great stuff, offensively, CZI's really well. I had a great summer right now, we stronger, he looks faster, looks like his shot is better. He's a guy I can put anywhere. I can put him on the wing, I can put him in the middle, I can, you know, depending on how the night's going. He's just a tool that you can use anywhere. I think he's a good power play guy, I think he can be an excellent penalty killer. So I look at it, we've got a guy that can play almost in any situation.

6:30Yeah, it's a real statement about him that this was a state of his career and missed it in the playoffs. What does that say about him? That was a guy that you were in the playoffs for the first time a bunch of you guys were and he was missed. Yeah, well I think you look, there was games where, as a coach, you're pretty impressed with what happened on the air. So I look at the Nashville guy, the three kids, the three kids that played together and the goals they scored in the Nashville game and even the one earlier road trip. It just seems like he can get the puck to the right place and defensively his reads are just really solid. Like he doesn't spend much time in his own end. When he's breaking the puck out, you can usually find that next play which is, you know, it makes a big difference in whether you're going to spend five seconds in your zone, you're going to spend 15. Get back to your defense. That's a good, that's a good, if you prove you asked her that he is perfect for the role that he might be in, he's going to be ready to play, be able to play well no matter what you might need.

7:39Yeah, for sure, I think that he he proves he can be a real good asset for us. Again, he's a, he's a guy that I think that, you know, going back for pucks, it makes a lot of good plays, makes a lot of good reads. You know, in your puck play probably number one, coming in, you know, if you can, if you can make that first play and get out of your zone, getting up ice and getting involved a little bit offensively, I thought he had a real good feel for that. But almost any situation we use him, he handled pretty well on the power play. I'm curious how it changes the approach when you have a lefty on the left flank or righty on the right. What does that do for the whole unit? Well, it gives you that, you know, that one time or the quicker shot a lot of times. I think you saw today, there was times that we rotated through where, you know, a righty was running downhill, but, you know, if you're a lefty ready, the quicker plays are automatically available versus turning your body and trying to shoot.

8:45Look at that, this maturity and maybe help you tackles it first, and you're a react to it. It's been around a couple of years. Yeah, I think the, you know, it's part of developing as a player that you should grow from the challenges you go through as a player. That a lot of times that's what, what helps you get to that next level is how you handle the tough times. Pretty easy to go along when things are going good, but how do you handle those tough times and can you grow from those tough times. And I got a lot of respect for, you know, all the challenges he's had and he's growing through and even in my short period here. Yeah, I got a lot of respect for how hard his work. He's come off injuries and, you know, he's battled some ups and downs during seasons that he's been able to battle through and play good hockey for us. Your veterans are limited to preseason games now. How much is that add more importance to the scrimmage than, you know, how he would have been the best.

9:47I think it adds a lot of importance. It just gives everybody that extra game. Those veterans that wanted to play more games, you know, guys that have said that would like to play three games and then the answer is you just can't. So part of putting this camp together was to have our guys together right away was to put this scrimmage in and get them extra, you know, really what we can simulate is good as close to game situations as you would face in a preseason game. What is the thought process early on having him a cloud on the wing? Just that he's, you know, we've got nine sentiments. So, I think it's a coach's gift. There's not many teams. I mean, many, there'd be a lot of teams saying, well, I'd like to have it over this couple of sentiment too. But he's played some wing of Austin. So just early on here rotate a little bit through. You know, we've got Coleek on the on the wing right now that I think is a pretty darn good sentiment too. But with McLeod, I think it's easy for those two guys to kind of rotate.

10:55You know, one can end up low. You know, I mean, on paper, it says left right center. But I think on the ice a lot of times you might see down low. You might find him right away and our sentiment that's with him will be thrown on the wing. Just to make it a chemistry with Thompson, but are you anxious to see him? Are you going to have an important minute different lines and anxious to see where maybe he might fit with this group? Yeah, I've said that a couple of years ago, the way we finished a year with him in the middle of the ice really liked that. But at the same time, you know, Tom or had a real good run plan center and I'm going to start him off there and see where we get to that doesn't. I mean, there was times I thought, Austin and Benson and Thompson were good line to with Austin in the middle. So like I said, I consider it a pretty big privilege to have that many options to put people in different places.

11:56It's the deepest center group you've had in a long time, you think? It's the deepest center group ever, like ever. So it's hard to take a winger and make them a center. But a lot of times you can take a center and put them over in the wing and he can be pretty effective. How do you feel about your first look at your power point? It seemed like you were pushing the pace maybe a little bit more than we saw. I mean, we're working on solving pressure right away, but like sending three guys out against them with a lot of pressure and then attacking. So giving you a pretty good advantage if you solve it to attack. And then the last bout was just sort of normal, you know, four guys going at it. Yeah, you know, I think we're going to try to change some things on how we practice it. You know, it's hard. They don't want to shoot the puck through any of our players. So if we can create some pressure and then there's breakdowns and they get opportunities to break pressure and try to score goals.

12:56It's a little bit what today's penalty killing is. There are a lot of times other teams are coming right after you. Hey, all right. It's almost here. Are you ready? Just grabbing my shoes. That's what you said 10 minutes ago. I just wrapped the video call uploading this giant file on my tablet, looking at my watch group bananas with the group chat. And of course, still lining up tonight's playlist on my phone. All at once? Yep, story of my life. That's why I switched to D-Mobile. They have the fastest 5G network. Okay, multi-tasker. I see you. Honestly, I never imagined I could do all this at once. It's awesome. Say no more. I'm totally switching. My post is taking way too long to upload. That's a sign you've got to get D-Mobile. So many reasons to join D-Mobile. Find yours at T-Mobile.com. Fastest based on analysis by Uglospeed Distant Intelligence, the data of national speed score results in cooperating 5G download and upload speeds for the first half of 2026.

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