Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres were missing some players at practice on Friday that aren\u2019t seriously injured, but could miss Saturday\u2019s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n
Alex Tuch missed Thursday\u2019s game, but was at practice. Ruff had said had the game against the Washington Capitals been a playoff game, Tuch probably could\u2019ve played. Tuch said,<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m good, really good, today was better than yesterday and I felt if I played yesterday it would just continue to bother me and I\u2019d rather just get ahead of it with the amount of games we have coming down the stretch and making a push towards the playoffs, I just don\u2019t want this to linger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mattias Samuelsson and Tanner Pearson also didn\u2019t practice. Ruff said,<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Sammy\u2019s\u2019 got some maintenance, he\u2019s a guy that may not be able to play and Pearson same thing, a little bit of a lower-body that in all likelihood for sure we\u2019ll hold out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colten Ellis also missed practice. Ruff said,<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething flared up on him from practice, so he\u2019s just getting checked out to make sure there\u2019s nothing serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
The news was better about Conor Timmins who has been out since Dec. 20 with a broken leg. Ruff said,<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s pretty good, you could probably see him back with us practicing by tomorrow maybe, if not we\u2019ll see how today went and if not I\u2019d say within the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruff now has options depending on who the Sabres are playing. He has Zach Metsa, Michael Kesselring, Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn, Pearson, Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak. Ruff said he has a huge respect for how those guys have played and the character that they have,<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the group that got us there and I still have a lot of time for all the guys, from \u2018Kozy\u2019 to \u2018Dunner\u2019 to \u2018Kess\u2019 to \u2018Metz,\u2019 I\u2019ve got a lot of time and I\u2019ve got a lot of admiration for how much time they put in to help us be a better team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2021-22, the NHL Edge Era has been going. On Thursday Beck Malenstyn was clocked with a 24.94 MPH speed burst. It\u2019s the fastest burst ever in the NHL Edge Era. Ruff said,<\/p>\n
We have a new fastest speed burst in the NHL EDGE era \u203c\ufe0f@BuffaloSabres<\/a> forward Beck Malenstyn was clocked with a 24.94 mph max skating speed to best the previous mark set by Miles Wood (24.82 mph on April 10, 2025). #NHLStats<\/a>: https:\/\/t.co\/QnQrgI6dQh<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9utUG5cuuF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI saw that and we actually talked about it and that\u2019s incredible, to hit 24 miles per hour in a league where there\u2019s a lot of fast guys it speaks a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Connor McDavid is considered the fastest player in the NHL and his speed of 24.61 MPH is third.<\/p>\n At 12:05 of the third period of last night\u2019s game, Beck Malenstyn recorded the fastest skating speed (24.94 mph) in the NHL EDGE era (since 2021-22). It marked the second time this season he reached 24 mph or faster (Nov. 28 vs. New Jersey; 24.06 mph). In 2025-26, the average\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/05pKXKoIY6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n FRIDAY\u2019S LINES:<\/p>\n Krebs – Thompson – Tuch (Kozak) DEFENSE:<\/p>\n Byram – Power
Zucker – McLeod – Quinn
Ostlund – Norris – Doan
Benson – Carrick – Malenstyn<\/p>\n
Stanley – Schenn
Dahlin – Metsa
Dunne – Kesselring<\/p>\n