The Sabres have been hit and miss this season. They have had almost every type of game played winning and losing. Some players have been up and down. One though, that has been up and provided a spark on the offensive side is forward Alex Tuch.
On the season he has 39 shots and is tied for second place for points on the season. He also is tied for assists with the captain, Rasmus Dahlin. Both currently have 10 on the year. Tuch's ice time on the year is plus-7.
The Sabres have been up and down with offensive input, but Tuch's value has been evident. He also has brought more attention on himself, which has open things open for both JJ Peterka and Tage Thompson.
Tuch is on pace for his highest assist total in his career with 10 in the first month of the season
In a dominant win against the Ottawa Senators, one of Tuch's assists allowed Buffalo go to up 4-1 after a Thompson goal. Thompson commented on the effort of Tuch after the game.
“I think ‘Tuchy’ was nice enough to pass it off my shoulder while I was laying on the ice. So, I owe him a dinner or something. Very unselfish of him. An assist against the Rangers also came off a pass off the boards which led to a Zach Benson goal.
The right winger also has been stable when on face-offs when Buffalo is victorious. In an overtime against the Calgary Flames, he came with 63.6% of his opportunities. In the win against Ottawa, he won 83.3% of his opportunities.
Two of his goals have also sealed the deal for Buffalo. He scored twice while the Sabres were short-handed, and the opposing team was looking for a tying goal. Notably, they won both games.
Tuch will be vital moving forward for Buffalo, if they want to continue to find strong offensive output. But he cannot do it alone. Only Thompson and Peterka have matched his offensive output. And with Thompson injured in the loss against Montreal they will need find offense in a different area if he is out for an extended period.
But Tuch should be able to rise to the challenge. There was a reason why Lindy Ruff named him an alternate captain before the year began. If he continues his strong play he could be the leading the team in points by season's end.