The Buffalo Sabres had to find a way to respond in Game 3 after an ugly loss the prior game. It was the type of performance that usually would have called for an animated response from Lindy Ruff. That wasn't the case, and it seemingly was by design by the Sabres' head coach.
On Friday, he was asked about his response after Game 2 and if there was a reason for being a little calmer after the 4-2 loss. "I think if this were a veteran team, if it was a veteran-laden team with lots of playoff experience, there would have been a," Ruff said before pivoting to complete his thought. "I didn't want to create any more stress on our group. I didn't want to give you guys any more questions to ask them about what went wrong."
"We'll deal with that stuff inside as you look at a group that a lot of them played their first playoff game in Game 1. We had some guys play their first playoff game in Game 3, and a lot of them played their first road playoff game in Game 3.
Lindy Ruff proves once again that he is the perfect coach for these Buffalo Sabres
After an ugly first season back in Buffalo last year, Lindy Ruff seemed like he might be on the hot seat. The seat only got hotter with the way this season started and with general manager Kevyn Adams being fired.
Fortunately, they stuck with Ruff, and over the past three months, he has delivered a masterclass in coaching for this team. He has seemingly hit all the right buttons and managed tough situations, like a three-goalie rotation, almost perfectly.
He has helped lead this franchise out of the playoff drought, helped them win their first division title since the 2009-10 season, and they finished with the fifth most points in franchise history at 109.
One of the big questions looming for this franchise after their season is over is whether or not Lindy Ruff is back. He is currently in the final year of his contract and the decision should be solely on Ruff in terms of whether or not he wants to come back.
If Ruff wants to continue his coaching career, it should help keep this franchise on an upwards trajectory with the way that he has managed this locker room and helped keep the team on track this season.
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