Sabres Give Kesselring a Breather as Ruff Looks to Reset Young Defenseman
BUFFALO - Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning came with a notable lineup change for the Sabres - defenseman Michael Kesselring was a healthy scratch. But this wasn’t a punishment. It was a calculated pause.
Kesselring has been fighting uphill all season, with a knee injury and a nagging high ankle sprain that’s been re-aggravated along the way. Since training camp, it’s been stop-and-start for the 25-year-old blueliner, and the rhythm just hasn’t been there.
In his first 23 games with Buffalo, Kesselring has shown flashes - the kind of moments that made him a centerpiece in the trade that sent forward JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. But consistency has been elusive. So head coach Lindy Ruff opted to give him a night off, not just physically, but mentally.
“I spent some time with him about where I thought his game was at,” Ruff said ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Penguins. “He’s been struggling with the injury part of it and coming back and another injury.
Again, suffered the same injury, so really just felt - take a breath, take a game off, get him back in tonight. But get your head in the right place.”
Ruff’s message to Kesselring was simple: simplify the game.
There’s no questioning Kesselring’s tools - at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he’s got the frame, and he’s shown he can move the puck. But Ruff sees a young defenseman trying to do too much, too quickly.
“Play well defensively and make a good first pass,” Ruff said. “I think he’s really trying to push the game up ice where probably not the greatest time to be going. Just trying to make stuff happen instead of just letting it happen.”
That’s a common growing pain for young defensemen - the urge to force plays rather than let the game come to them. And for someone who’s been in and out of the lineup due to injuries, it’s understandable.
You want to make an impact. But in the NHL, especially on the back end, less is often more.
Kesselring will be back in the lineup for Thursday’s game, the Sabres’ final contest before the Olympic break. To make room, Zach Metsa will sit.
Luukkonen’s Olympic Dream Put on Hold by Injury
In other Sabres news, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won’t be heading to the Olympics after all.
The 26-year-old was set to represent Team Finland, a well-earned honor after a strong stretch of play this season. But a lower-body injury suffered on Jan. 27 has sidelined him for the last five games - and now, it’ll keep him out of international play.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking,” Ruff said. “You end up within a week or two of going, and you end up with an injury. Nothing serious, but it’s going to hold him out of it.”
It’s a tough break for a goalie who’s taken real steps forward this year. While the injury isn’t considered long-term, the timing couldn’t be worse. Missing the Olympics is a gut punch for any player, especially one who was about to make his debut on that stage.
For now, the Sabres will have to navigate without their top netminder, and Luukkonen will turn his attention to getting healthy for the stretch run after the break.