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Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Sabres hoping Doan can 'find his game' amid struggles
- Story byNiagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Sabres hoping Doan can 'find his game' amid struggles
BUFFALO — For the final 15 minutes of Tuesday's thrilling 3-2 overtime win, Sabres winger Josh Doan, who began the night skating on the top line, watched from the bench.
Following the game, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff acknowledged the obvious, that Doan, who went pointless in the first three contests, is "struggling right now."
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So when Ruff shortened his bench and revamped his lines late against the Minnesota Wild, Doan, 24, was one of the odd guys out.
"He had a little bit of a lower-body issue (in Saturday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks)," Ruff said in KeyBank Center. "I think it's affecting his play. Although if you ask him, he'd say no.
"But he'll find his game. I got all the faith in the world that he'll get to his game."
Ruff believes in Doan, in part, because of the maturity the youngster possesses. That's one reason he said Doan won't use the injury as an excuse.
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"If you want to compare some of the other younger players, you're going to have to battle through some tougher times," he said. "And he's a kid that's up for any battle."
While it's a small sample size, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Doan, who's in the first season of a seven-year, $48.65 million contract extension, knows he must be better.
He had mustered just four shots on goal entering Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars. He started the contest skating at right wing on the fourth line alongside center Justin Danforth and Beck Malenstyn.
"I haven't been where I want to be personally," said Doan, who enjoyed a breakout 25,-goal, 52-point campaign in 2025-26. "I think a lot of that is I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and to help this team out of the gate, and I think I could take a little bit less pressure off myself. In fact, we're 2-1 and all's still well. …
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"Yeah, it's just been a slow start, but nothing too serious."
Living up to the expectations that accompany his new contract or trying to "replace" winger Alex Tuch, whose spot he had taken alongside top center Tage Thompson, could certainly be on his mind.
The affable Doan, who always seems to be smiling, said he can alleviate some of pressure by simply having "fun playing hockey again."
"Just getting back to the reason why I play," he said. "I play for fun. I play because I love playing hockey, and that's where I had to get back to is enjoying every process of that. And I do my best to have fun whenever I'm at the rink and on the ice, and I think at times in games I've allowed the frustrations to take over that fun that I usually have."
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Ruff said he talked to Doan on Wednesday about getting back to the aggressive style that makes him effective.
"Hounding pucks and (being) first to the puck and getting around the net (for the) tip, rebounds and all that," he said. "He was a guy that was relentless on the puck, and I think maybe a little of that has been missing. Usually for a player, you got to get inside. You got to get around the net."
The Sabres, of course, have confidence in Doan, whose ice time was up through the first week of the season despite playing just 12 minutes, 5 seconds in Tuesday's win.
"As a competitor, you always want more," he said. "And that's something that I'll take whatever I can get."
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In the back of his mind, winger Jason Zucker said he and the Sabres have a time frame for when he can play again after undergoing sports hernia surgery in early August.
"But it's a very soft date at this point," Zucker said Thursday after skating with his teammates as they prepared for the Stars.
For now, Zucker, 34, is rehabbing skating and participating in pregame skates.
"It's progressing well," he said. "We're kind of on track where we wanted to be right now. Kind of unfortunate timing with everything, but it feels good now. It feels good to be back on the ice and ready to go."
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Zucker said he did not "have a good answer" when asked if he was battling the injury last season.
"It was unfortunate the way that happened in the summer, I needed to get surgery on it," the veteran said.
Zucker, the Sabres' oldest and most Sabres player, scored 24 goals and 45 points in 62 games last season.
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Ruff said defenseman Conor Timmins could start rehab skating soon.
Timmins suffered a lower-body injury Sept. 26 when he crashed awkwardly into the boards late in the preseason finale.
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The Sabres scratched defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and forwards Sam Carrick and Tyson Kozak (all healthy).
