Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff joined the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR to speak on the team's "lack of finish" during recent struggles in the standings.
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00:00You know, you're talking about chances and finish. One thing I wonder, Lindy, if you're talking with
00:04numbers guys or looking into the data on the team and you're seeing good things from shot creation
00:11and expected goals and things look good, but the results aren't there, are you one to not want to
00:16talk about how things are going well? Or is there an expiration date on how many times you can feel
00:21like things look good and the results should come, but something is still missing?
00:26Well, what is missing is finish, really. You know, there's plenty of opportunities.
00:33If I use the Detroit game as an example, we had probably three or four really good opportunities
00:40to convert and make that a two nothing game, which would take stress off of our defensive game.
00:48The lack of finish has been one of the things that concerns me, that even yesterday's practice,
00:57the drills we set up were set up to try to put the players in the best position to finish
01:03opportunities. We can go back to our Los Angeles King game, which was probably our best offensive
01:11game when it came to creating high quality inner slot shots, but didn't finish where we
01:19put the opposition's goalie as the first star of the game. And I think when you don't finish
01:26those opportunities, then again, you're in a position where one mistake can let the other
01:32team back in the game. And that's where we've been sitting. We need to get a balanced scoring
01:40attack and we need to finish. And it is going to be the focus of really what we're trying to do here
01:47in between games now until it starts to happen. To bring about better finishing, one thing I'm
01:53seeing a lot is data on missing the net. I mean, is it about simplifying things? A lot of times,
01:59Lindy, people will say, you know, pucks to the net is simpler, but do you need a finer point
02:04on it instead? What is the answer? I mean, great question, because we have to miss the net less.
02:12Some of your best shooters, you know, they have to be able to pick that corner. And if that little
02:18corner is all that's available and you miss by an inch or two, you've got to miss net. But I think
02:23when you're in an area where the chances of a puck going in are really poor or it is a really low
02:31percentage, say you're shooting from out just around the dot or outside the dot,
02:36then those types of opportunities need to hit the net to create the next opportunity. And I think
02:42that's where our opportunities and shots on net have to increase where we don't miss the net as
02:49often. You look at the Detroit game, the cross ice one timers and the one timers are, you know,
02:56they're a tough shot to hit with real high accuracy. But again, we missed the net. Darlene
03:03had probably three opportunities. Zucker had a couple of great opportunities. Owen Power
03:11shot one back into the goalie with an open net. So we're creating the opportunities. And like I
03:17said, yesterday's focus was to try to put them in a position where they felt good about getting
03:21those opportunities in practice and finishing.