Mike Harrington: As Alex Tuch's Cup chatter shows, incredible Sabres run is a matter of mentality
Alex Tuch: "We're trying to prove as a team that we're legit. We're not just going to go for the playoffs, we're going to go for the (Stanley) Cup, and
The Buffalo Sabres have transitioned from hope to expectation. It's plain as day in their play all over the ice. Each guy believes in himself and everybody believes in each other.
They no longer hope they get good. They are good. And they now have the receipts to prove it.
What's it like expecting to win every night? Alex Tuch dropped a bombshell thought on me Thursday night.
"Stopped hoping. It's good," Tuch said after posting a hat trick in the 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. "You know what? We're coming in with a lot of confidence. Everybody's coming in trying to prove themselves, and we're trying to prove as a team that we're legit. We're not just going to go for the playoffs, we're going to go for the (Stanley) Cup, and that's our goal, to get better each and every day. That's it. That's the end goal."
Stop right there. Tuch wasn't done, but we have to stop because our minds got blown away for a moment.
Sabres right winger Alex Tuch celebrates his goal against the Kings during the second period of Thursday's game at KeyBank Center.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
That's because we haven't heard that kind of talk in the bowels of KeyBank Center since co-captain Chris Drury demanded that a poster of Lord Stanley be hung just inside the entrance to the dressing room 20 years ago.
And it's not crazy chatter either.
The Sabres enter Saturday's game against Montreal with a startling 20-3-1 record in their last 24 games. They have been the NHL's best team for more than seven weeks. This is no joke.
It's real. It's astonishing, exhilarating and fascinating all wrapped up into one. Now back to our Tuch Talk.
"Honestly, we're not in here just to squeak in," he said. "We're in here to try to keep winning. We're chasing a couple of really good teams in Detroit and Tampa right now, and we know each game is going to be playoff-like hockey, and it's a huge two points tonight to get. And now we have Montreal chasing us, so they're going to come to play on Saturday, and we've got to bring our 'A' game. We're going to be ready to win."
Brief aside here: It would be managerial malpractice for this franchise to trade Tuch during this season, and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen knows it. Free agency be damned. Tuch stays. Period. Figure out his contract today, tomorrow, next week, next month or in May or June.
Sorry, Canadian media and fancy website trade boards. Stop wasting your breath and our time. Tuch goes nowhere while this team is still playing hockey.
Tuch said in training camp the Sabres had enough talent to win. What's changed?
"It was the will and determination that I think has really kicked up a couple notches that has given us all the confidence and just heightened everyone's ability in here," he said. "And it's been awesome. Really proud of this group, and job's not done yet. We're gonna keep going."
Coach Lindy Ruff essentially said the same thing earlier in the day. Through all these wins, he's looking to find ways to make his club better. There were some situations Ruff didn't like in Tuesday's 7-4 beatdown of Toronto. Giving up 19 shots on goal Thursday frosted him some, too. So did his team passing up on some good offensive chances.
"We've really worked hard at our offensive zone game, talked about we have to up our offensive zone time, and we've talked about how we want to do that," Ruff said.
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) and goaltender Alex Lyon (34) celebrate a 4-1 victory over
the Los Angeles Kings at KeyBank Center on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
After the win, Ruff reminded everyone about the adversity this team dealt with early in the season with its rash of injuries and the 1-4-4 slump as the calendar crossed November that featured four straight losses in overtime.
"We just kept talking, 'If we keep doing the right things and we believe in how we're playing, we'll get rewarded,'" he said. "And I think they've seen that. The third period tonight (when the Kings had only seven shots) was winning hockey. Don't put a lot of risk in your game and if you're good enough at defending, it's really hard for the other team to score a couple goals."
The goaltending continues to be terrific, with Alex Lyon being the king of the crease again by making 37 saves in setting the franchise record with his 10th straight win.
Lyon said it feels a little like the 2022-23 Florida Panthers, who nosed out the Sabres by a point to get into the playoffs and got all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Vegas.
"All of a sudden, things kind of clicked together," Lyon recalled. "Maybe we're experiencing a little bit of that right now. But that being said, the second you get too far ahead of yourself, it absolutely will come back to bite you."
The Panthers, of course, have gone on to win the next two Cups before injuries have cratered this season and left them eight points out of a playoff spot going into Saturday.
Lyon said you can't be scared of failing and it's clear the Sabres played with plenty of fear of failure in the first couple of months of this season.
That's gone now. And it's hard to imagine that doomsday feeling so often felt in this rink and this dressing room for the last decade coming back any time soon.
"You're up by a goal, up by two goals, we're not shaking in our boots," Tuch said. "We're trying to jam it right back down their throats. We're taking advantage of opportunities and when we have to, we're playing really good defense, and we're committed to that. And that's been huge."