‘In his post-game comments, Ruff acknowledged the back-to-back scheduling of games as a factor, but noted that his team fell to defeat more from mental errors and a lack of intensity, than from any absence of preparation or conditioning. With Saturday’s contest against Tampa Bay completing another 3-games-in-4-night stretch, on the heels of the same last week, the Sabres’ coach will walk the fine line of driving his players hard enough to weed complacent play out of their efforts, without taxing their stamina to the point of exhaustion – something Ruff has excelled in during past seasons.’