Ryan O’Reilly is back with Buffalo off the World Cup of Hockey championship with Team Canada.
From sabres.com: It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Ryan O’Reilly. When he woke up on Sept. 13, O’Reilly wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be included in the World Cup of Hockey at all. The next day, he was playing for Canada in a pre-tournament game in Pittsburgh. By the end of the month, he’d played in every game for the team that won the whole thing.
Having played seven of the fastest games he’s ever played, O’Reilly didn’t force himself to pratice on Monday. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said that O’Reilly will travel with the team to Marquette, Mich and return to the ice for practice on Tuesday. He’ll make his preseason debut on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Even without him on the ice, his presence on the Sabres has already been a welcome addition.
“Our team got smarter, it got better, it got harder-working. Our coaches got better today,” Bylsma said. “When Ryan comes back, he’s that type of player.”
O’Reilly said playing at the World Cup pushed him and his Canadian teammates to new limits, both mentally and physically. It forced them not only to play faster, but to think faster too. If he got the puck and didn’t know his next move, he was in trouble.
The tournament did leave him with a few things to nail down before the season starts, which is why the two preseason games he does play will be important (he also plans to play in Ottawa on Friday). In terms of ice time, his work load at the World Cup was far less than what he’ll likely receive with the Sabres. He also saw little work on the power play in the World Cup.
But he does enter the season not only with the advantage of having played competitive games, but also with a championship mindset. The Canadians were undefeated in the tournament, all the way up to the wild last three minutes of their final game when they scored twice to end regulation and win the Final.
“It was kind of an interesting dynamic, having the best-of-three,” O’Reilly said of the final game. “We wouldn’t panic. I obviously wasn’t playing at that time but still just trying to stay engaged with the game. I think every situation we got into in this tournament, it was an experienced group and the guys didn’t panic.
“It’s a great feeling and it’s something that we want to have soon.”