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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Back for a second stint as Sabres coach, Lindy Ruff appeared a little grayer, said he’s a bit wiser and sounded more motivated than ever to restore success to a franchise that has known mostly losing during an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought.

This time, it’s personal, Ruff said during an introductory news conference Tuesday, a day after being hired. It’s a homecoming for the 64-year-old Ruff, who spent his first 10-plus NHL seasons playing for the Sabres and 14-plus more coaching them before being fired a month into the lockout-shortened 2013 season.

“I’m humbled by the opportunity that I’m getting,” Ruff said. “I get a chance to do something that I wasn’t able to do as a player. Then I became the coach of the team and didn’t succeed with what I set out to do. And now, I’m getting one more opportunity, in which I really feel I’m blessed to have.”

He then reiterated the message general manager Kevyn Adams voiced a week earlier when he launched the coaching search after firing Don Granato.

“The time is now,” Ruff said. “It’s now.”

Flanked by Adams and team owner Terry Pegula, making a rare public appearance, inside the pavilion of the Sabres’ arena, Ruff fondly reflected on how the building rocked during Buffalo’s various playoff runs.

“I can still remember the 8-0 Philadelphia win and sitting in the office and thinking of the building shaking,” he said, referring to the Sabres’ first-round series-clinching win in the 2001 playoffs. “It was incredible. So my goal is to have these guys experience what I was able to experience.”

The building has heard far more booing and seen plenty more empty seats during the 13-year playoff drought, which is tied with the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest active streak in North America’s four major men’s pro sports. Ruff is the last coach to guide the Sabres to the playoffs — a seven-game first-round series loss to Philadelphia in 2011.

Since then, Buffalo is on its eighth head coach and fourth GM and finished last in the overall NHL standings four times.

Granato was credited for helping spur the team’s development but failed to meet the growing expectations the Sabres established a year ago, when they missed the playoffs by two points. This season, Buffalo (39-37-6) won three straight games only twice and finished seven points out of contention.

Ruff, who was fired by the Devils in March following three-plus seasons coaching New Jersey, fulfills Adams’ vision of hiring someone with NHL experience. He also spent four seasons coaching the Dallas Stars and in between served a three-year stint as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers.

Overall, the NHL’s 2006 coach of the year ranks fifth on the career list with 1,774 games coached and 864 victories, a franchise-record 571 of them coming in Buffalo. Under Ruff, the Sabres made eight playoff appearances, including a 1999 run to the Stanley Cup Final, which they lost in six games to Dallas, and consecutive losses in the Eastern Conference final to Carolina in 2006 and Ottawa in ’07.

“Lindy knows how to win and he knows how to take a team to another level,” said Pegula, who fired Ruff two years after purchasing the franchise. “He may be the most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life. Just go fishing with him and you may never go fishing with him again.”

Without revealing names, Adams said he interviewed at least 10 candidates over the past week before choosing Ruff.

“He’s the right person for this job and I truly believe that he is the person that’s going to take us to the next level,” Adams said. “Our players are craving it.”

Ruff acknowledged he has matured as a person and a coach, adapting how to relate to today’s players since leaving Buffalo. He said he is more open to communicate with players by text and no longer feels the urge to enter the locker room after every game to provide his critique.

“I actually laugh at some of my coaching style because a lot of things have changed. I won’t go into a lot of detail, but I’m a lot better coach now than I was when I left,” Ruff said.

What has not changed is Ruff’s relatable style and ability to elicit a laugh. In New Jersey, he once asked reporters to limit their questions because he wanted to watch the Bills play on TV.

On Tuesday, he got a big laugh after being informed how forward Alex Tuch, a Sabres fan growing up, hoped Ruff might land the job.

“He might say after the first week, ‘Oof, I was wrong about that,'” Ruff said with a smile — and with Tuch sitting directly in front of him. “Nah, it’s great. I mean, obviously, we all want to win. And this is a we thing.”

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First-place Phillies to use 6 SPs with Nola return

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First-place Phillies to use 6 SPs with Nola return

WASHINGTON — Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that he will utilize a six-man rotation beginning this weekend when Aaron Nola returns from the injured list.

Nola is lined up for the series finale Sunday at Washington. The 32-year-old right-hander is coming back from a right ankle sprain.

Left-hander Ranger Suárez takes the mound Monday against the Mariners. The NL East leaders also have ace right-hander Zack Wheeler, lefties Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo and right-hander Taijuan Walker.

Thomson said he isn’t sure how long he is going to use the six-man rotation.

“Once for sure and then we’ve got some other ideas how to attack this thing as we move forward,” he said.

Philadelphia starters lead the majors with 687⅓ innings pitched. Sánchez is up to 150⅔ innings, and Wheeler is at 144⅔.

“Just getting some of these guys some extra rest ’cause we’ve been grinding on them pretty hard all year,” Thomson said before the opener of a four-game set against the Nationals. “The one downside to it is you’ve got to take somebody out of your bullpen, so you’re a little short there but we’ll just have to figure it out.”

Nola hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 14. He posted a 2.19 ERA in three rehab starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley while striking out 17 batters in 12⅓ innings.

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Padres put King back on IL, this time for knee

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Padres put King back on IL, this time for knee

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Michael King on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of left knee inflammation.

King (4-2, 2.81 ERA) had just come off the IL on Saturday, allowing two runs in as many innings of a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox.

It was his first start since May 18 as he dealt with shoulder inflammation.

Now, he’s back on the IL with a knee issue in a move retroactive to Monday.

It’s a setback for a red-hot Padres team, who will carry a five-game winning streak into a weekend showdown against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. First-place San Diego is one game ahead of L.A. in the NL West.

King had been scheduled to start the series opener Friday.

In the corresponding roster move, the Padres recalled right-hander Randy Vásquez from Triple-A El Paso.

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Fire up the grill: Brewers free burger promo Wed.

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Fire up the grill: Brewers free burger promo Wed.

While the Milwaukee Brewers keep on rolling, another Wisconsin business is stocking up on beef and buns.

For the third time in its history, George Webb Restaurants will make good on its promise of giving away free hamburgers as part of a longstanding promotion to celebrate the Brewers winning 12 consecutive games.

The free burger giveaway will be held Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT at all 23 of the restaurant’s locations throughout Wisconsin. Vouchers for a burger at a later date will be available at all locations starting Friday.

“Hungry fans are welcome to stop by any location for a free, juicy burger and some camaraderie with fellow baseball fans,” the restaurant said on its website.

Starting way back in the 1940s, when Milwaukee was home to the minor league Brewers of the old American Association, George Webb promised free burgers if the local baseball team won 17 consecutive games.

The promotion dropped to 13 games by the time the Braves made Milwaukee a big league city in 1953, but that franchise couldn’t make it happen before departing for Atlanta in 1966.

George Webb changed the promotion to 12 games when the Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970. In 1987, the Brewers opened the season with 13 wins in a row, and more than 170,000 burgers were given away to mark the occasion.

The Brewers accomplished the feat a second time in 2018, closing the regular season with eight victories followed by four playoff wins. That streak led to 90,000 free burgers being given away in addition to 100,000 redeemable vouchers.

Prior to reaching the magic mark on Wednesday, the Brewers had come close on a few occasions, including an 11-game winning streak earlier this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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