BUFFALO – Noah Ostlund’s Sabres teammates got creative in giving him a new nickname. Instead of simply taking the first few letters of his last name and adding a “y” to the end, a standard hockey formula, they examined his skill set.

“His hands are incredible,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch, Ostlund’s linemate, told the Times Herald following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “So it’s really hard to give him a bad pass, honestly. He’s always picking up everything, he’s making some really good plays in tight areas.”

Those ultra-soft hands recently earned the Swedish center a new moniker, “the Masseuse.”

“He just massages the puck out there,” Tuch said.

Pretty clever, huh? The youngster likes it.

“It’s a fun one, I think,” said Ostlund, whose Sabres begin a six-game, 12-day road trip tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. “I don’t know who started with it. It must’ve been Mal.”

Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn, however, said someone else came up with it.

“I’m just the one that keeps using it the most,” he said.

Ostlund’s teammates might keep using the nickname for a long time. Since injuries and illnesses forced the Sabres to recall him for the second time this season Nov. 4, he has played 14 straight games.

These days, the forward corps is close to full strength. But Ostlund, the 16th overall pick in 2022, still has regular duty. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff recently moved him to a line alongside Tuch and Josh Doan.

With Saturday’s shootout in Minnesota tied, Ruff turned to Ostlund, and he utilized those soft hands to beat Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson – a nifty deke from backhand to forehand did the trick – and clinch a 3-2 win.

“It was a big moment that I’m happy I took care of,” said Ostlund, who has scored three goals and six points while averaging 13 minutes of ice in 18 games with the Sabres this season.

Right now, the Sabres have a roster crunch. As they begin their longest road trip since January 2012, they have three goalies and just six defensemen on their 23-man roster.

Ruff said they want to add another defenseman before they begin the western portion of their trip later this week.

Ostlund doesn’t need waivers to be sent to the AHL, so assigning him to the Rochester Americans would be the easiest solution and prevent them from possibly losing a player.

Still, it’s probably not the best move. Ostlund has developed into one of the Sabres’ 12 best forwards.

“I think they reach a point where they make a decision hard for you,” Ruff said. “Is he better than anybody that we have? Can he help us more than somebody that’s in the lineup. Is he helping you win games? Is he a neutral or is he costing you games?

“Sometimes young players come up and they’re not comfortable enough. He’s helping us win games.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Ostlund helps the Sabres win in different ways.

“He’s got an off-the-charts hockey IQ, I’ve noticed,” Tuch said.

Ostlund’s ability to process the game at a high level has helped him thrive defensively, an area of hockey many neophytes struggle.

“It’s something that he’s really comfortable with, reading the play and being in the right position, a lot of times staying between his player and the net,” Ruff said. “I mean, he can’t overpower some guys, but positionally, he can out position somebody, and he’s done a really good job with that.”

Most players Ostlund’s age don’t have that strong base in their game.

“I would say the base of being really good defensively, taking that on as a challenge and being able to play against top lines,” Ruff said. “That’s probably the base that he might have on other young players.”

Ostlund has needed time to develop the offensive side of his game. After eight pointless outings in his first taste of the NHL late last season, he did not record his first point, a goal, until his fifth contest this year.

He said “wanting the puck” on his stick has helped him enjoy more success scoring.

“Being able to get it in good spots with speed so I can use my skating and play the puck,” he said. “I think that’s one thing I’ve been wanting to do better.”

His desire to possess the puck also illustrates his growing confidence.

“I think the game has maybe slowed down a little bit,” Ostlund said. “I think I have some room out there with the puck and some time with it, too.”

– Ruff, who has been a head or assistant coach in the NHL in every season since 1993-94, said he couldn’t remember a road trip as long the one that begins tonight.

“It goes back with even with the other teams I’ve been with, so it is different,” he said. “(We’ll have) a lot of time together. Practicing a couple days on the road, but the way the schedule unfolds, probably we get one or two.”

– Ruff said Sabres center Tyson Kozak wasn’t a healthy scratch for Monday’s 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets

“He’s nursing a little bit of an injury,” he said. “I like him in the lineup. This isn’t about not liking what Tyson has done. … He got a little banged up late in the Minnesota game. (He) could play (but) wouldn’t be 100 percent. But we’re at the luxury where we have another guy we can put in the lineup.”

Ruff also said defenseman Michael Kesselring (lower body) will skate in Buffalo during the trip.