That's the way things have unfolded for the first half of the season. Their 71 goals in 40 games has them at a 1.69 goals/game clip, or about 139 goals for the year. That 1.69 g/gm is still on pace to break the modern NHL record for futility. The Chicago Blackhawks averaged 1.91 g/gm in the 1953-54 season.
And poor Jhonas Enroth. He should sue for lack of support.
In his 12 starts this season the team has scored a grand total of 16 goals.
To be fair to the skaters, they have less confidence in Enroth than they do in starter Ryan Miller and therefore take less chances. It's not an excuse as this team should play the same in front of either, it's just human nature. As evidenced by those first two goals by Winnipeg last night, they have every right to be worried about Enroth.
It's also human nature on the part of referees to be skeptical on a call when a bottom-dwelling team is involved.
Case in point.
When Marcus Foligno got the puck over the line at the time Drew Stafford was dislodging the net from it's moorings, logic would dictate that an 11-25-4 team that's scored a total of 71 goals on the season probably didn't score this time either. And the goal was waved off.
If it were the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings etc., the referee would have given those-type teams the benefit of the doubt and called it a goal.
That's how good teams get the calls. It's a subconscious thing, and a review that turns out to be inconclusive, ends up being bad for a bad team, good for a good team.
So it goes.
And when Sabres enforcer John Scott hits the ice with just under a minute and a half to play and Buffalo down 3-0, it's also human nature for the referee to fear for the lives of the Sabres opponent.
That's why he got a 10-minute misconduct. In the words of interim coach Ted Nolan, Scott got that misconduct simply for "being John Scott."
Add it all up and it's not a case of Buffaluck. Nor is it bad karma or a conspiracy.
It is what it is--a team in transition with one star on the team in Miller and only one player who could be labeled as a scorer--Matt Moulson.
The rest is a group of players consisting of youngsters and pluggers. Some with speed, some with grit, none able to put the puck in the net consistently.
That being said, here are the team stats as of the end of December, 2013:
Goals per game
- Oct/Nov--1.61 (30th)...#1, CHI--3.50
- December--1.69 (30th)...CHI--3.67
Shots per game
- Oct/Nov--25.1 (29th)...#1, SJS--35.8
- December--26.5 (29th)...SJS--36.0
Goals against
- Oct/Nov--3.04 (24th)...#1, BOS--1.96
- December--2.80 (20th)...LAK--1.98
Shots against
- Oct/Nov--35.1 (29th)...#1, NJD--24.5
- December--24.6 (28th)...NJD--24.9
5-on-5 goals for/against ratio
- Oct/Nov--0.53 (30th)...#1, STL--1.58
- December--0.60 (30th)...STL--1.51
Powerplay
- Oct/Nov--14.5% (24th)...#1, PIT--25.3
- December--12.3 (29th)...PIT, 25.5
Penalty Kill
- Oct/Nov--78.7% (23rd)...VAN--88.8%
- December--81.8 (16th)...VAN--89.7
Face offs
- Oct/Nov--46.8% (26th)...NSH--55%
- December--46.4 (28th)...NSH--54.1
And so it goes.
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