Flop

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-5-2018


It's really pretty simple, if the Buffalo Sabres continue to put on performances like last night, head coach Phil Housley will be joining his wife's senatorial campaign in Minnesota just in time for the November 6 mid-term elections.

It was yet another uninspiring home game for the Sabres as they were shutout by the Boston Bruins 4-0. Buffalo picked up where they left off last season at KeyBank Center as they were shut out for the third time in their last six home games dating back to last season where they had an 11-25-5 record overall. In those six games the Sabres have been outscored by a 25-6 margin.

The Sabres left the first period last night down 2-0 and headed towards the locker room to a chorus of boos, which seems to be the prevailing theme as of late. I guess that's what happens when "the suffering" was supposed to be long gone and the hope of a new season is dashed rather quickly and emphatically. Last season at least they put on a good showing in the first game before getting bulldozed into oblivion before Halloween.

This year the Sabres didn't delay, as they were driven into the ice in Game-1.

Housley's charges showed progress in certain areas ;last night. They showed some speed and better passing in the first period and looked fairly organized. However they were facing a Bruins team that had gotten their ass handed to them the previous night in a 7-0 beatdown by the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. It wasn't so much that the Bruins were ornery to the point where they wanted to overtly take out their frustrations the NHL's 2017-18 last place team. They really didn't need to waste energy on anger and stupidity. Boston simply worked their game by clogging up the middle, cutting off passing lanes, getting to a player before they could get a head of steam and forcing the Sabers to play a dump and chase game that Buffalo neither has the players nor the gumption to play.

Boston's core group of players has been together for years playing a Bruins system that generally been in place for decades. They frustrated the Sabres then took advantage of mistakes and missed opportunities by Buffalo and there's no better example than on Boston's first goal.

The Sabres forced a turnover inside the Bruins blueline and Sam Reinhart got the puck to captain Jack Eichel who barreled towards the net. Eichel had a clear shot on Boston backup Jaroslav Halak but decided to get cute and try a pass to linemate Jeff Skinner who was covered just enough to send the puck to the corner. Boston eventually corralled the puck and headed up ice on the counter attack where a gliding Zdeno Chara waltzed into an large area of open ice to the right of Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton and fire it home.

The breakdowns on that were numerous but one really needs to look at Eichel, Buffalo's new captain, on that play. He compounded his decision not to shoot the puck by cheating in the offensive zone then getting caught flat-footed behind the net when the play turned up ice. And to make matters worse he floated on the back check. Granted, he might not have been able to catch Chara, no matter how casual the hulking Bruins defenseman entered the Buffalo zone, but for a player who talked of playing with desperation in the opening game of the season, it sure didn't look like he had any on that play.

Every fan who watched last night's game can rattle off a list of Sabres players that disappointed and a number of moments that were downright awful. Bias will direct us to be harder on some than others but what it really comes down to is that the Sabres had no answers for what the Bruins were doing. Whether you fault the coach or the players or both, it doesn't matter.

Last night was a boo-worthy flop of an opening night.


*****

You've got to love it when Housley stands at the podium and says as angrily as he can, "We are NOT going through this again," when talking to the media about last night's flop. A couple of media members said that they'd not seen him this angry before.

Which is all well and good.

I'm not sure what Housley is like behind closed doors but based upon last season, his public demeanor is that of a maternal coddler and his anger doesn't seem as if it would shake a player to his bone. He doesn't seem like a strict "Iron Mike" Keenan/John Tortorella paternal disciplinarian, which is fine. If that's who he is than so be it.

The results are what they are. You can't say this team hasn't had upgrades, at least up-front, and to watch a re-run of last year's team to open the season does not bode well for his teaching/coaching methods.

Granted, it's one game, but you know what they say, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Even if it was his 83rd game as Buffalo's head coach.


*****

Some notes from last night:

--Buffalo's fourth line of Evan Rodrigues flanked by Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pominville were the Sabres best line last night. Which is a scary proposition. When Housley mixed up his line combinations to start the third period that line was the only one that remained intact. They had two glorious opportunities that were snuffed out by two excellent kick saves by Halak.

--For as disappointed as fans are with Girgensons being a first round flop, he did not deserve some of the hate that was directed his way. He's a fourth-liner on the team and having waiver-claim Remi Elie and his 14 points (6+8) from last season replace Girgensons (who had 15 points last season) doesn't seem as if it would be a game-changer no matter how good the new toy might look.

--The Sabres needed game-changing moment from their scorers and the didn't get any. Reinhart worked his way into a couple of scoring chances and their line converged on the net after an Eichel shot from a tough angle in the second period but other than that they provided little.

--Speaking of that play, Chara clearly put his hand over the puck in the crease but the ref was slow to the scene and wasn't at a good angle to see it. A few minutes later Rodrigues was tackled to the ice at the Sabers blueline by Boston's Sean Kuraly in full view of the official. No penalty was called. At the time the score was 2-0.

--Tage Thompson got his opportunity to skate in the top-six and didn't take advantage of it. He didn't register a shot on goal and his 11:02 of even strength ice time was a team low.

--Housley had Vladimir Sobotka out there taking defensive zone draws with the former St. Louis Blue often times on the ice with Eichel and Reinhart. Sobotka was second to Eichel in the number of draws taken for Buffalo (15-14,) and was second to Eichel in even-strength time on ice amongst forwards (19:04-18:42.) With Eichel at 60% (9/15) on draws and Skinner at 80% (4/5,) why bother?

--I hate to say this, but about the best thing defenseman Nathan Beaulieu did all night was blast a slapshot off of Charlie MacAvoy's foot which sidelined the Bruins d-man for a short period of time.

--Conor Sheary was put on Eichel's left wing in the third period and the line had perhaps the best cycle of the night for Buffalo. Sheary whizzed around the ice like a whirling dervish and the and got his teammates into a groove.

--Casey Mittelstadt had a real good game. In preseason it looked as if the 19 yr. old would struggle but he once again showed he could skate with the big boys. Housley's line changes had him between vets  Patrik Berglund and Kyle Okposo

--The much anticipated debut of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin came and went with the 18 yr. old rookie also looking real good. I'm not sure what people expected of him but he was as advertised with his skating, stick work and deft passing abilities. Sure, he made some rookie mistakes but he has that on-ice presence and vision and knows what the hell he's doing back there.

--And finally, the Rochester Americans open up their season tonight at home vs. the Charlotte Checkers. Although they flopped in the Calder Cup playoffs last season, good things are expected from the Amerks in their second season under head coach Chris Taylor.