Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-3-2018
The Buffalo Sabres hit the ice today for a 2 pm matinee game against the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center. It's the second game of a home-and-home against Ottawa with the Senators defeating Buffalo 4-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night. In losing that game the Sabres had a five-game point-streak turned into a three-game winless streak. After winning three in a row, the Sabres lost consecutive games in overtime and followed up with the loss against the Sens.
Buffalo is looking for secondary scoring...again...still. The line of Jack Eichel flanked by Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville has been carrying the weight of even strength scoring and it hasn't been enough during their three-game winless streak. The trio have accounted for five of the Sabres six even strength goals the last three games and 37 of Buffalo's 115 shots on goal (32%.) The only player to score at even strength for the Sabres during that time was winger Kyle Okposo.
It was pointed out by a media member yesterday at coach Phil Housley's post-practice presser that there are 10 forwards on the team who are struggling with scoring. Players like Sam Reinhart (1 goal,) Patrik Berglund (1 goal,) Conor Sheary (0 even strength goals) and even rookie Casey Mittelstadt (0 even strength goals) have the skill and/or veteran savvy to be contributing more in a secondary scoring role and for various reasons they have not. Overall, Housley attributes the lack of secondary scoring to an aversion to play in front of the opposition net.
"You look at where we're scoring our goals," said Housley, "you look at the two goals we scored last night. They're right in front of the net. That's one thing they can learn. It might not be pretty, it might just be going to the net. [The puck] might hit you, it might go off of a shin pad, you might get a second opportunity."
That's been a problem for various editions of the Sabres save for the tank years when the only way they could score was to get to those dirty areas of the ice.
It should be interesting to see how Buffalo comes out today. This group, as well as those dating back to the end of the tank and before, were notorious for trying to play a flashy game on the perimeter especially in front of the home crowd. The words "too cute" has been used to describe the Sabres play at home and in the end it did nothing but illicit boos from the crowd on numerous occasions as they posted a meager 47-49-17 home record over the past three seasons.
It doesn't look as if Housley will make too many lineup changes today. The only change from yesterday's practice was re-inserting forward Evan Rodrigues into the lineup in place of Remi Elie. Housley seemed to get sentimental when he put Elie in at Ottawa as the energy forward grew up close by.
Although Rodrigues only had four points (all assists) in 10 games before missing the Columbus game for the birth of his first child, he did bring positive elements to the club when he played. "I thought he was playing some real good hockey," said Housley of Rodrigues play before being out. "When he's at his best he's skating and making plays. He's got a big responsibility. He was playing both powerplay and penalty kill.
"He's got all the intangibles of being tough to play against."
The Sabres allowed Ottawa two powerplay goals on Thursday, the first time the PK unit had allowed a goal in four games (12/12.) In Rodrigues' last two games before his leave, the Sabres were 4/4 on the kill. The next two games Housley had Berglund in for Rodrigues and the PK went a perfect 8/8 which included holding the Calgary Flames scoreless in what turned out to be a 2-1 overtime loss by Buffalo.
For some reason Housley messed with that and he replaced Berglund with Elie. The Sabres had a parade to the penalty box in the first two periods and allowed two powereplay goals en route to a 3-0 deficit heading into the second intermission. Elie and Vladimir Sobotka, who was both Rodrigues and Berglund's forward partner on the PK, were on the ice for both Senators PP goals.
Word from the rink is that defenseman Zach Bogosian will play. Bogosian, who had hip surgery back in January, had a maintenance day yesterday and Housley said that they're monitoring him closely.
Also from the rink, it looks as if Linus Ullmark will be in net for the Sabres. In his last start the 25 yr. old native of Lugnvik, Sweden surrendered five goals on 37 shots in the 5-4 overtime loss in Columbus. Despite those dreadful numbers, most thought he was a standout in that game and were it not for him standing on his head to keep the game within reach, the Sabres never would have reached overtime.
Ullmark is 2-0-1 on the season with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .935 save-percentage and has one shutout.
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