Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-26-2019
With the Buffalo Sabres out of the playoffs and their AHL affiliate off until tomorrow, why not bring up another youngin from Rochester? And so they did. Amerks defenseman Will Borgen got the call to Buffalo and could appear in his first NHL game tonight against the Ottawa Senators.
Borgen was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (92nd-overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft and signed a three-year entry-level deal last year after leaving St. Cloud State as a junior. The 6'2" 188 lb. defenseman had a solid collegiate career and was one of only four college players to make the trip to Pyeong Chang, South Korea with the U.S. Men's Hockey team in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In his first full pro season Borgen has appeared in 66 games for Rochester scoring two goals and adding seven assists to go along with a plus-7 rating but what has really stood out is his solid defensive play and the sandpaper with which he plays the game. It's something he emphasized when he came to Rochester after leaving St. Cloud State to play eight games for the Amerks at the end of last season. "I'm a physical defenseman," he told the gathered media back then. "I like to just play my role, play defense and get the pucks to the forwards and let them do the offense."
However, as he became more acclimated to the pro game and more comfortable with his place in it, he began working on the offensive aspects of the game. Keith Wozniak of letsgoamerks.com talked with Amerks head coach Chris Taylor and assistant coach Gord Dineen about Borgen's progress with Dineen pointing out he "didn't look out of place at all playing with (2018 first-overall pick) Rasmus Dahlin in the rookie tournament (last summer) and it carried over into the regular season."
"He's come a long way," continued Dineen, "but I will say he was further ahead at the start of the season than I expected him to be."
Taylor said that they were "pleasantly surprised" at his decision making and the amount of upside he has with the puck. "He keeps growing every day and getting better," said Taylor. "He's one guy that's probably the most improved from the start of the year to now. He's gaining confidence, not just his defensive side of the puck but his offensive side as well."
That last trait pointed out by Taylor is a necessary ingredient with the way the NHL is played and the direction the Sabres are headed. "I think being able to make plays with the puck is important," Dineen told Wozniak, "you just can't be an off-the-glass defenseman anymore. You have to be able to make a good first pass, a good second pass and be able to skate the puck out of the zone.
"You definitely have to make plays under pressure and offensively be able to read when you can add to the offense."
Borgen is learning that, but he still maintains a strong defensive presence with some snarl to his game. Taylor said that he's "mean in front of the net," a trait that's sorely missing in Buffalo save for an occasional post-whistle show of intensity from Ramus Ristolainen. But that's not nearly enough intensity and snarl to make the opposition think twice about being in the crease. Borgen, on the other hand, has that and can back it up as evidenced in a game against the Cleveland Monsters back in February:
(via hockeyfights.com)
The call-up is Buffalo's third since the NHL Trade deadline (Alexander Nylander, Lawrence Pilut, Borgen) and they only have one more remaining so one would expect to see Borgen in the lineup tonight.
The Sabres head into tonight's matchup with the last place Ottawa Senators trying to avoid more dubious distinctions in a lost season. As of now they're only the second team in league history (PHI) to have a 10-game winning streak and miss the playoffs in the same season. They're also the first team since 1929 to have been shut out in three consecutive games two seasons in a row. With seven games remaining and having lost three in a row, they could still be the first team in NHL history to have a 10-game winning streak and a 10-game losing streak in the same season. And, off of twitter:
--If the Sabres lose tonight, they'll be the first team since the '93-'94 season to lose 13 road games in a row--Nick Filipowksi
--The longest streak without two straight wins for Buffalo is 45 games. In 1972. The Sabres will match that if they lose either of the next two games.--Thad Brown
Buffalo plays at Ottawa tonight then travels back home to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
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