Fork meet Sabres

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-5-2019


You just can't do that. When you're up 3-1 and in control of the game, you just can't allow three unanswered goals in three-minute span at the end of a period and leave the ice down 4-3. It's a serious no Bueno.

Apparently the Buffalo Sabres never got one of the many memos on that topic as things like that have been happening since their 10-game winning streak ended.

The team we saw last night, and the one we've seen on many occasions this season when it really counted, is so reminiscent of the pre-tank Sabres. Sure, unlike those prior Buffalo teams this one has a sure-fire top-line center in Jack Eichel, who scored two of the three goals last night, and they have 18 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin who looks poised to do some incredible things down the road, but at the core of this team lies an ugly characteristic that stretches back to the post-Chris Drury/Daniel Briere days. When things are going great, like when they went on their November winning streak, they're world-beaters, but when the pressure's cranked up, they crumble.



It's not too surprising in a way as their cast of veteran characters led by 36 yr. old Jason Pominville,  seem to be wired that way. Pominville was a key member of the old core, was traded away but came back in another deal. He had an opportunity beyond golden last night but choked as he stopped his own misfire into an open net. That goal would have tied the score and offered some sore of redemption for the terrible end to the second period. It wasn't his only black mark last night, and he wasn't alone, but it happened.

With Buffalo up 3-1 and heading towards what looked like a two-goal lead at the end of two periods, former Sabre Zack Kassian took a cross-ice feed from Connor McDavid and got just enough on a shot to pull the Edmonton Oilers to within one goal with 3:31 left in the period. Just over two minutes later Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse snuck into a huge gap in the slot and buried a one-timer as veterans Pominville, Scott Wilson, Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella all blew their coverage. Oddly enough, rookie Casey Mittelstadt was the only Sabre to have his man on that play.

In the dying seconds of the second period the Oilers struck again as Kyle Brodziak scored his fifth goal of the season with only five ticks left on the clock. It took the Edmonton Oilers a total of 3:26 to turn a two-goal deficit into a one-goal lead and they did so with tallies from three players who had combined for a total of 21 goals prior to last night's game.

You just can't have things like that happen and for the Sabres, they've been blitzed like that way too many times this season.

Eichel's post-game interview gave the impression that the season was done. The captain sat their red-faced, as he always looks after a game, and fielded questions from the media. There was a little bite to his first answer but later on he was asked how the team can stay focused being so far out of a playoff spot, he said in a rather capitulative way, "for us it's just focusing on the next day, the next game. It's all you can really do."

In his addendum to that response he added, "I think the better we do at narrowing our focus, you know, the better it will be for the group

"Ummm. We're a competitive team every night, that's our mindset, that's our goal. It doesn't matter what point of the season it is, every night we go out on the ice we try to win."

Eichel was hardly at fault for this one, or many of the crushing losses they've had this season, but one thing should be pointed out as he may have made a blunder in being to generous after scoring two goals in the first period. With the Sabres up 3-1 and Oiler's goalie Mikko Koskinen unsure how to stop Eichel's wicked shot, the 22 yr. old centered a 2-on-1 break early in the second period with defenseman Casey Nelson trailing the play. Eichel had the clear shot on Koskinen, who might have had an "Oh no" moment, but opted to hit the trailer in what might have been a show of unselfishness which yielded a blocked shot. It was an opportunity for a franchise player to bury the opposition and he opted to be unselfish and the end result was blown opportunity and eventually another loss for his team.

As we head towards the end of another season outside the playoffs, it's time to turn more of our focus upon individual players and Mittelstadt's game has really picked up lately. The 20 yr. old who entered the season after only one year in college struggled early as he was thrown into a situation where he was forced to play a notch above his intended role. Playing center is hard enough at that age but doing so in a second-line situation on a last place team with many holes in the lineup is a lot to ask of a rookie and that's the way it looked early on. However it seems as if Mittelstadt has caught up to the speed of the game and has a good idea as to what he can and can't do with the puck. The defensive portion of a 200' game head coach Phil Housley wants him to play still needs some work, and he'll need to add strength, but he's really attacked the game as of late and he's beginning to find holes to get his shot off.

Last night was an example of some of his offensive instincts. In what almost looked like a set play in Edmonton's zone, Pominville won the draw and Mittelstadt corralled the puck before throwing it wide at the net. While Wilson was recovering the puck behind below the goal line, Mittelstadt found a soft spot in the coverage, Wilson got him the puck and the rookie sent a one-timer far-side to put Buffalo up 2-1.

He's turning into a bright spot on at team that's been disappointing since their streak. Instead of the Sabres being in a playoff push they're now looking at the off season that's just a month away and unless a miracle happens the Sabres will be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. The lesson on how this team turned a 10-game November winning streak into a lottery pick lies in the prevailing theme that's haunted them since early December--"you just can't do that."