tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55576210806631920662024-03-05T13:29:33.688-05:00buffalosabresnowMotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.comBlogger2212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-30100249539744357732021-05-14T10:21:00.000-04:002021-05-14T10:21:00.008-04:00Pegula's Sabres reaping what he allowed his management team to sow<div style="text-align: left;">Every business owner has the right to run his business the way they see fit. In sports the direct result of how it's run plays out on a yearly basis in a win/loss record and most predominantly who's left standing at the end of the playoffs. From great sports franchises like the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers under the Rooney family (six Super Bowls with only three head coaches since 1969) and the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers (11 NBA titles since 1979) under the Buss family to the struggles of the Cleveland Browns, NY Knicks, and the Buffalo Sabres, what ownership does and how they run their franchise matters.</div><p>When it comes to the Sabres, ownership had noble ideas initially but when things weren't going as planned or moving fast enough, they decided to tank in 2013-14 and, especially, in the 2014-15 season for a shot at Connor McDavid, a player that looks to be approaching a Mario Lemieux/Sidney Crosby level of play. The circular debate as to whether tanking is the best way to get the best talent most certainly will rage forever on the sandlots of social media and most will point to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a sample of success when it comes to outright tanking. They'd be correct. The '83-'84 Penguins tanked their season, drafted Lemieux and eventually won two Stanley Cups in the 90's. </p><p>Lemieux then took a similar approach earlier this century as owner of the Penguins to save a franchise on the brink of financial ruin. From 2001 to 2004 Pittsburgh finished 26th, 29th and 30th, respectively just before the 2004-05 NHL lockout. With no season prior to the 2005 NHL Draft, the league used a weighted lottery system to determine the draft order and the Pens won the right to land Crosby. They've won three Cups since.</p><p>The word 'tank' is thrown around a lot when it comes to bad teams acquiring talent and often times it's misused to define a full rebuild. Cases are made that the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, the two most cited examples, followed the tank path to their five combined Stanley Cups from 2010 to 2015, but it doesn't really fit. Those who posit that narrative point to the drafting of future Hall of Famers like Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane as well as the Kings Drew Doughty as "fruits of a tank," yet there are major distinctions between what the Pens did for Lemieux and how those two teams were built.</p><p>While the '83-'84 Pens were openly selling their collective soul for a savior, the 'Hawks and Kings were looking to acquire talent at the top of the draft to rebuild and they were doing so in drafts where, at times, there wasn't even a consensus top overall pick. Prior to landing Toews, Chicago finished 29th in 03-'04 and then 28th in '05-'06, the year he was drafted third-overall. The following season they finished 26th but via the lottery jumped the maximum of four spots to land Patrick Kane first overall. </p><p>The Kings finished 28th in 2006-07 and drafted fourth-overall after dropping down via the lottery and finished 29th the following season before drafting Doughty with the second pick in that 2008 NHL Draft. They were 26th-place finishers in '08-'09 and selected fifth.</p><p>One could make the case that the Toronto Maple Leafs embarked on a stealth tank to land Auston Matthews at No. 1 overall in 2016, but only two teams have lost in an overtly and defiantly proud manner in an attempt to land that savior at the top of the draft--the '83-'84 Penguins and the '14-'15 Buffalo Sabres (along with their tank-counterparts, the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes, respectively.) It worked for Pittsburgh, not so much for the Sabres.</p><p>That said, it all starts at the top with how ownership wants their franchise to be run. The Sabres followed the Pittsburgh Penguins tank model and it didn't work and now they're on the precipice of losing Jack Eichel, "the consolation prize" in the McDavid draft, along with Sam Reinhart who was selected second-overall after a tank the prior season. They're also in the midst of an NHL record-tying 10-year playoff drought and they have their second 31st place finish in the Eichel-era.</p><p>Although there were factors other than tanking that contributed to the Sabres demise under Pegula, the stench of the tank still lingers and it's doubtful we'll ever hear apologies from owner Terry Pegula, who allowed that approach. The Penguins never apologized for their tanking, Peter Pocklington and his Edmonton Oilers never apologized for skirting the 1979 NHL Draft using a "personal services contract" with Wayne Gretzky either. And God knows the storied Montreal Canadians franchise would never admit to general manager Sam Pollock hording talent and dictating expansion draft rules to build the juggernaut that was the 70's "Flying Frenchmen." Au contraire. Pollock is considered one of the greatest GM's ever. </p><p>That's not how they do it. At least when your plan works and you win. </p><p>The Sabres lost with that plan and they lost in a big way. The boulder is back down at the bottom of the hill and we're not sure which players will make up the roster to start rolling it back up. We're not even sure who the coach will be next season either. What we do know is this, Sabreland does not like what's transpired over the 10 years Pegula has owned this franchise and the fans proved it when Covid-19 restrictions were eased in April to allow 10% capacity (1,900) at KeyBank Center. It had been over a year since fans were allowed to see their beloved Buffalo Sabres live and only 302 people showed up.</p><p>Pegula's on the losing end of this one and he's reaping what he's sown. The fruits of his failed approach was summed up by WGR550's Paul Hamilton on <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/halford-brough-morning/paul-hamilton-buffalo-sabres-exhausted-permutations-nothing-works/" target="_blank"><i>Sportsnet's Halford & Brough in the Morning</i></a>. "Here [the fans] blame the Pegulas," said the longtime Sabres beat writer while talking about a woeful Sabres team owned by the same family that owns a recently successful NFL team. "It's strange because the Pegulas own both teams, so they love the Pegulas when we're talking about the Buffalo Bills and they despise the Pegulas when we talk about the Buffalo Sabres. And I mean despise. I have never in my years in Buffalo covering both teams seen a team and a franchise hated as much as the Buffalo Sabres.</p>"The fans despise this team. They hate this team."<br /><br />But hey, it's Pegula's team and he has the right to run it how he sees fit. Even if it's off a cliff.Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-90846100911793825092021-04-17T09:40:00.004-04:002021-04-17T09:47:21.377-04:00Buffalo Sabres 2020-21 Team Stats--March<p><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">You may have heard the expression "in like a lion out like a lamb" used to describe how the month of March goes weather-wise. When it came to the Buffalo Sabres place in the National Hockey League it was "in like crippled lamb out like overcooked mutton" in March.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Buffalo finished a rough month of February by being shut out 3-0 by the Philadelphia Flyers in consecutive games at home. It dropped them down to a tie for 31st in the league with only six wins on the season and if you watched them on the ice the listless, apathetic play surely was a sign that head coach Ralph Krueger had lost his team in a big way. However, it would take nine more winless games to extent their streak to 0-10-2 before Sabres management would get word to fire the head coach. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">What's worse than that brutal winless stretch and 43-19 goal differential that featured the team being shut out four times was watching Krueger's players totally diss him on-ice and having to listen to post-game interviews where he remained without answers but still tried to push an epic failure of a hockey philosophy. Much respect to the worldly man that is Ralph Krueger and a hearty good riddance to him as a head coach.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Assistant coach Don Granato came in on March 17th to drive Krueger thought-druid from Sabreland and it took a while for them to overcome what had just transpired. Granato freed the players from a rigid adherence to an outdated defensive system and allowed them to skate freely using their skills and vision to create. </span>“We know if we just play a system and you focus on trying to play that system, you’re really not improving your skill or your ability at the NHL level,” Granato said in a post-practice interview on April 16.</p>“It’s like every other work environment,” Granato continued. “We can all relate to this. If you go to work and you don’t enjoy it and you just feel bad walking in the place you have to go every day, you’re not going to be good. You’re not going to be good at what you do or you’re not going to be as good as you can be.<br /><br />“We’ve needed to make sure fun is a part of it.”<div><br /></div><div>In going from Krueger to Granato it must have been like Catholic kids going from a staunch task-master hell-bent on hammering home guilt and depravation to a public school of open thought--freedom!--and it eventually translated on-ice, but it took a bit. After the Sabres fired Krueger, the team continued its slide to a record-tying 18-game winless streak. They almost stopped it at 17 when they took a 3-0 lead into the third period against the Flyers on March 29 but they surrendered the lead and lost in overtime. Buffalo would end the month with a 6-1 thrashing of those same Flyers two days later.</div><div><br /></div><div>It should be noted that this was a Sabres team that was missing key players for much of the season and March was particularly harsh as captain Jack Eichel went down with a neck injury that subsequently sidelined him for the season. Here was the injury list from the April 1 game preview:</div><div><br /></div>Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 35 games<br />William Borgen (forearm, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 21 games<br />Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 21 games<br />Jack Eichel (upper body, March 9; injured reserve) – 12 games<br />Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 5 games<br />Rasmus Asplund (upper body; March 25; injured reserve) – 4 games<div><br /></div><div>Also of note, starting goalie Linus Ullmark missed 15 games dating back to February 27, constituting most of their dubious winless streak. Contributing factor? Yes. Major reasoning for their demise? No, although Ullmark did allow them to start pulling out of it upon his return by going 1-1-1 to end March and eventually end the streak. </div><div><br /></div><div>As we go over the stats below, they're ugly. Not quite as ugly as the two tank seasons but their .271 win percentage is far below their worst (.317) for the last decade. The overall metrics are 29th or worse and a monster powerplay that once carried the team dried up as they went from 3rd (31.2%) to 13th (22.7) while 5v5 scoring remained at the bottom of the league. One might give props to the penalty kill which made big strides this season going from 30th last year (74.6 kill rate) to 16th at the end of March (79.1%) until you realize that they ended up ninth during the 2015-16 tank season with an 82.6% kill rate using a team mostly devoid of NHL talent. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, Krueger was that bad and once again the Sabres are headed for a top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Here's a list of who they picked (and where) beginning with the two tank seasons:</div><div><br /></div><div>2014 C, Sam Reinhart (2nd-overall)</div><div>2015 C, Jack Eichel (2nd)</div><div>2016 RW, Alexander Nylander (8th)</div><div>2017 C, Casey Mittelstadt (8th)</div><div>2018 D, Rasmus Dahlin (1st)</div><div>2019 C, Dylan Cozens (7th)</div><div>2020 RW, Jack Quinn (8th)</div><div><br /></div><div>Where they end up this season remains to be seen, but their play and rather tough schedule the remainder of the season leans towards a bottom-three/four finish meaning they could pick anywhere from first-overall to sixth-overall. When you add in eighth-overall pick Rasmus Ristolainen in 2013, it will mark the ninth consecutive year Buffalo has drafted top-eight. Yeah. It's been that bad.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Record (by month)</span></p><div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">January 4-4-2</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">February 2-6-1</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">March 1-13-2</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Team stats (cumulative)</div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Wins </span></p><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 4 (T-16th)...(TOR, PHI 7)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 6 (T-31st)...(TOR 16)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 7 (31st)...(COL, VGK 30)</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 30 (25th)...(BOS 44)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33 (26th)...(TBL 62)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 25 (31st)...(TBL 54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 33 (25th)...(WSH 55)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH 56)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA 49)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 21 (30th)...(BOS 54)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 21 (21st)...(CHI ,PIT 36) [48-game lockout-shortened season]<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />--2011-12: 39 (18th)...(NYR 51) [Lindy Ruff's final full season as HC]<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">East/Atlantic/Northeast Division Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 6th...(WSH, PHI)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 8th... (WSH)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 8th...(WSH)<br /></span><div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 6th...(BOS)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 6th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 8th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 8th...(BOS)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2012-13: 5th...(MTL) [5-team division]</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2011-12: 3rd...(BOS) [5-team division]</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Eastern Conference Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />2020-21: N/A<br /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2019-20: 13th...(BOS) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 13th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 16th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 15th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 16th...(BOS)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 12th...(PIT)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 9th...(NYR)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">League standing/Points</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: T-14th/10...(WSH, TOR/15)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: T-31st/15...(TOR/34)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 31st/19...(TBL, COL, WSH, FLA/50)</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 25th/68...(BOS/100)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 27th/76...(TBL/128)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31st/62...(NSH/117)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 26th/78...(WSH/118)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 30th/52...(BOS/117)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 21st/48...(CHI/77)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 19th/89...(VAN/111)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Points Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br /></span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: .500 (T-19th)...(FLA .917)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: .395 (28th)...(TOR .773)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: .271 (31st)...(TBL, COL, WSH .714)</span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: .493 (25th)...(BOS .714) <br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: .463 (27th)...(TBL .780)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: .378 (31st)...(NSH .713)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: .476 (26th)...(WSH .720)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH .732)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR .689)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: .317 (30th)...(BOS .713)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: .500 (21st)...(CHI .802)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: .543 (19th)...(VAN .677)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goal Differential</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: -2 (T-18th)...(COL +13)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: -13 (24th)...(TBL +30)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: -46 (31st)...(COL +47)</span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: -22 (25th)...(BOS +23)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: -45 (26th)...(TBL +103)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: -81 (31st)...(TBL +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: -36 (24th)...(WSH +81)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH +59)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS +84)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: -18 (23rd)...(CHI +53)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: -12 (19th)...(BOS +67)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 2.80 (20th)...(MTL 4.13)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 2.21 (29th)...(TBL 3.63)</span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: 2.14 (31st)...(COL 3.63)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 2.80 (21st)...(TBL 3.47)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 2.70 (23rd)...(TBL 3.89)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 2.41 (31st)...(TBL 3.54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT 3.39)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL 3.23)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL 3.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA 3.21)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 2.46 (22nd)...(PIT 3.38)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 2.57 (17th)...(PIT 3.33)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 32.2 (7th)...(TBL 34.0)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 30.1 (15th)...(FLA 34.0)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: 28th (27th)...(COL 35.3)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 29.3 (30th)...(VGK 34.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 32.9 (8th)...(CAR 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31.2 (20th)...(FLA 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 30.4 (15th)...(PIT 33.5)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT 33.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI 33.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 26.3 (30th)...(SJS 34.8)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-12: 27.9 (22nd)...(OTT 33.1)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 29.2 (18th)...(PIT 33.9)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">5v5 Goals </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 15 (T-14th)...(VAN 30)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 21 (31st)...(WSH 51)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 48 (31st)...(WSH 90)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 133 (20th)...(TBL, TOR 161)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 154 (21st)...(TOR 206)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 119 (31st)...(TBL 196)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 126 (28th)...(MIN 187) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 121 (28th)...(DAL 167)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 110 (29th)...(TBL 181)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 96 (30th)...(ANA 190)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 81 (22nd)...(PIT 108)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 153 (12th)...(BOS 191)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Powerplay</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.8% (7th)...(WSH 44.4%)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 31.2 (3rd)...(CHI 33.3)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: 22.7 (13th)...(CAR 29.9)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 18.9 (20th)...(EDM 29.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 19.5 (16th)...(TBL 28.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 19.1 (20th)...(PIT 26.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 24.5 (1st)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA 23.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH 25.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 14.1 (29th)...(PIT 23.4)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 14.1 (29th)...(WSH 26.8)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 17.1 (16th)...(NSH 21.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals-against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 3.10 (22nd)...(CAR 1.67)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 2.95 (19th)...(TBL 2.05)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: 3.46 (29th)...(COL 2.26)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 3.12 (22nd)...(BOS 2.39)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 3.27 (24th)...(NYI 2.33)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 3.39 (29th)...(LAK 2.46)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.82 (19th)...(WSH 2.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA 2.29)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL 2.24)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK 2.05)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 2.69 (22nd)...(CHI 2.02)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 2.72 (18th)...(STL 1.89)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.4 (19th)...(BOS 22.9)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 30.9 (T-20th)...(BOS 25.9)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 31.9 (26th)...(COL 25.1)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 31.1 (14th)...(PHI 28.7)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33.0 (23rd)...(CGY 28.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 32.7 (23rd)...(CAR 28.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 34.3 (30th)...(LAK 25.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH 27.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK 27.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 34.3 (28th)...(NJD 25.5)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 33.5 (30th)...(NJD 23.1)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 31.4 (26th)...(PHI 28.4)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Penalty Kill</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 82.6% (10th)...(COL 91.7%)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 79.6 (15th)...( COL 89.5)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--March: 79.1 (16th)...(BOS 89.5)</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 74.6 (30th)...(SJS 85.7)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 80.9 (12th)...(TBL 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 77.9 (22nd)...(LAK 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 77.6 (25th)...(BOS 85.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA 87.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN 86.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 81.4 (20th)...(NJD 86.4)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 79.2 (26th)...(OTT 88.0)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 81.7 (19th)...(NJD 89.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Faceoff Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 55.9% (2nd)...(BOS 58.7)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 52.4 (9th)...(BOS 56.8)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--March: 50.6 (15th)...(BOS 56.4)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 45.9 (31st)...(PHI 54.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 47.9 (T-27th)...(PHI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 51.5 (7th)...(CAR 54.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 49.6 (17th)...(ANA 54.7) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS 53.6)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 46.8 (29th)...(NSH 53.1)</span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div><div>--2012-13: 46.2 (29th)...(BOS 56.4)</div><div>--2011-12: 49.5 (19th)...(BOS 54.5)</div></div></div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-79291482239012561942021-04-16T10:39:00.008-04:002021-04-16T10:51:50.808-04:00The kids are alright in Sabreland<p>It's taken a few weeks, but the Buffalo Sabres have gotten rid of the stench left by former head coach Ralph Krueger. The defensive, systemic load that Krueger shoveled for the entirety of his 97 games as Buffalo's bench boss has been sent to the incinerator of extreme ineptitude and has been replaced by a refreshing dose of speed and puck control with an emphasis on driving play and creating offense. </p><p>And Sabreland couldn't be happier.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Yes, they'll miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season, thus tying a record for National Hockey League futility but they're sure looking good right now. Perhaps it's the fact that there's absolutely no pressure on this team as they play out the season. Perhaps it was so bad under Krueger that there was no where to go but up. Perhaps the players brought in by the prior two general managers really are talented and have finally begun to grow into themselves.</p><p>A strong argument could be made that it's a combination of all the above but there's no argument as to where this club stands as they finish out the 2020-21 Covid-19 shortened season. They're simply playing great hockey right now and they even played a little out of character the other night in Boston. With the Bruins using their typical bully tactics, this finesse-filled Sabres squad finally had enough of what the B's were dishing out and stood up for themselves. Sure it was ugly from a pugilist standpoint as both Matt Irwin and Tage Thompson literally and figuratively took one (or two or three in the case of Thompson) on the chin for the team in two separate bouts, but from the time Thompson got up off the ice and took a seat in the penalty box for five minutes, things changed. The Bruins dialed back the bully stuff as the Sabres showed it wouldn't work and the Buffalo started to play their speed game with little regard as to what Boston could do to them physically. The Sabres took the game to the extra sessions on a third period goal by defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and got a point out of the deal but maybe more importantly they might have found a collective intestinal fortitude in what seemed like a playoff-like atmosphere.</p><p>"I haven't been in the playoffs," said Dahlin after he was asked if the Boston game was the most physical game they'd played in all year, "but it didn't feel like a regular season game." Dahlin was credited with a game-high seven of Buffalo's 27 hits against the Bruins, a team they'll be playing five more times in the final 11 games. When asked if he was looking forward to that he replied, "For sure. It's fun to play like this [where] every battle means something. We all enjoy playing this game."</p><p>Other than franchise center Jack Eichel, the just turned 21 yr. old Dahlin may be the most important piece of the young core moving forward. Eichel was sidelined with a herniated disk in his neck after a March 7 game on Long Island against the NY Islanders and is lost for the season and while others have stepped up, Dahlin's game from the back-end has really taken off.</p><p>Kreuger was fired on March 17 with his club in a hellacious 0-10-2 drought where they managed a total of 16 goals-for. Why it took so long to fire the head coach of a team that totally quit on their coach remains a bit of a question but it took another six games for the players to transition away from Krueger to interim head coach Don Granato, who was an assistant. In going from Krueger to Granato it must have been like Catholic kids going from a staunch task-master hell-bent on hammering home guilt and depravation to a public school of open thought--freedom!</p><p>The Sabres would end up losing their first five games in regulation post-Krueger but took a 3-0 lead into the third period versus the Philadelphia Flyers at home ready to end the streak. Perhaps it was a case of a team not accustomed to having a lead, much less a three-goal lead, that late in the game, but they lost in overtime to set the futility mark of 18 games without a win in the salary cap era. Buffalo managed three goals or more only twice in the previous 16 games, one of them being against the Flyers where they led by a goal heading into the third period but lost in overtime. </p><p>It was a heartbreaker but from then on they've been playing excellent hockey despite missing Eichel and Linus Ullmark their top goalie. Ullmark was out of the lineup for 16 of those 18 winless games and was 4-2-1 post-streak before leaving in the first period of the Boston game on Tuesday night. The importance of Ullmark shouldn't be understated as up until that Bruins game, Buffalo's backup goalies managed to record exactly one win as Carter Hutton was in net for a 6-1 win over the Flyers on January 18, the third game of the season.</p><p>If Ullmark was this young group's security blanket, then they would soon find out what life would be like without him. Rumors had him as a possible trade chip at the April 12 trade deadline but those rumors were quashed as word came that the two sides would be working towards an extension for the pending unrestricted free agent. What said extension would look like was up for debate in Sabreland but short-term, this team needed him if they wanted to see progress over the course of the final four weeks. Ullmark left the Boston game after playing 4 minutes, 54 seconds in goal. Back up Dustin Tokharski, who hadn't won an NHL game since December 12, 2015 played well in relief of that shootout loss and would get that elusive win two days later as the Sabres stunned the Washington Capitals with a 5-2 win.</p><p>The Capitals game (along with the prior Bruins one) could very well be a benchmark for this new group of Sabres. The Caps were coming off of back-to-back drubbings of Boston (8-1) and Philadelphia (6-1) and were honoring center Niklas Backstrom's 1000th game but the Sabres were the better team, by far, as they controlled play much of the game and got goals from five different players in the win.</p><p>It's a big step for this young group of players. At 25 yrs. old, Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson were the oldest players to score for Buffalo against Washington. The others were Casey Mittelstadt (22 yrs. old,) who scored shorthanded, recently acquired winger Anders Bjork (24) and Thompson (23.) In addition to the offense provided, the Sabres featured a pair of 21 yr. old defenseman in Dahlin and Jokiharju on the blueline. The duo has been paired for a number of games and in the last two they've logged over 18 minutes of even strength ice time each and have helped shut down some of the finest players in the league including Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak (zero points amongst them) and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, Backstrom, TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov (two assists total.)</p><p>The youngins are really starting to come around under the guidance of Granato and his coaching staff and are playing with a ton of confidence. In the past 10 games dating back to the last game of their 18-game winless streak, Mittelstadt leads the team in goals (six) and points (8,) Thompson (4+2,) Reinhart (3+3) and Dahlin (2+4) have six points each while Jokiharju has five (2+3.) Rookie forward Rasmus Asplund, who is on the left wing of the Mittelstadt/Thompson line also has five points (3+2) in the eight games he's played since returning to the lineup after an injury. None of the players have a negative plus/minus rating save for Reinhart (-1) while Dahlin stands at even despite logging the second-most average time on ice behind defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen who, by the way, has a team-high plus-9 rating to go along with his team-high 23:39 ATOI during that span.</p><p>Also we would be remiss if we didn't mention the play of Ristolainen's partner, Jacob Bryson who's accounted for four assists while playing in nine of the last 10 games and is second to Ristolainen with a plus-7 rating. The 23 yr. old rookie is third behind Dahlin and Risto with 20:10 ATOI while leading the team with an average of 2 minutes, 58 seconds on the penalty kill. </p><p>When all's said and done, putting a 24 yr. old Jack Eichel on top of this group of young players makes for a very interesting group of skaters moving forward. It's a team with a lot of speed and puck-handling skills, of which Eichel has plenty and then some. Finish is still a bit of a problem right now (as it's been for a while,) but the more they continue to skate and create opportunities, the better the odds they finish the plays they're creating. </p><p>For how great it is to watch this team play the game with youthful exuberance and speed to finish out the season, moving forward there are still plenty of questions to be answered. Is this run under Granato a mirage or is he really a head coach worth retaining on a permanent basis? What will come of Ullmark, an important piece who had the Sabres over a barrel prior to his injury? Can they land a solid 1B to place behind Ullmark? Do they need to add more sandpaper moving forward? Where will they finish, where will they draft and will that player (if up at the top) be ready to contribute next season? What to make of a slower player like Reinhart who has been a remarkably quiet, steady contributor in his six full NHL seasons? How will the defense shake out? What burdensome contracts will they be able to move on from, who will be lost to the expansion Seattle Kraken, and what free agents will a.) want to come to Buffalo and b.) at what cost?</p><p>Regardless of the answers to the above, we're still in the here and now. This group of Sabres, many of whom are still kids, has hooked the fan-base into believing in the future, possibly believing that they've finally hit bottom. It's a dangerous place to be for Sabres fans as hope in Springtime has often led to disappointment come fall and/or winter and/or the following spring. However, you really can't take away from what these youngins are doing under Granato and for right now, the kids are alright.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-85602255285578309162021-03-31T10:22:00.003-04:002021-04-03T08:24:54.104-04:002021 Buffalo Sabres trade deadline possibilities--Taylor Hall and Brandon Montour<p>Taylor Hall is said to be ready to waive his no-trade clause, which isn't too surprising as who wouldn't want to get out of a situation in Buffalo where the Sabres have totaled six wins on the season. </p><p>Yeah, it's been a hellaciously devastating ride for Buffalo this season, which was far worse than the .500 mark suspected here after the NHL placed the Sabres in the toughest division in hockey, but they can reboot in the off season. As long as franchise center Jack Eichel is still on board there's hope and when you add in Dylan Cozens as their No. 2 center next year, Buffalo has their one-two down the middle and they can build around them. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The Sabres biggest problem right now is lack of an identity. As proven in the MassMutual East division this season they can't play a rugged game against the likes of the Washington Capitals or Philadelphia Flyers or fellow Atlantic division foe, the Boston Bruins. They wilt against the fast, hard forecheck and lockdown game of the New York Islanders and don't have the overall speed and top-end skill of the Pittsburgh Penguins. </p><p>Owner Terry Pegula seems to be obsessed with building a skilled team, which coincides with his love of the French Connection dating back to the highly successful Sabres teams of the 70's, and he also has strong connections to the Sidney Crosby-era, highly skilled Penguins. He also seems to want a team that's high on character, which is probably why this edition of the Sabres ended up being filled with choir boys, which in-turn has been part of the reason they're presently on this historical winless streak (0-15-3) and have a dismal record (6-23-5.) </p><p>The 2020-21 edition of the Sabres sans Eichel has absolutely nothing going for them right now and with the trade deadline nearing, some pieces are going to move. Second line center <b>Eric Staal</b> was the first as he OK'd a trade to the Montreal Canadiens with Buffalo landing two picks in the 2020 NHL Draft. More draft picks may be coming dependent upon what teams are willing to do at the trade deadline but for the Sabres there might be a better approach if trade partners are willing. </p><p>Draft picks outside the top-10 or top-20, dependent upon the talent in any specific draft, tend to be long shots to make it to the NHL and the deeper you go, obviously the longer the shot. So as we look to the top two pieces Buffalo may be moving within the next week or two, draft picks aren't at the fore of the thought process here, certain players are. The Sabres need an influx of talent and the sooner they get it the better so we'll look to these players from potential trade partners who are almost definitely on the move.</p><p>We'll start with trading <b>Taylor Hall</b> and potential suitors.</p><p>The Sabres signed Hall in the off season to a one-year deal and he's been pulled down with the disaster that has surrounded him, as his <i>two</i> goals on the season might indicate. However, everyone in the league knows that Hall has talent but the question is, how much of this pitiful season is on the Sabres, the coaching and/or system, or age beginning to creep up on the 29 yr. old?</p><p>Hall will get moved and in the end the Buffalo Sabres will get something in return for a player who cost them nothing to acquire. No doubt the Sabres will need to eat 50% of his salary to maximize the return (or maybe even trade him at all) but one might think that Pegula is tired of the embarrassment and would be willing to sign off on GM Kevyn Adams doing so, as they did with the Staal trade. </p><p>Who would want Hall? One would think (and it's been rumored) that more than few teams but two teams come to mind--the Bruins and Islanders. In both instances Hall would be placed on a team that's well coached, has high-end talent up top, and a mix of grit and talent up and down the lineup, not to mention strength in net and solid, high-end coaching. Since Hall can't carry a team, or even his line as a premier complimentary player, it should be a recipe for success.</p><p>Word on the street is that the Bruins are pretty much done with <b>Jake DeBrusk</b>. The 6'0" 194 lb. left winger has faltered since signing a 2yr./$7.35 million contract in November but he's got a game that makes trading him a tough call for Boston. He has NHL size and speed and a tenacity to his two-way game, but something isn't right at the moment which has led to head coach Bruce Cassidy making him a healthy scratch recently. DeBrusk also is in Covid protocol and hasn't played since the B's pounded Buffalo 4-1 (where he scored a goal) on March 18.</p><p>Retaining 50% of Hall's $8 million salary in a trade for DeBrusk also puts the Bruins in the black money-wise allowing them to still have at least $6 million (according to CapFriendly) to spend the rest of the trade deadline, so that makes sense for them. But does Hall/DeBrusk as principles in trade make sense from a hockey standpoint?</p><p>The NY Islanders might be another destination for Hall. Having top left wing, and captain, Anders Lee on long-term injured reserve certainly opens up a spot for a talent like Hall, even though they have different styles to their respective games. Lee's a gritty player who goes to the dirty areas and has made his line with Matthew Barzal and Josh Bailey successful because of it. Could that line transform itself with Hall on the wing instead? </p><p>Good question, but the Isles could be looking into him.</p><p>General manager Lou Lamoriello is a three-time Stanley Cup winner as an executive so he knows how to get things done. Head coach Barry Trotz is a Cup-winner as well. They've built a very gritty, hard-working team on Long Island and Hall would add to their talent-level amidst that sandpaper and skill. In addition, Lamoriello had this to say when talking about the affects on the roster of Lee being out for the season, <span style="background-color: white; color: #48494a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">"</span>We're always trying to find a scoring winger, whether it's because of Anders' situation or not. Everybody is. That's not something that's easy to do. If we can, we will."</p><p>The Sabres retaining half of Hall's remaining salary will help and one thing they can go after in return would be forward <b>Kieffer Bellows</b>, who seems to be on the outs on the Island. Bellows is a 2016 first round pick (19th-overall) and is in the final year of his entry-level deal. To see just how far his stock has dropped, last game Trotz opted for undrafted free agent rookie Ross Johnson instead of Bellows against the Pens on Monday (they lost 2-1.)</p><p>It should be noted that Bellows played and roomed with current Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt on Team USA's gold medal IIHF World Junior Championship Team in 2018 where both were named to the all-tourney team (along with Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.) Trading for him is the type of move that couldn't hurt the Sabres while taking a chance on a player with skill who's floundering in his present situation. New York would be getting immediate help for a piece that doesn't look to be a part of their future. Buffalo should push it a little and ask for the 2021 Colorado second rounder the Islanders own or maybe a third or fourth rounder that year. </p><p>The Florida Panthers currently sit second in the Discover Central Division but lost star defenseman Aaron Ekblad for three months and are in the market for a defenseman. Initially one might think that Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen might be a good fit but fellow right-handed d-man <b>Brandon Montour</b> might be a short-term fix for the Cats. </p><p>It's quite possible that Florida won't be trading for a player approaching Ekblad's caliber simply because normally one can't be had or the price is way too high. Nashville's Mattias Ekholm comes to mind as rumors have the Predators floating his name despite a very, very team-friendly $3.75 million cap-hit for the 30 yr. old, all-around, top-four d-man with one more year remaining on his deal. The price for Ekholm seems to be a 1st round pick, NHL player and upper-level prospect and the Panthers might not be willing to part with that.</p><p>Buffalo has a right-shot d-man in Montour who is a rental and won't cost nearly as much. Granted he's nowhere near the level of Ekblad or Ekholm but the cost for the all-around, puck-moving plug-in defenseman would be right. And with Florida in a weak division before things get back to normal next season, they might feel as if a lesser piece without mortgaging the future is the proper path to take, In fact, the Panthers can keep all of their currently signed players and draft picks if they do a simple one-for-one trade by offering up center <b>Henrik Borgstrom</b>.</p><p>Borgstrom has always been a favorite here as his size (6'3" 198 lbs.) and skill combine for a very intriguing prospect combination. However, the word 'prospect' in the aforementioned is what's bothersome for Florida and maybe the rest of the league right now. The 2016 first round pick (23rd) did not have a smooth go of it at the NHL-level (58 games, nine goals, 10 assists, -17) despite solid AHL numbers (73 games, 16 goals, 29 assists, +6) and he's back in Finland getting his game together in SM Liiga (27 games, 11 goals, eight assists, +12.)</p><p>Perhaps the 23 yr. old Borgstrom doesn't have the temperament for the NHL game as he's said to lack compete, or doesn't have enough speed which is why Florida didn't sign him. Perhaps he's the type of overseas player who's more comfortable playing in his home country. Perhaps he needs a change of scenery at the NHL-level. We don't know, but if the last part is true, he might be worth the risk. With the Panthers still retaining his rights they could still move him and it would seem as if an NHL defenseman like Montour would be a good swap. The Sabres paid a rather hefty price of a first-rounder and prospect (D, Brendan Guhle) for Montour and it just hasn't worked out in Buffalo (even though he plays the type of aggressive, puck-moving game that should've benefitted the Sabres) so getting the potential of a former first-rounder in return would be something better than a third or fourth-rounder that seemingly is what a buyer's market would bear.</p><p>When all's said and done the Sabres will be moving a couple of players this trade deadline (again) with Hall almost certainly gone. What Adams does will not only lay the foundation for his team but also for how he's perceived as a general manager. His trade for Staal for forward Marcus Johansson was initially looked upon as a shrewd move, but Staal's listless play made that a loss, until he landed a 3rd and 5th round pick for him. For as bad as Staal was on-ice, it would seem as if he had one positive contribution--allowing Cozens to get his feet wet while the veteran played the role of No. 2 center. There was that and, in essence, Adams traded Johansson for two picks, which Sabres fans surely would get behind.</p><p>More to come.</p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-48452510078632460732021-03-26T12:06:00.011-04:002021-03-27T09:20:03.858-04:00Where's the bottom for this Buffalo Sabres franchise?In 1956 the New York Football Giants won the NFL Championship and for five of the next six seasons they made it to the NFL championship game only to lose. Regardless of that fact the Giants were considered a model franchise but after their 14-10 loss to the Chicago Bears in the 1963 championship game, New York went 17 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs and got progressively worse (4-23-1 in 1973 and '74 combined) before stagnating well below the .500 mark until the 80's.<div><br /></div><div>Football fans largely ignored the Giants and in a pre-ESPN era where game highlights were mainly shown via local news broadcasts and in Sunday pre-game or halftime shows (think Monday Night Football with a national audience,) out of sight, out of mind. As the New York football Giants continued floundering through another lost season, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it did. On November 19, 1978 with New York up 17-12 over the Philadelphia Eagles late in the game, the 'brain'-trust on the sideline scoffed at the thought of kneeling to run out the clock and 'boldly' decided to run a complicated play. Quarterback Joe Pisarcik's handoff to Larry Csonka was flubbed and Eagles cornerback Herm Edwards scooped up the fumble for the winning touchdown.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why this story in a blog about the Buffalo Sabres?</div><div><br /></div><div>It's about finding the bottom.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Sabreland was told in no uncertain terms that there would be near-term suffering as the team set a course towards two consecutive tank seasons, but said suffering, they were told, would be worth it as the franchise would land two top picks to lead them out of mundane mediocrity and into the Promised Land. The 2013-15 seasons were supposed to be the bottom as the franchise did everything they could to lose while indoctrinating the Sabres faithful into believing it was the correct path to future success.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't. </div><div><br /></div><div>Although I'll defend a fans right to represent as he or she chooses, with a line drawn at overtly rooting for the opposition while decked out in Sabres regalia at a home game, and will also defending the owners right to choose the course of their franchise as I did during a tank, shame on the fans for believing in a savior and shame on ownership for promoting a tank based upon that notion.</div><div><br /></div><div>In hindsight some five-plus seasons later, those tank years weren't even close to the bottom. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Sabres would see their best post-tank season directly after drafting Jack Eichel as head coach Dan Bylsma led them to 81 points in 2015-16. Adversity would strike and the wheels began to fall off as Eichel missed the first 21 games of the 2016-17 season because of a freak collision at practice just prior to the season opener. Although the team would post a quasi-respectable 7-9-5 record without their franchise player, back-to-back wins upon his return with Eichel potting three goals and adding an assist looked like a harbinger of things to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo would finish the season going 24-28-7 and with 78 total points would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season. In the off season, owner Terry Pegula was said to have demanded the firing of Bylsma and when general manager Tim Murray would not follow his wishes, Pegula fired both.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next phase featured an up and coming assistant coach hired by and up and coming assistant general manager. Phil Housley had mounds of success with coaching a modern, puck-moving defense in Nashville while Jason Botterill was a key front office element in the back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh. This head coach/general manager combo was looked upon to bring an up-tempo, modern game to Buffalo. Their first year was a disaster as they finished in last place with only 62 points. </div><div><br /></div><div>A mulligan was given for that season and after going on an 11-3-1 tear in November, 2018 it would seem as if that was justified. However, the giddiness of the streak soon gave way to the terror of the Sabres free fall. They would finish the season with a 16-32-7 record which included an incredibly inept 2-12-2 month of March highlighted by a streak of over three games (199 minutes 58 seconds) without a goal. It was the second such three-game goalless streak under Housley, something that hadn't been done, according to The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington, since 1929. Could it get any worse than this?</div><div><br /></div><div>You betcha.</div><div><br /></div><div>Housley, of course, was fired and Ralph Krueger was brought in. The "outside-the-box" hire featured a worldly man who'd written a motivational book and had coached in the NHL to limited success in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season. He'd also motivated talent-challenged international teams to overachieve with Team Europe getting plenty attention as he coached them to the finals of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. And it worked for a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2019-20 the Sabres got off to a blistering 8-2-1 start and the Krueger hire looked like a stroke of genius. Finally this would be the year of the upswing. Right.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo tumbled from the top after that and Krueger's coaching started coming into question, most notably with winger Jeff Skinner who found himself in the coaches doghouse despite scoring 40 goals the previous season and signing an 8yr./$72 million contract prior to the Krueger hire. Under the new coach Skinner would be playing second-line minutes (or less) with limited second powerplay unit duties. His stats plummeted and so did the Sabres as they went 21-29-5 to close out a season where they'd miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year despite an expanded playoff field due to a season shortened by Covid-19.</div><div><br /></div><div>How on earth could this Sabres team miss the playoffs when 24 of 31 teams made it? </div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't matter. They did.</div><div><br /></div><div>GM Botterill was fired in a slew of moves that purged the hockey department in unprecedented fashion in June 2020. Covid-19 had wreaked havoc on all the entities of Pegula Sports and Entertainment and had devastated the energy business where Terry Pegula assured fans he'd dig another well if money was necessary for the Sabres success. It was a notion that had been put to the test since he purchased the team in 2011 with rumors abound stating that he'd lost tens of millions of dollars, maybe as much as $30 million in a single year, with his hockey club. </div><div><br /></div><div>The plan was to "move forward effectively, efficiently and economically," according to Pegula at the June press call, and everyone knew that those "three-E's" meant cost-cutting measures, hence the hiring of Harborcenter manager and former NHL player Kevyn Adams as their new general manager. Adams oversaw a skeleton hockey department that oversaw the 2020 draft but the team pulled off a couple of shockers in the off season. Adams was able to make a trade for aging yet still effective top-six center Eric Staal and with the help of Krueger's personal relationship with Taylor Hall, they signed the former league MVP to a 1yr./$8 million deal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even with those additions to the offense, this team was slated for some rough and rocky travelling as the NHL devised a shortened 2020-21 season with realigned divisions. Unfortunately for Buffalo they, along with arch-nemesis Boston, would be placed amongst the powerhouse franchises of the Metropolitan Division--Washington, Pittsburgh, the NY Islanders and Philadelphia--along with the up-and-coming NY Rangers and New Jersey to form the MassMutual East division. Getting to a .500 points record would be a task in and of itself and what would follow would turn out to be an unmitigated disaster.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eichel suffered an upper-body injury in camp and was never himself but even so, thanks to some early series against the Rangers and New Jersey and a Washington team that took a while to get up to speed, Buffalo managed a respectable 4-4-2 record to start the season. Then Covid hit, six games were postponed and any momentum they gained in the second half of January (3-1-2) was obliterated. The Sabres came out of their break listless with a three-game losing streak (two goals for, nine against) and had a brief moment of success while riding goalie Linus Ullmark. In a game against New Jersey that was played without Eichel on the ice, Ullmark went down as well, and so did the team. That overtime loss would set them on a dismal slide (0-14-2) as they're tumbling unbridled towards NHL ignominy. </div><div><br /></div><div>The rash of injuries to hit Buffalo was devastating to a team whose place in the middle to lower part of the division was tenuous at best. First to go down was Will Borgen a 24 yr. old, stay-at-home rookie defenseman whose style of play seemed to fit very well with an offensive-minded skater like Rasmus Dahlin, whom he was successfully paired with prior to his injury. He's been out 18 games. Physical defenseman Jake McCabe, whom many believed was the best, most consistent player on Buffalo this year has also been out 18 games. Then came the Ullmark injury and after 15 games on injured reserve he was just placed on long-term injured reserve. Eichel, who'd been playing injured all season has been on the injured list for nine games, and for as much grief as Carter Hutton has deservedly gotten, at least he was a borderline NHL goalie with many games in net. His last start was March 18 against Boston and he's now out with an injury leaving Dustin Tokarski as the Sabres primary goaltender after Jonas Johansson, who was an NHL flop anyway, was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.</div><div><br /></div><div>With his Sabres team having quit on him some 11 games into their current winless streak, Krueger was given the heave-ho on March 17 with assistant coach Don Granato being named interim head coach. When Covid struck the Sabres in early February, Granato, a cancer survivor considered at high risk for the virus, was placed up in the press box to coach from above upon the return to action. A month later he was behind the bench and was pulled from the game last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with new assistant Matt Ellis, under NHL Covid-19 protocols. Both coaches missed that 4-0 shutout loss to the Pens as Adams took the reigns behind the bench. It was the second time the new coaching staff had Covid protocol problems. New assistant coach Dan Girardi missed his first game because of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whew. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the depths this franchise has now reached, there's more falling involved. Without Eichel and Ullmark, as well as McCabe, this team will struggle against the Rangers and New Jersey and doesn't have much of a chance against Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston the NY Islanders and Philadelphia of which they have 19 more games remaining. Add to that the impending trade deadline where it's assumed pending unrestricted free agents like Hall, Staal and defenseman Brandon Montour may well be on the move for futures, if any team wants and/or can fit them into their post season plans, and bleak just got bleaker. </div><div><br /></div><div>When all's said and done this season, has this franchise hit a Joe Pisarcik/Giants low? It's hard to see them going any lower but if they trade Eichel in the offseason they'll test new lows, although they can't go much lower.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or can they? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-17614446157132351202021-03-21T09:39:00.003-04:002021-04-07T13:46:29.151-04:00Time for the Buffalo Sabres to strip it down...again<p>It's the perpetual question in Sabreland, how many failures will we go through before this organization to finally gets it right? It gets tiring having to revisit the amount of turnover that's existed since Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres in 2011 so we'll make it as quick as possible: numerous changes in upper management including a very brief, four-month stint for a hockey operations vice president, a fourth general manager, this one with no pro hockey administrative experience and after a recent firing of their head coach, the Sabres are on their seventh bench boss who is interim status means (we suspect) an eighth one is coming soon.</p><p>Then there's figuring out the identity of the team which, seemingly, will transform again (if there ever really was a fully conceptualized one to begin with). Again, we'll try to keep it brief: two tank years followed by a focus on a western conference, heavy style, which was followed up by an eastern conference stretch-the-ice, offensive style and, most recently, a defense-will-lead-to-offense philosophical approach.</p><p>Got that?</p><p>The Covid-19 shortened 2021 hockey season may go down as the worst season in Buffalo Sabres history. This despite a small core of upper-end talent augmented by the signings a former League MVP and and aging, but still productive (until this season) Stanley Cup winner. </p><p>It was an epic fail.</p><p>As written here, this Sabres team was not built for the rugged 2021 MassMutual East Division which was part of an NHL restructuring with coronavirus travel limitations in mind. The sad part about this team as constructed is that even if they were in their regular Atlantic Division instead of the rugged east as constructed this for this season, they'd be bottom-three at best and undoubtedly barreling towards a 10 consecutive season outside the playoffs and yet another high draft choice.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>It continues to boggle the mind just how inept this franchise has been. Buffalo's most recent incarnation featured no less than 14 first round picks topped by two first-overalls (Taylor Hall and Rasmus Dahlin,) three second overall picks (Eric Staal, Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel) and five top-eight picks (Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Ristolainen, Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens.) For those who've wanted the team to amass talent, there you have it. You might argue individual talent quotients and value but Jiminy Christmas, top-10 picks are generally regarded as having top-end talent.</p><p>It didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board. How novice GM Kevyn Adams builds this team should prove to be interesting but really what it comes down to is they've got to rid themselves of the soft and fluffy skill players they're loaded with and move on from an overabundance of ineffective pluggers. </p><p>A case like Hall is relatively easy as he'll be a coveted rental for some team headed towards the playoffs. Making a decision on Reinhart will be difficult as he's been the most consistent scorer on the team other than Eichel and is considered a core piece by many. Players like Okposo and Skinner have immovable contracts while Ristolainen is anything but soft but needs to get out for his own psychological health. The bottom end of the roster features ineffective grinders like Cody Eakin, Riley Sheahan and a tall, soft, young whirling-dervish-to-nowhere in Tage Thompson. Adios.</p><p>On defense they have pending UFA's Brandon Montour and Matt Irwin as well as Colin Miller who's under contract through next season. and in goal? They have no one.</p><p>Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's time once again for the Sabres to strip it down and start from relative scratch.</p><p>Unlike other years, Buffalo has three very strong foundational pieces with which to rebuild--Eichel, Dahlin and Cozens. Of the three Eichel is a bona fide No. 1 center, a coveted piece that every team desires. The problem with Eichel is that he's been through nearly six years of this Buffalo shit-show and it's gotten him nowhere. In fact, it's gotten worse. However, for as much as he may want to absolve himself of any personal responsibility, the 24 yr. old has struggled a bit in his own right. He's had injuries throughout his career (back-to-back seasons missing at least 15 games,) is presently sidelined as well having played in 21 of the Sabres 29 games and was largely ineffective in the games he played in (2 goals, 16 assists, -9). He's also been captain of this team the last three seasons and for as much as he might see himself as the unquestioned leader, he may not be the leader he thinks he is.</p><p>Eichel has voiced his frustration for a while now and there seems to be rumblings that he wants out. You can't blame him but he is a valuable player who's under contract with Buffalo for another five years at $10 million a season. The approach from this blogger is, "Jack, we're extremely sorry for what's gone on here but we really need you. We need you to do your thing, maybe even with an 'A' instead of a 'C'. We need you to be the complete professional you are and need you to take that top-center role to heart while the youngins fall in behind you learn the NHL game. We know you have certain wants, and certain needs as a hockey player and we'll do everything in our power to build this the right way. However, much to our dismay (and yours as well,) we need a few more years to get this thing on track."<br /></p><p>That's the ideal, of course but the Sabres are gonna need someone to sell it to a player in Eichel who's level of cynicism is reaching a boiling point. The Sabres burned through six Eichel years with two head coaches (Dan Bylsma and Ralph Krueger) who had defined styles they wouldn't budge from despite not having the proper talent to succeed with their respective approaches. And Krueger's power-of-positive-thinking approach still has players like Eichel trying to shovel out from under the pile of bullshit that he heaped on them. These Sabres players are in fool me once (or in the case of some, thrice) mode and the Pegulas won't get by with another amateur hire to save money. Eichel is already midway down a road travelled by players like Rod Langway, Marcel Dionne and Rick Nash and it's unlikely he'll be convinced that ownership wants a winner if they hire a novice head coach on the cheap.</p><p>Can they convince Jack? Or at least allay some of the dread? Who knows? But that's the first building block.</p><p>The next one is Rasmus Dahlin.</p><p>Let's get this out of the way, Dahlin was never expected to be a lock-down defensive defenseman and he was never known for his defense in Sweden to begin with. He was let loose during his rookie season by head coach Phil Housley, who was the exact same offensively skilled/defensively bereft d-man when he joined the Sabres out of high school in 1982. So why on earth would a coach (Krueger) try to pound a square peg into a round hole by having Dahlin focus on defense under the guise that defense leads to offense? </p><p>Dahlin is task number two for Buffalo's impending new head coach. His skating is impeccable and his stickhandling is, at times, remarkable. It's still taking him a while to find his way in the confines of a smaller rink and the puck oft-times has been more like a Mexican jumping bean on his stick, but the kid is still only 20 yrs. old (soon to be 21 next month.) Scotty Bowman never forced defense down Housley's throat (although he did move him to wing out of team-preservation) and Housley's in the Hall of Fame. Back in the 80's Glen Sather never forced future Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey to be Charlie Huddy. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a offensively gifted defenseman who's weak on defense should be paired with a defensive defenseman who can cover those weaknesses while allowing for him to express himself offensively.</p><p>*goes to find 'X' on wall to beat head*</p><p>Plain and simple, Rasmus Dahlin has the makings of a top-pairing/No. 1 defenseman. Just put him in a position to succeed while using his strengths with a d-partner (Will Borgen looked the part) holding down the fort. Those two pieces, a No.1 center and a No. 1 (or at least top-pairing) defenseman are two things every team needs. Wants. Desires. And Buffalo has them right now.</p><p>The next piece is a two-way, second-line center, and it looks as if the Sabres might have that as well.</p><p>Dylan Cozens came into the NHL this season after a very successful IIHF World Junior Championships tournament and hit the ice in stride. With everyone else having a short training camp in a quick ramp-up to the shortened season, Cozens came in flying and was the most consistent player for Buffalo. Up until he was injured by a questionable hit some 10 days ago, his transition to the NHL was turning heads. Granted, his production wasn't eye-popping (2+5 in 20 games,) but Cozens was doing all the right things, and doing them at a high pace while acclimating to the NHL game as a rookie. He even got into a fight (and won) trying to provide a spark for this sullen bunch of losers. </p><p>At only 20 yrs old, Cozens has a lot of growing to do but he has a nice foundation to build upon. And although they played him on the wing, his 200' awareness and overall game leads one to believe he could succeed at center in a mid-six role at the least.</p><p>It's the opinion here that most teams in the NHL would gladly take Jack Eichel and Dylan Cozens as their top-two centers and Rasmus Dahlin as their top-pairing defenseman. Buffalo has that and they'll have a top pick in the draft this year. All the rest is bunk so get rid of it and start anew...</p><p><br /></p><p>again.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-28771382637097694872021-03-01T10:49:00.003-05:002021-03-03T18:30:30.894-05:00Buffalo Sabres 2020-21 Team Stats--February<div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">If you can make it through these numbers without hurling your latest meal, God love ya for it. Rather than me harp on the play of this club in February, let's let the words of 22 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin speak after the Sabres finished the month with back-to-back shutout losses at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. A Flyers team, by the way, that came into the weekend with the eighth-worst goals-against averaged (3.25) in the NHL.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>“I’m very embarrassed,” said Dahlin. “This is not acceptable. This sucks. It’s the worst.”<div><br /></div><div>Out of the mouths of (relative) babes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rasmus Dahlin has only seen three years of the abomination that has been the Buffalo Sabres, but those words were routinely uttered in one way or another for the better part of eight years since the organization tanked for two straight seasons. A quick glance at each team stat category below shows just how bad it was at the end of the previous seven seasons...and still is after the first two months of this season:</div><div><br /></div><div>--number of wins, no higher than 23rd in the league</div><div>--division standing, no higher than 6th</div><div>--league standing and points percentage, no higher than 23rd</div><div>--goal differential, no higher than 20th and all in the minus</div><div>--goals per game, no higher than 21st</div><div>--5v5 goals, no higher than 20th</div><div>--goals-against no higher than 15th</div><div><br /></div><div>All of this as Sabreland was assured the "suffering" of the tank years would pave the way to "hockey heaven."</div><div><br /></div><div>Not!<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Since axing long-time Sabres GM Darcy Regier in November, 2013, the Buffalo Sabres are on their third general manager with none of them having any GM experience. Those GM's are on their fourth head coach, beginning with Ted Nolan, a tank Sargent who's ranking officer, (GM Tim Murray) was forced to do everything in his power to make his team finish in last place because Nolan was winning too much. Nolan gave way to a Stanley Cup winning coach in Dan Bylsma. After two seasons, Bylsma was fired then Murray was fired. Rookie GM Jason Botterill (an AGM on three Pittsburgh Penguins Cup-winning teams) came on board and hired rookie head coach Phil Housley. Both were in way over their heads. Botterill fired Housley then hired head coach Ralph Krueger, who had 48 games of NHL coaching experience and had spent the last six years as an executive in the Premier Football League. After a year, Botterill was replaced by Kevyn Adams, who had no front office experience, but who had spent nine years in the organization most recently in charge of Harbor Center (yes, you read that correctly.)</div><div><br /></div><div>The collective record of that group is 202-285-73 worth 477 points. It's a record that is dead last in the league (minus the Vegas Golden Knights, a 2018 expansion team) 39 points behind the next worst team (Arizona Coyotes.) </div><div><br /></div><div>"Oh," you might say, "but that includes the tank years." Yup, it sure does, so let's take them out. Let's start with the 2015-16 season featuring second-overall picks Sam Reinhart (2014) and Jack Eichel (2015,) both products of the tank years who were in their rookie seasons plus Ryan O'Reilly and Evander Kane, two young vets acquired in sperate trades. It was a solid core that boasted a lot of talent and the Sabres respectably came out of the tank year with a 35-36-11 record, good for 81 points. It was the last time they broke 80 points in a season.</div><div><br /></div><div>So beginning with 2015-16, their best season so far, the Buffalo Sabres collectively have gone 162-198-56, which is the second-worst record in the league (minus Vegas.) And in a few of the categories mentioned above:</div><div><br /></div><div>--wins, 29th</div><div>--goal for, 29th (2.53)</div><div>--5v5 goals, 30th (674)</div><div>--goals against, 28th (3.04)</div><div><br /></div><div>The sad part about all of this is that though there may be some bright spots, the overall trend is once again downward and after only 88 games under Krueger, a coaching change is already in order.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">Record</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">January 4-4-2</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">February 2-6-1</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Wins </span></p><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 4 (T-16th)...(TOR, PHI 7)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 6 (T-31st)...(TOR 16)</span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 30 (25th)...(BOS 44)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33 (26th)...(TBL 62)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 25 (31st)...(TBL 54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 33 (25th)...(WSH 55)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH 56)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA 49)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 21 (30th)...(BOS 54)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 21 (21st)...(CHI ,PIT 36) [48-game lockout-shortened season]<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />--2011-12: 39 (18th)...(NYR 51) [Lindy Ruff's final full season as HC]<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">East/Atlantic/Northeast Division Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 6th...(WSH, PHI)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 8th... (WSH)<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 6th...(BOS)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 6th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 8th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 8th...(BOS)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2012-13: 5th...(MTL) [5-team division]</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2011-12: 3rd...(BOS) [5-team division]</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Eastern Conference Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />2020-21: N/A<br /><br /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2019-20: 13th...(BOS) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 13th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 16th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 15th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 16th...(BOS)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 12th...(PIT)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 9th...(NYR)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">League standing/Points</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: T-14th/10...(WSH, TOR/15)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: T-31st/15...(TOR/34)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 25th/68...(BOS/100)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 27th/76...(TBL/128)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31st/62...(NSH/117)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 26th/78...(WSH/118)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 30th/52...(BOS/117)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 21st/48...(CHI/77)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 19th/89...(VAN/111)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Points Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br /></span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: .500 (T-19th)...(FLA .917)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: .395 (28th)...(TOR .773)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: .493 (25th)...(BOS .714) <br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: .463 (27th)...(TBL .780)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: .378 (31st)...(NSH .713)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: .476 (26th)...(WSH .720)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH .732)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR .689)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: .317 (30th)...(BOS .713)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: .500 (21st)...(CHI .802)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: .543 (19th)...(VAN .677)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goal Differential</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: -2 (T-18th)...(COL +13)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: -13 (24th)...(TBL +30)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: -22 (25th)...(BOS +23)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: -45 (26th)...(TBL +103)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: -81 (31st)...(TBL +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: -36 (24th)...(WSH +81)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH +59)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS +84)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: -18 (23rd)...(CHI +53)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: -12 (19th)...(BOS +67)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 2.80 (20th)...(MTL 4.13)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 2.21 (29th)...(TBL 3.63)</span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 2.80 (21st)...(TBL 3.47)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 2.70 (23rd)...(TBL 3.89)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 2.41 (31st)...(TBL 3.54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT 3.39)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL 3.23)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL 3.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA 3.21)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 2.46 (22nd)...(PIT 3.38)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 2.57 (17th)...(PIT 3.33)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 32.2 (7th)...(TBL 34.0)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 30.1 (15th)...(FLA 34.0)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 29.3 (30th)...(VGK 34.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 32.9 (8th)...(CAR 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31.2 (20th)...(FLA 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 30.4 (15th)...(PIT 33.5)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT 33.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI 33.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 26.3 (30th)...(SJS 34.8)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-12: 27.9 (22nd)...(OTT 33.1)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 29.2 (18th)...(PIT 33.9)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">5v5 Goals </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 15 (T-14th)...(VAN 30)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 21 (31st)...(WSH 51)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 133 (20th)...(TBL, TOR 161)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 154 (21st)...(TOR 206)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 119 (31st)...(TBL 196)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 126 (28th)...(MIN 187) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 121 (28th)...(DAL 167)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 110 (29th)...(TBL 181)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 96 (30th)...(ANA 190)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 81 (22nd)...(PIT 108)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 153 (12th)...(BOS 191)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Powerplay</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.8% (7th)...(WSH 44.4%)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 31.2 (3rd)...(CHI 33.3)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 18.9 (20th)...(EDM 29.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 19.5 (16th)...(TBL 28.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 19.1 (20th)...(PIT 26.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 24.5 (1st)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA 23.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH 25.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 14.1 (29th)...(PIT 23.4)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 14.1 (29th)...(WSH 26.8)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 17.1 (16th)...(NSH 21.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals-against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 3.10 (22nd)...(CAR 1.67)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;">--February: 2.95 (19th)...(TBL 2.05)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 3.12 (22nd)...(BOS 2.39)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 3.27 (24th)...(NYI 2.33)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 3.39 (29th)...(LAK 2.46)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.82 (19th)...(WSH 2.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA 2.29)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL 2.24)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK 2.05)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 2.69 (22nd)...(CHI 2.02)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 2.72 (18th)...(STL 1.89)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.4 (19th)...(BOS 22.9)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 30.9 (T-20th)...(BOS 25.9)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 31.1 (14th)...(PHI 28.7)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33.0 (23rd)...(CGY 28.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 32.7 (23rd)...(CAR 28.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 34.3 (30th)...(LAK 25.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH 27.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK 27.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 34.3 (28th)...(NJD 25.5)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 33.5 (30th)...(NJD 23.1)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 31.4 (26th)...(PHI 28.4)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Penalty Kill</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 82.6% (10th)...(COL 91.7%)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 79.6 (15th)...( COL 89.5)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 74.6 (30th)...(SJS 85.7)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 80.9 (12th)...(TBL 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 77.9 (22nd)...(LAK 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 77.6 (25th)...(BOS 85.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA 87.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN 86.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 81.4 (20th)...(NJD 86.4)</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2012-13: 79.2 (26th)...(OTT 88.0)</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2011-12: 81.7 (19th)...(NJD 89.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Faceoff Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 55.9% (2nd)...(BOS 58.7)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--February: 52.4 (9th)...(BOS 56.8)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 45.9 (31st)...(PHI 54.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 47.9 (T-27th)...(PHI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 51.5 (7th)...(CAR 54.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 49.6 (17th)...(ANA 54.7) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS 53.6)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 46.8 (29th)...(NSH 53.1)</span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div><div>--2012-13: 46.2 (29th)...(BOS 56.4)</div><div>--2011-12: 49.5 (19th)...(BOS 54.5)</div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-86851708896532296262021-02-26T15:48:00.012-05:002021-04-17T08:16:23.039-04:00The Jeff Skinner saga <p>Anyone in the Buffalo media following the Sabres has had a front row seat to the Ralph Krueger/Jeff Skinner saga which began last season. Skinner was coming into the 2019-20 season fresh off a career high 40-goal campaign armed with a recently-inked 8yr./$72 million contract after skating on the top line with captain Jack Eichel and his trusty sidekick Sam Reinhart. In a training camp move Krueger, Buffalo's new head coach, decided to shift Skinner down to the second line for more scoring depth.</p><p>The premise for Krueger's decision, it would seem, was based upon the 2018-19 season where the Sabres were clearly a one-line team under his predecessor. The players on the Eichel line had accounted for 90 combined goals while the other 20-plus players lit the lamp for 131 goals. Buffalo ran a hot streak early in the season that lasted from October 20 to November 27 where they went 14-2-2 scoring 64 goals in the process. Skinner amassed 19 of his 40 goals during that stretch with Eichel (21) and Reinhart (11) combining for 32 assists. Beating the Sabres meant containing the top line and shutting down secondary scoring. As Buffalo's fall from the top of the league to a non-playoff team might indicate, opponents took that to heart.</p><p>As the new bench-boss, Krueger said he thought it was best that to spread the scoring out a little and proceeded to moved rookie Victor Olofsson to the top line. That dropped Skinner to the second line where he skated with winger-turned-center Marcus Johansson and former St. Louis Blues' checking line winger Vladimir Sobotka at right wing. The team got off to a hot start going 9-2-2 in the month of October with Skinner scoring seven goals in his new second-line role while Eichel and Reinhart would combine for 12 goals and 16 assists in those first 13 games. Olofsson contributed six goals, all on the powerplay.</p><p>The synergy was there...until it wasn't.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Once again the Sabres dropped in the standings and ended up outside the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year. Skinner would score only seven more goals over in the final 46 games played during the Covid-19 shortened season giving him 14 total, his second worst total since scoring 13 goals during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. </p><p>With that sharp decline in scoring from Skinner and a team that faltered again, some of the focus moving forward would be how Krueger would handle his top two lines with the off season additions of free agent winger Taylor Hall and the trade for second line center Eric Staal. The easy approach would be for Skinner to remain in the top-six and after his struggles the previous season, it was pretty obvious that the 28 yr. old winger needed more than bottom-six talent surrounding him.</p><p>But Krueger had other designs. True to the immediate post-trade exuberance of a possible Hall/Eichel combo, the head coach followed through with that duo up top while keeping Olofsson in the top-six skating next to Staal. With Krueger favoring a defensive oriented trio getting third-line minutes, Skinner was relegated to playing fourth-line minutes. In fact the winger went from 15:24 EVTOI (3rd amongst regular Sabres forwards) in 2018-19 to 14:00 EV TOI (5th) last season to skating an average of 12:04 (7th) before he was made a healthy scratch the last three games.</p><p>There's a lot to be said about Skinner's penchant for scoring 5v5 prior to Krueger taking the reigns and it's all warranted. From his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season until Krueger came on board, Skinner posted the fifth-best even-strength goal production in the league (191 goals) while skating at least two-and-a-half minutes less than any other player ahead of him. It's a point worth bringing up since the Sabres have struggled mightily this season at 5v5 scoring. They are tied for 26th in the league at 2.47 goals/game, but only half of their 42 goals have come at even strength leaving them at the bottom of the league in even-strength goals (the offense is being carried by the powerplay which presently ranks 1st in the league at a 34.5% efficiency.)</p><p>So what gives? With the Sabres in desperate need of 5v5 goals, how did a premier 5v5 goal-scorer like Skinner get in Krueger's doghouse? Well, first off, according to Krueger he doesn't have a doghouse and said he doesn't "know really what that is."</p><p>Krueger was pressed hard about the Skinner situation on a morning sports radio talk show and also in a media session prior to their game against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. "My job, combined with the attitude and the work ethic of a player," he said, "is to work together to find the potential of a player. When Jeff is called upon again, may we drive him closer to his potential working together on that solution." Buffalo lost 4-3 in overtime to the Devils and Krueger was pressed even harder about Skinner on Friday in a post-practice media session. He faced direct questions concerning the thrice-sat winger and, as usual, used generalities and overall concepts when addressing the questions.</p><p>Krueger places a high value on play away from the puck and it would seem as if that's what he's been looking for from Skinner. It's a trait the coach has mentioned often while speaking vaguely and generally as to why Skinner dropped down the lineup to an eventual healthy scratch. It's one of the principles Krueger said he's trying to build into the Sabres foundation. "You need to look at everything I speak about over the last year-and-a-half," said the coach while answering what he'd like to see changed in Skinner's game, "the principles we expect everybody to, to do their best at executing it. </p><p>"If principles are off here and there, it's sometimes the problem that a player might have an injury or fatigue or other reasons," he continued, "and sometimes they just don't embrace certain things. And if they do, they'll be rewarded with minutes played, with roles. We are in an environment of accountability and you need to earn your keep here in this group.</p><p>"It doesn't apply just to Jeff, it applies to every player on this team." </p><p>It's a pretty clear-cut directive that puts everyone in the same bucket regardless of skill level. It's why players like Kyle Okposo and Tage Thompson continue to get opportunities despite zero goals and two assists in 20 total games while carrying a minus-3 rating each. It's why Olofsson stays on the top line despite contributing only one of his team-leading seven goals (tied with Reinhart) at even strength with a fifth-worst minus-8 rating. And it's why all three are below Skinner in all but one 5v5 on-ice metric for Sabres forwards, according to Natural StatTrick, with two of them (Olofsson and Okposo) getting more offensive-zone faceoff time than Skinner's 43.3%.</p><p>That said, what Krueger is demanding may not be a part of Skinner's make up. As mentioned, Skinner scored 191 even-strength points during that eight-year stretch to kick off his career but he also had a downside with a minus-96 rating, which was fourth-worst in the NHL. And despite him averaging close to 29 goals per 82 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in those eight seasons, they never made the playoffs nor did they ever have a positive goal differential. Perhaps this is what caused former Hurricanes GM Ron Francis to pull the trigger on a trade that offered a weak return for Skinner. Perhaps that downside is what Krueger sees in Skinner as opposed to the goal-scoring acumen at the fore of the player's mega-contract.</p><p>Perhaps it has become a case of "unstoppable force meet immovable object" or "square peg, round hole" or "two rams butting heads" or "Mexican standoff" or whatever cliché one is inclined to use but regardless, it's a conundrum the team and player find themselves in.</p><p>Krueger has his hill to die on and he continued to firmly stick by it yesterday in the media session. Skinner followed him to the podium saying that he's taking it a day at a time and that the just concluded practice he participated in represented "a new day." While Krueger was busy saying that being up in the press box gives a player a different perspective to learn from, Skinner said that after watching a lot of hockey games and playing in many as well, he "[didn't] think you could learn anything extra from not being [on the ice]," and from his view it's a "rather a vague concept...not a significant part of the situation." And when it came to whether or not he was at odds with the coach over certain principles, he said, "it's better to ask [Krueger] because he's the one that could answer if I'm doing everything to satisfy him. I can't read his mind if he's satisfied. All I know is, for me I try to help win as much as I can...The coach is trying to win games too, I think we can agree on that.</p><p>"He has 23 other guys to worry about and a team to coach," said Skinner of Krueger, "I just have to play hockey, that's all I want to do, help my teammates try to win the game. To me it's not relevant whether we agree on everything in our lives, like everything about hockey. It's just human nature. No one agrees on everything, everyone is different, sees the game, sees life through their own lens, makes their own judgements and makes their own decisions. At the end of the day its about winning hockey games.</p><p>"I'm just trying to be a part of that."</p><p>The Sabres are 6-8-3 on the season (1-1-1 during Skinner's stint in the press box so far) and are tied for 28th in the league standings. Krueger said straight up yesterday that the process he undertook in trying to build a team with a principled foundation was bound to have some rough and rocky patches, but he's stout in his commitment to follow through with his plan, which includes what has turned into a full-blown saga that's garnered national media attention in the hockey world. </p><p>While the coach said he's been able to block out "the noise" this has created in the media and focus on the task at hand, Skinner can take it as it comes. Playing or not, he's still under contract for six more seasons and will be raking in an additional $52 million in salary while his no-movement clause gives him the power to decide if or where he could be traded, if that's even possible considering his salary and the current circumstances. When asked straight-up if he wanted to be traded he flat-out said, "no" while saying that he loves being a Sabre and the city of Buffalo.</p><p>With that in mind, based upon his prior melancholy media sessions when this saga took an unsightly turn earlier in the week, it's unlikely Skinner is happy in his present situation. That's a shame because Skinner seems to be a very positive person and is at his best when he's on the ice with a Cheshire grin and the moxie of a confident goal-scorer. </p><p>That's where we are in this saga right now and it's anyone's guess as to how it plays out. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-39526599745901546462021-02-17T23:08:00.005-05:002021-02-18T11:25:59.205-05:00Not built for a rugged MassMutual East division<p>From the get-go we knew here that this was going to be a very difficult season for the Buffalo Sabres as they were moved into a newly formed MassMutual East division in a realignment designed by the league to limit exposure in the world of Covid-19. The Sabres and their Atlantic division foe, the Boston Bruins, were thrown into a group of Metropolitan division heavyweights featuring the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and NY Islanders. The NY Rangers and New Jersey Devils, both up-and-coming teams with young talent topped by first-overall draft picks, round out the division.</p><p>The Sabres have always had trouble with heavyweights, like the Bruins who combine skill, speed, toughness and a relentless pursuit of the puck. They've also struggled against the Capitals, a big, tough team with plenty of top-end skill and a ruggedness up and down the lineup. The Islanders are now presenting everyone with problems. Ever since Barry Trotz, who had coached the Capitals to the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship, took over the reigns on Long Island, his team has featured relentless forechecking and a lock-down defensive system that's harder to penetrate than Fort Knox when they have the lead. And they have some high-end skill that can get them out front as well. </p><p>Philadelphia plays an irritating brand of hockey predicated on sandpaper running through a team that has plenty of speed and skill. The Penguins aren't really a rugged team, but when you have a triumvirate of Hall-of-Famers who led the team to three Stanley Cups in nine years with veritable nobodies riding shotgun, as long as those three are on the ice, they're always a threat to win.</p><p>And in come the Buffalo Sabres, a team that hasn't had an identity since 2007 when they were the toast of the league after two consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances. Since an ignominious '07 off season that will live in infamy, they've been wandering in the wilderness trying to figure out who they are and/or what they want to be. In the last 10 years alone since Terry Pegula bought the team, they went from a general manager seemingly hell-bent on a rugged, west-coast style, to his successor who shunned that and began to build more of a skilled team. Both combined for five years of futility and burned through three coaches with their teams never finishing with more than 81 points in any one season. Oh, and one more thing, this non-descript Sabres team was left to carry a nine-year playoff drought into the toughest division in hockey this season.</p><p>Buffalo is not bereft of talent. Captain Jack Eichel had a 2018-19 season that saw him on the threshold of joining some of the best players in the league. Winger Jeff Skinner was fifth in the league in even-strength goals from his 2010-11 rookie season to 2018-19 and had a 40-goal season that year. Right-winger Sam Reinhart was dubbed "The Quiet One" by this writer as he quietly racked up 205 points (87+118) between his rookie campaign and 2018-19, good for second on the team behind Eichel. And this past off-season, new GM Kevyn Adams used the relationship between head coach Ralph Krueger and free agent winger Taylor Hall to lure the 2018 league MVP to Buffalo with a one-year deal.</p><p>Despite questions in goal and the reliance upon an unchanged blueline that made many a hardened heart skip a beat last season, most expected this team to play a style that was conducive to scoring. But it hasn't been happening. Other than an impressive 6-1 victory over the Flyers in Game-3 (possibly giving them hubristic, false sense of security,) this group of players has struggled mightily and it doesn't look as if will get any better in a division that has no Ottawa Senators or Detroit Red Wings to beat up on.</p><p>Then again, as we delve s bit deeper into the past two seasons, it's really not surprising as collectively the top four Sabres' 2021 offensive roster players haven't done very well versus a combination of Boston, Washington, the NY Islanders, and Philadelphia, four of the toughest teams to play against in the entire NHL.</p><p>From 2018-19 through the Covid-shortenened 2019-20 season, the foursome of Eichel, Skinner, Reinhart and Hall (who played for New Jersey and the Arizona Coyotes those two seasons) combined for 189 goals and 450 points in 536 games worth an average of .35 goals/game and .84 points/game. Against their new division foes they've put up similar averages over that time frame with 48 goals and 102 points in 128 games (.38 goals and .80 points per game, respectively.)</p><p>However, those numbers took a little dip in 77 games against those four heavyweights of the newly formed East division as they've combined for 19 goals and 52 points or .25 goals/gm and .68 pts/gm, respectively. Also of note, over those two seasons, the Buffalo's top four offensive players have a combined for a minus-73 rating in 536 total games overall but a minus-38 rating in 77 games versus the Bruins, Capitals, Islanders and Flyers (Eichel's minus-5 leads that group.)</p><p>Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner and Hall have fared better against Pittsburgh and the Rangers as they were on par with their overall averages. In 38 games against those two teams they have combined for 14 goals (.37/gm) and 28 points (.76/gm) and are a collective plus-1 (Reinhart plus-6.) And they do have one team that they like to play against, New Jersey. Eichel, Reinhart and Skinner (because Hall played for New Jersey most of the time) combined to play in 13 games against the Devils scoring seven goals and 14 points (.54 goals/game and 1.08 points/game.)</p><p>On an individual basis, against Boston, Washington, Philadelphia and the NY Islanders, Eichel was able to hold his own with 20 points (9+11) in 20 games, a point/game production just below his 1.10 points/game over that period, but the other three have faltered or failed miserably. </p><p>Hall's two goals in 14 games and Skinner's four goals in 21 games come out to only .14 and .19 goals/game respectively, exactly half of their overall average those two seasons. Reinhart posted .18 goals/game versus .29 and .59 points/game versus .76 overall. And while Eichel remained consistent against all four of those heavyweights, others faltered or failed against some teams in that group. Skinner had zero points in 21 games against the Bruins, Caps, Flyers and Isles. Reinhart had zero points in five games versus the Isles and only one goal in 12 games against Boston and Philadelphia while Hall was shut out against the Bruins (three games,) had zero goals in three games vs Washington, and two goals in eight games vs. the Islanders and Flyers.</p><p>As we look to this year's edition of the Sabres, they sit at 4-6-2 having just lost two in a row against the NY Islanders by a combined 6-1 score, which includes an entire third period in the first game where they went without a shot on goal. That lone goal in the two-game series was scored by Victor Olofsson with Reinhart getting the secondary assist. Here's how it's gone for the team against the rest of the MassMutural East division so far and how Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner and Hall have fared:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Washington 1-2-1</b></p><p>Eichel: 0 goals, 4 assists (1 shootout winner)</p><p>Reinhart: 0 goals, 2 assists</p><p>Skinner: 0 goals, 1 assist</p><p>Hall: 1 goal, 2 assists</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Philadelphia 1-1-0</b></p><p>Eichel: 0 goals, 3 assists</p><p>Reinhart: 2 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Skinner: 0 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Hall: 0 goals, 3 assists</p><p><br /></p><p><b>NY Rangers 1-0-1</b></p><p>Eichel: 2 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Reinhart: 1 goal, 1 assists</p><p>Skinner: 0 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Hall: 0 goals, 1 assist</p><p><br /></p><p><b>NJ Devils 1-1-0</b></p><p>Eichel: 0 goals, 2 assists (1 shootout winner)</p><p>Reinhart: 0 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Skinner: 0 goals, 0 assists</p><p>Hall: 0 goals, 2 assists</p><p><br /></p><p>Eichel ($10M,) Skinner ($9M,) Hall ($8M) and Reinhart ($5.2M) combine for $32 million in salary for the Sabres while 'leading' the team to a 4-6-2 record. In 12 games they've combined for six goals and 28 points.</p><p>And Buffalo has yet to play the division-leading, 10-2-2, Boston Bruins who have given up the third-fewest goals in the league.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-17787849569496210372021-02-01T11:17:00.002-05:002021-03-01T08:42:23.560-05:00Buffalo Sabres 2020-21 Team Stats--January<p>Record:</p><p>January 4-4-2</p><p><br /></p><p>Heading into this shortened, 56-game season featuring 8 games each against division foes in the newly formed MassMutual East, the Sabres wanted to improve in some specific areas that looked to have accelerated their fall last year. First and foremost was the penalty kill.</p><p>Buffalo missed the expanded playoffs by a couple points in the shortened 2019-20 season and the PK was the primary culprit. Their 74.6% kill rate was only .30 of a percentage point better than the Detroit Red Wings, by far the worst team in the league. As the saying goes, your goaltender should be your best penalty killer and last year that aspect failed as a 3.12 overall goals-against average wasn't nearly enough to get the job done.</p><p>In the estimation of many, an improved PK, even slightly, may have led to enough added points to break the Sabres playoff drought, which stands at nine years and counting. </p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Moving to the offensive side of special teams, Buffalo's powerplay last season was worse than the prior year dropping to 20th overall with an 18.9% success rate. Slight upticks in goals-for/game and 5v5 goals/game did little in the goal scoring department as they increased their average by only .10 goals per game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Sabres were woeful at generating shots last season (29.3/game good for 30th in the league) and they've shown a marked increase in that department by pumping 32.2 shots/game (7th) through the first month of the season. However, that's offset by a poor shooting percentage which has kept them at the exact same goal-scoring rate as last season (2.80 gf/game.) </span></span></p><p>It's been a Jekyll and Hyde season thus far (mostly on the Hyde side) and it still may be a bit too early to find any definitive trends other than a much stronger PK and a definitive increase in their faceoff percentage. The Sabres came in at a 55.9% win-rate on the dot to end the month which is second in the league only to the Boston Bruins. New center Cody Eakin leads the Sabres and is fourth in the league (59.7%) for players who've taken at least 125 draws while team captain Jack Eichel sits 19th at 54.5%, which is world's better than his career average of 43.7% prior to this season.</p><p>As we watched this team through it's first 10 games of this season, we're still trying to figure out what they're all about. Buffalo has talent up front but often look disjointed and they've got a coach who stresses individual freedom, but wants that done within a defensive structure. Ralph Krueger is the team's fourth head coach under their third general manager since their dive to the bottom of the standings beginning in 2013-14 and as you look over his process post-tank, not much has changed overall. Having said that, no one should count them out this early when you have the likes of Eichel, Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart leading a solid group of forwards, a revitalized Rasmus Ristolainen who along with young vet Jake McCabe has stabilized the defense, and a talent like defenseman Rasmus Dahlin who's beginning to turn his awful start around. But...they need to get it together quick. There's no time to waste and the sooner they figure out that talent alone won't get them to where they want to be, and the coach figures out how to maximize the talent on hand, the better off they'll be.</p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Wins</span></p><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 4 (T-16th)...(TOR, PHI 7)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 30 (25th)...(BOS 44)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33 (26th)...(TBL 62)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 25 (31st)...(TBL 54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 33 (25th)...(WSH 55)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH 56)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA 49)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 21 (30th)...(BOS 54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">East/Atlantic Division Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 6th...(WSH, PHI)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 6th...(BOS)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 6th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 8th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 8th...(BOS)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Eastern Conference Standing</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />2020-21: N/A<br /><br /><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">--2019-20: 13th...(BOS) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 13th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 16th...(TBL)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 15th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 16th...(BOS)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">League standing/Points</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: T-14th/10...(WSH, TOR/15)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 25th/68...(BOS/100)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 27th/76...(TBL/128)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31st/62...(NSH/117)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 26th/78...(WSH/118)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-15: 30th/52...(BOS/117)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Points Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: .500 (T-19th)...(FLA .917)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: .493 (25th)...(BOS .714) <br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: .463 (27th)...(TBL .780)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: .378 (31st)...(NSH .713)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: .476 (26th)...(WSH .720)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH .732)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR .689)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: .317 (30th)...(BOS .713)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goal Differential</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: -2 (T-18th)...(COL +13)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: -22 (25th)...(BOS +23)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: -45 (26th)...(TBL +103)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: -81 (31st)...(TBL +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: -36 (24th)...(WSH +81)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH +59)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR +60)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS +84)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 2.80 (20th)...(MTL 4.13)</span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 2.80 (21st)...(TBL 3.47)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 2.70 (23rd)...(TBL 3.89)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 2.41 (31st)...(TBL 3.54)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT 3.39)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL 3.23)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL 3.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA 3.21)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 32.2 (7th)...(TBL 34.0)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 29.3 (30th)...(VGN 34.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 32.9 (8th)...(CAR 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 31.2 (20th)...(FLA 34.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 30.4 (15th)...(PIT 33.5)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT 33.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI 33.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 26.3 (30th)...(SJS 34.8)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">5v5 Goals </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 15 (T-14th)...(VAN 30)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 133 (20th)...(TBL, TOR 161)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 154 (21st)...(TOR 206)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 119 (31st)...(TBL 196)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 126 (28th)...(MIN 187) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 121 (28th)...(DAL 167)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 110 (29th)...(TBL 181)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 96 (30th)...(ANA 190)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Powerplay</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.8% (7th)...(WSH 44.4)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 18.9 (20th)...(EDM 29.5)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 19.5 (16th)...(TBL 28.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 19.1 (20th)...(PIT 26.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 24.5 (1st)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA 23.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH 25.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 14.1 (29th)...(PIT 23.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Goals-against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 3.10 (22nd)...(CAR 1.67)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>--2019-20: 3.12 (22nd)...(BOS 2.39)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 3.27 (24th)...(NYI 2.33)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 3.39 (29th)...(LAK 2.46)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 2.82 (19th)...(WSH 2.16)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA 2.29)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL 2.24)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK 2.05)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Shots against/Game</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 30.4 (19th)...(BOS 22.9)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 31.1 (14th)...(PHI 28.7)</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 33.0 (23rd)...(CGY 28.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 32.7 (23rd)...(CAR 28.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 34.3 (30th)...(LAK 25.9)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH 27.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK 27.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 34.3 (28th)...(NJD 25.5)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Penalty Kill</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 82.6% (10th)...(COL91.7) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 74.6 (30th)...(SJS 85.7)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 80.9 (12th)...(TBL 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 77.9 (22nd)...(LAK 85.0)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 77.6 (25th)...(BOS 85.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA 87.2)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN 86.3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 81.4 (20th)...(NJD 86.4)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Faceoff Percentage</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 55.9% (2nd)...(BOS 58.7)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--2019-20: 45.9 (31st)...(PHI 54.6)<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2018-19: 47.9 (T-27th)...(PHI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2017-18: 51.5 (7th)...(CAR 54.1)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2016-17: 49.6 (17th)...(ANA 54.7) </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI 54.7)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS 53.6)</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">--2013-14: 46.8 (29th)...(NSH 53.1)</span></span></span></span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div></div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-10226452179859946912021-01-31T22:19:00.010-05:002021-01-31T22:53:51.833-05:00Buffalo Sabres 2020-21 individual stats leaders--January<p>Record</p><p>--January: 4-4-2</p><p><br /></p><p>The Buffalo Sabres started out the season with six new forwards in the mix: Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Riley Sheahan and what turned out to be a completely new 3rd line to start the season, Cody Eakin, Tobias Rieder and 19 yr. old rookie forward Dylan Cozens. Hall and Rieder have made their presence known through 10 games with Rieder being a pleasant surprise as he's showing speed and scoring as well as a strong 200' game while carrying the bottom-six and helping the penalty kill on the second unit. Although Staal has contributed offensively and looks to be having a positive effect on Cozens, the 37 yr. old has looked his age as he tries to get that heavy Chevy rolling while gaffes in his own zone have been detrimental and still more turnovers have made things extremely difficult on the team. </p><p>As for Cozens, he came straight from the 2021 World Junior Championships and hit the ice flying. Although he's made some rookie mistakes and is still getting a feel for the NHL, the game itself doesn't seem to be too fast for him and he's really impressed thus-far earning second-line minutes next to Staal. </p><p>Buffalo has really struggled with 5v5 scoring and find themselves near the middle of the pack so far. Considering six of their first 10 games have been one-goal affairs, with two others being losses by two goals via empty-netters against, every goal counts and 5v5 scoring needs to improve or they'll end up on a road that's all too familiar. The Sabres rode two hot streaks early in each of the last two seasons with a similar formula only to fall apart when it mattered.</p><p>Right now every game matters as there are only 56 games in the season meaning every point counts. At 4-4-2, Buffalo is right in the middle of the eight-team MassMutual East division despite efforts that have been mostly sketchy save for a couple of good games and one impressive one where they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1. Special teams have been carrying the Sabres as they have the eighth-best powerplay and 10th-best penalty kill, but when it comes to 5v5 they mostly look disjointed.</p><p>Head coach Ralph Krueger has some soul-searching to do when putting his lines together as he's caught between a hard-headed belief in players following his system and fashioning his team to his players strengths. Such is the case with winger, Jeff Skinner.</p><p>Skinner was a 40-goal scorer before the arrival of Krueger last year and he was noted as much for his 5v5 scoring (191 goals, 5th-most in the league from 2010-11 to 2018-19) as he was for his less-than-stellar defensive game (minus-96, 4th-worst in that same time period.) Since the new coach arrived, Skinner has been Krueger's doghouse under the ruse of wanting balanced scoring amongst as many lines as possible. It hasn't worked out as Skinner scored only 14 goals in 59 games last season (all of them at even strength placing 3rd on the team) and has yet to twinkle the twine this season while playing bottom-six minutes almost exclusively.</p><p>These two rams are butting heads and it's not doing anybody any good. However, common sense demands attention to Skinner's 29 goals/82 games career scoring average, his contract which has seven more years at $9 million/season and the fact that he has a no-movement clause. Krueger has resisted giving in thus far but he really needs to do something fast as Skinner looks close to taking the money and running with 46 games to play. I highly doubt the word 'kapitulieren' is in Krueger's motivational book, <i>Teamlife--Beyond Setbacks to Success</i>, but for as worldly as Krueger is, and he's a magnificently well-rounded and intelligent individual, this is the National Hockey League where the salary cap is extremely important, talented players are well-paid and managing egos is the betriebsart in North American professional sports.</p><p>In addition, the Sabres are in a division that's widely regarded as the toughest division in the NHL and they have the league's longest playoff drought at nine years, just one shy of the league record. Krueger may need to entertain the thought of Stolz schlucken to give his team the best chance to make it to the playoffs. If he's gonna do it, he needs to do it fast. Though his Sabres are struggling, the race for the fourth spot in the East could be a dog-fight and he'll need to get everything he can out of every player he's got if he wants them to remain in it.</p><p>Another thought Krueger might want to entertain involves Skinner taking the top left wing spot next to Eichel (where he had his career-high 40-goal season) and dropping Hall to the second line. In addition to hopefully maximizing what's left of Skinner flailing confidence, the Staal line needs more skill, speed and experience. Victor Olofsson is trying to hold his own 5v5, and he's made great progress in his sophomore campaign, but he's not there yet. Having him move to the right side to help create a third scoring line a isn't bad idea as he can still kill it on the powerplay while providing a top-nine scoring threat. Also in play with that move is the separation of Hall and Eichel. Sure, it looks deadly on paper especially with Reinhart on the right side, but those two love the puck on their stick and we haven't seen a consistently strong, complimentary relationship yet with only one 5v5 goal between them (Eichel.)</p><p>Perhaps this might work:</p><p><i>Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart</i></p><p><i>Hall - Staal - Cozens</i></p><p><i>Rieder - Lazar - Olofsson</i></p><p><i>Sheahan - Eakin - Okposo</i></p><p>And we should also keep an eye on Okposo and Casey Mittelstadt with the former looking way past his prime and the latter looking like he's on the upswing. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Buffalo Sabres 2020-21 Individual Stats Leaders</span></p><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><u><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Points</span></u></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Eichel 11; Olofsson 10; Hall 9</span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Goals</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Olofsson 4; Lazar, Staal, Rieder, Reinhart 3</span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><u>EV Goals</u></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>--January: Lazar, Rieder 3; Staal 2; eight with 1 <br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"></span><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Powerplay Goals</u></span></span></span><br /><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Olofsson 3, Reinhart 2; seven with 1</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Assists</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Eichel 9; Hall 8; Olofsson 6</span><br /><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Powerplay Assists</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Eichel 6; Olofsson 5; Hall 4</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Primary Assists</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Hall 6; Olofsson 5; Ristolainen 3</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Plus/Minus</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: McCabe, Ristolainen +2; Lazar, Sheahan, Cozens +1; Asplund, Skinner 0</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Plus/Minus (Bottom)</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: Dahlin -9; Miller, Reinhart -7; Eichel, Olofsson, Hall, Montour -6</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><u>Goalies</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Linus Ullmark</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 3-1-2; 2.56 GAA; .914 Sv%; 0 shutouts</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;">Carter Hutton</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 1-3-0; 3.05 GAA; .895 Sv%; 0 shutouts</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jonas Johansson</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">--January: 0-0-0; 3.15 GAA; .889 Sv%; 0 shutouts</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Primary Assists</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olofsson----5</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cozens------1</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eichel-------2</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hall----------6</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sheahan-----1</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Staal---------2</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Skinner------1</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ristolainen--3</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Reinhart---- 2</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eakin--------1</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dahlin-------1</span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="display: inline; float: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25.6px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"></div><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"></span><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"></span><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-47318185359170326802021-01-09T18:42:00.000-05:002021-01-14T15:26:32.087-05:00Blue and Gold scrimmage, part II tonight. Jeff Skinner w/Curtis Lazar<p> First, let's get this out of the way...</p><p>WAY TO GO BUFFALO BILLS!!!</p><p>(my did that feel good to write in January)</p><p><br /></p><p>With the main event already done in Buffalo, a 27-24 Bills win over the Indianapolis Colts for their first playoff win since 1995, we can turn our attention to the ice at Key Bank Center for the second Blue and Gold scrimmage of this abbreviated training camp. Players will hit the ice at 7 pm for a contest that will be streamed at Sabres.com and on their social media platforms.</p><p>Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger will be in the stands once again and he'll get his first opportunity to see free agent signee Taylor Hall skate along side Buffalo captain Jack Eichel, who missed the first scrimmage with an injury. In addition to that, Victor Olofsson will see his first game-style action as well as fellow Swedish countrymen Linus Ullmark who will be in goal.</p><p>With less than a week to go before the Sabres host the Washington Capitals for a back-to-back at KeyBank to kick off the 2020-21 season, Krueger is working his way through the forwards to find four lines he can count on. "We believe it's going to be necessary for us early in the season to be able to play with four lines," the coach said after yesterday's practice, which saw some line-juggling from the previous session. "We're going to need to spread the ice-time out [and] we'd like to have every line to have a strength offensively and defensively."</p><p>Krueger got into offensive pairings during yesterday's Zoom call with the media pointing out how much he liked Eric Staal, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild, with seventh-year pro, Sam Reinhart. We already know how much everyone in Sabreland is looking forward to seeing Hall/Eichel, and Krueger has been keeping a line together featuring free-agent signee center Cody Eakin and veteran winger Kyle Okposo. But what about the fourth pairing?</p><p>At Friday's practice the coach dropped Jeff Skinner down to a spot with center Curtis Lazar due to "a combination of decisions," according to Krueger while also mentioning that the two "had some success" last season. He stuck with that theme today as he talked about that forward pairing and talked about Lazar's progress later in the call. </p><p>"Lazar and Skinner had some interesting synergy last year together with [the since departed Wayne Simmonds," said the coach today, "and we wanted to take another peak at that. They really feed off of each other, there's just a natural support.</p><p>"We are expecting another level of offense from Lazar," he continued, while also reminding us that the 25 yr. old was a top draft pick (17th-overall, 2013.) "He definitely had extreme offensive skills with Team Canada and in his whole development offensively," said Krueger. "Last year was a critical point where he was sent down (to the Rochester Americans) and sent down with a message that his pathway to the National Hockey League would be in a defensive role, in a penalty-kill role and a character role.</p><p>"He needed to readjust his thinking and wait for his opportunities offensively but not force them. He went down and worked on it and when he came back he completely and totally embraced what we needed in the minutes he was giving us. He's come back at another level of fitness (this year,) his foot-speed is looking good and we see him as somebody who's now. potentially, going to be able to develop his offensive side again with his defensive side as his foundation, whereas it was the other way around before."</p><p>Krueger did mention that things were still in flux a bit, save for the forward pairings he really likes already, and did point out that we shouldn't "overvalue" the moves he made for practice, and presumably tonight's Blue and Gold scrimmage.</p><p>According to @NHLdotcom's Heather Engel, Skinner and Lazar will have Riley Sheahan (who signed a one-year deal yesterday) on their right. The other lines for Team Blue:</p><br />Hall-Eichel-Tage Thompson <div>Brandon Biro- Artu Ruotsalainen-(rookie) Dylan Cozens </div><div>C.J. Smith - (Eichel) - (rookie) JackQuinn</div><div><br /></div><div>Team Gold lines:</div><div><br /></div>Olofsson - Staal - Reinhart <div>Tobias Rieder - Eakin - Okposo </div><div>(rookie) Rasmus Asplund - Casey Mittelstadt - Steven Fogarty/(rookie) Brett Murray</div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-89267791529726842052021-01-03T13:11:00.000-05:002021-01-09T18:57:58.231-05:00Sabres streaming tomorrow's scrimmage plus IIHF WJC notes<p>Good news, Sabres fans, the Buffalo Sabres announced today that they will be streaming tomorrow's Blue and Gold scrimmage. The 1pm start is available on Sabres.com and also the team's Facebook and Twitter accounts, according to the press release, and will feature three 20-minute periods giving fans "the first chance to see some of the newest Sabres take the ice for their first game action."</p><p>Dan Dunleavy will have the call with Rob Ray doing the color while Brian Duff and Martin Biron offering their analysis throughout the broadcast.</p><p>This is the first of two scheduled scrimmages leading up to Buffalo's January 14 season opener versus the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center.</p><p>On his just completed Zoom call with the media, Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said he'll be watching from the stands and expects "the principles" they've been stressing at practice "to start showing up." Although it's unlikely that Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson, both of whom are out with injuries, as well as goaltender Linus Ullmark (fulfilling a quarantine in line with Covid protocals,) will participate, Krueger said he expects to have a full team after their scheduled day off on Tuesday.</p><p>Krueger also said that they will have an overtime tomorrow, regardless of the score, and that they'll also have a shootout in the scrimmage.</p><p><br /></p><p>**********</p><p>And if that wasn't enough to whet one's hockey appetite for the upcoming season, Sabreland can continue to follow three prospects in their quest for gold at the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships on Monday. Buffalo has three of four prospects remaining in the tournament's final four teams, two playing for Team Canada and one for Team U.S.A.</p><p>Canada sports an impressive lineup of some of the best U-20 prospects in the world and is lead by Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens. The 2019 seventh-overall pick has been getting plenty of praise for his play as he leads the tournament with seven goals and a plus-10 rating. Cozens is second in points with 13.</p><p>Forward Jack Quinn (2020, eighth-overall) has also been getting noticed for his solid two-way game and some deft stickwork for Team Canada, who will be meeting Team Russia in the first of two semi-final games tomorrow beginning at 4pm local time from Edmonton, Alberta.</p><p>The second game of the evening begins at 7:30pm with the Americans taking on Team Finland. Sabres d-prospect Ryan Johnson (2019, 31st) has also been receiving plenty of plaudits for his steady game on the blueline.</p><p>A fourth Buffalo prospect, forward J.J. Peterka saw his tournament end as Team Germany was ousted by the Russians. Peterka (2020, 34th) skated next to 2020 3rd-overall pick Tim Stuetzle and turned some heads with his two-way game and scoring touch. He finished his tournament tied with Stuetzle for third in scoring with 10 points (4+6.)</p><p>Krueger and the rest of Sabres management have been watching the tournament closely while saying he was "extremely pleased" with Peterka and really liked he brought to the table against his peers. The head coach also said that the team feels that "patience is needed at the moment" when it comes to the 18 yr. old and indicated that the best path forward with Peterka is to send him back to Germany to "play a man's game" in the country's top league for EHC München. </p><p>However, Krueger did mention that they will have access to players after their seasons in other leagues are finished. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-43172752343507633122020-12-26T10:46:00.000-05:002021-01-08T19:58:55.768-05:00It might take divine intervention for the Sabres to make the playoffs this year<p>A very Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Boxer Day to our neighbors to the North!</p><p>This blog was planned for yesterday but was put on hold as to not cause any severe depression in Sabreland. Unlike the song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, the lyrics of which (thanks to a protest by Judy Garland,) were re-written because they were just too sad for that particular scene in Meet Me In St. Louis, we cannot re-write the cold, hard team stats of the Buffalo Sabres when juxtaposed against the 2020-21 Eastern Division.</p><p>Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Hockey League did some realigning to limit travel as well as run an international league within the constraints of a closed international border between Canada and the United States. The North Division is composed of the seven Canadian teams while the U.S. has the East as well as the Central and Western Divisions. And boy let me tell you, the NHL did the Sabres no favors with this one.</p><p>Buffalo just missed out on an expanded playoffs last season and head into a January 13th start date with a league-long, nine-year playoff drought. Barring any divine intervention from Clarence or any other guardian angel, based purely upon statistics, this could be a rough season. Sure, the Sabres added 2018 League MVP Taylor Hall as well as consumate vet, and probable Hall-of-Famer Eric Staal, but there are still many holes in the lineup that will make this season extremely difficult, especially when placed in a division with the likes of the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, NY Islanders plus the NY Rangers and NJ Devils.</p><p>To add some perspective, I took a peek at the last three seasons and how the Sabres fared against those foes. And it ain't pretty.</p><p>Buffalo's record over the past three seasons versus those teams peeks at 50% points-percentage and goes as low as 25% with no more than four wins versus any one opponent (Win, Loss, OT, Pts%):</p><p>NJD 4-4-0 50%</p><p>PIT 4-4-1 50%</p><p>WSH 3-4-1 44%</p><p>BOS 4-6-1 41%</p><p>NYI 2-4-2 38%</p><p>NYR 2-5-1 31%</p><p>PHI 2-6-0 25%</p><p><br /></p><p>When looking at Buffalo's cumulative place in the league over the past three seasons, their overall points percentage ranked last amongst their division foes:</p><p>2) BOS .682</p><p>3) WSH .642</p><p>6) PIT .614</p><p>12) PHI .577</p><p>16) NYI .567</p><p>22) NJD .509</p><p>24) NYR .500</p><p><b>29) BUF .442</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Buffalo was last in goals-for/game:</p><p>3) WSH 3.29</p><p>4) PIT 3.27</p><p>6) BOS 3.21</p><p>10) PHI 3.08</p><p>17) NYR 2.91</p><p>19) NYI 2.90</p><p>24) NJD 2.78</p><p><b>27) BUF 2.63</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Last in goals-against/game</p><p>1) BOS 2.52</p><p>14) NYI 2.91</p><p>17) PIT 2.93</p><p>18) WSH 3.00</p><p>21) PHI 3.03</p><p>24) NJD 3.15</p><p>27) NYR 3.21</p><p><b>29) BUF 3.27</b> </p><p><br /></p><p>The Sabres were better on the powerplay:</p><p>2) BOS 25.2%</p><p>3) PIT 23.8</p><p>8) NYR 21.2</p><p>10) WSH 21.0</p><p>17) PHI 19.6</p><p><b>19) BUF 19.2</b></p><p>20) NJD 19.1</p><p>21) NYI 18.6</p><p><br /></p><p>However, their penalty kill was second-worst:</p><p>2) NJD 83.7%</p><p>4) BOS 82.6</p><p>11-T) WSH 80.5</p><p>11-T) PIT 80.5</p><p>23) NYR 79.0</p><p>24) PHI 78.6</p><p><b>26) BUF 78.0</b></p><p>29) NYI 77.6</p><p><br /></p><p>Having said all of that, the Sabres look like they've improved this off season, at least on offense. They'll still need to tighten things up on the blue line and in goal, the latter of which is their biggest question-mark heading into the season. But for as bleak as it might look, the belief here is that they should finish ahead of the Devils, and have a good shot at jumping the Rangers. It's also the opinion here that the Penguins are ripe for the picking as they struggled heading into the playoffs last year going 3-8-0 to finish the regular season and were bounced in four games by the Montreal Canadiens in the qualifying round.</p><p>For as much hope as that might bring, Buffalo would still need to jump one more team.</p><p>Clarence.</p><p>Clarence!</p><p>CLARENCE!!!</p><p><br /></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-NQsuIHMm3w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>(youtube video via magnalink600)</p><p><br /></p><p>All stats via NHL.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-49242187213298116952020-12-19T12:11:00.002-05:002020-12-26T14:03:06.524-05:00What Buffalo's lineup might look like in 2021 w/extra goalie + taxi squad<p>The National Hockey League is really trying to get things rolling on January 13 and their tentative agreement with the NHL Players Association is a big step in that direction. Yesterday it was announced that plans are in the works for a 56-game season with training camps set to open January 3 for the 24 teams that made the 2020 NHL Playoffs. The seven teams that missed out would open camps on December 31 giving them very little but still very necessary time to shake off nine months of cobwebs. </p><p>That means the Buffalo Sabres can hit the ice on New Year's Eve.</p><p>Some other notes via TSN's Frank Seravalli:</p><p>--there will be no exhibition games</p><p>--the season is tentatively set to end May 8 with the Stanley Cup being awarded the first week in July</p><p>--there are still some snags which includes ratification by the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA and what will happen with the five Canadian Provinces and any Covid-19 restrictions which will affect the "All-Canadian" division for this season</p><p>Also from Servalli, in addition to player escrow and salary deferrals agreed upon by the two sides:</p><p>--players may choose to opt out of the 2020-21 season</p><p>--no change to the rosters as they will be capped at 23 men with an $81.5 million salary cap</p><p>--a maximum of 29 players will be allowed to practice and travel with the club which includes the 23-man roster plus four to six members (number decided by the club) for the team's "taxi squad," which must include a goalie</p><p>--taxi squad players will be treated as if they were in the American Hockey League: they will need to clear waivers to be "sent down" and they will be paid an AHL salary if on a two-way deal</p><p>As of now the four divisions remain as laid out pending Canadian decisions on pandemic travel and restrictions. For the Sabres that means a division featuring: Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals. And, from Elliotte Friedman this morning on twitter, "playoffs will be top four in each division -- each division produces a champion for the Stanley Cup Semifinal."</p><p>That's a huge "ouch!" for the Sabres as they're trying to break a league-long, nine-year playoff drought in what might be the toughest of four divisions.</p><p>With that said, hockey's coming and Buffalo will be icing a team and this is what the roster and taxi squad might look like:</p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor Hall - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart</p><p>Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Dylan Cozens</p><p>Victor Olofsson - Cody Eakin - Kyle Okposo</p><p>Zemgus Girgensons - Curtis Lazar - Tobias Rieder </p><p><br /></p><p>Rasmus Dahlin - Henri Jokiharju</p><p>Brandon Montour - Rasmus Ristolainen</p><p>Jake McCabe - Henri Jokiharju</p><p><br /></p><p>Linus Ullmark</p><p>Carter Hutton</p><p><br /></p><p>Those are the 20 givens with training camp and/or waivers-eligibility deciding the other three roster spots and the four to six man taxi squad.</p><p>We'll begin filling out the roster with <b>Tage Thompson</b> who is no longer waivers-exempt so he'll be on the 23-man roster and add in <b>Rasmus Asplund</b> who played one and a half seasons in Rochester plus 29 games for the Sabres last year. Asplund also played for Vasteras IK in Sweden's second-tier professional hockey league. Buffalo signed veteran defenseman <b>Matt Irwin</b> to a one-year deal.</p><p>The taxi squad will be interesting as the team will probably opt to keep young players in the NHL for proper development. If we start with the mandatory third goalie, the Sabres will probably assign 31 yr. old <b>Dustin Tokarski</b> to the taxi squad. The veteran goalie is on a two-year, two-way deal and should easily clear waivers. That would allow 25 yr. old Jonas Johansson another year in the minors to further develop.</p><p>Center <b>Artuu Routsalainen</b> was off to a roaring start for Ilves of Finland's top league, Liiga. The 2019 free agent signee has 27 points (16+11) in only 19 games and should be making a strong push for a roster spot during camp.</p><p><b>Andrew Oglevie</b> is set to begin his third pro season after two partial seasons with the Rochester Americans. The 25 yr. old forward is on a two-way deal and produced 39 points (20+19) in 83 games for the Amerks over two seasons. He is waivers-exempt.</p><p>Defenseman <b>Casey Nelson</b> has been in the Sabres organization since he signed a free agent deal coming out of college in 2016. Nelson has played in 151 AHL games and 93 NHL games and is signed to a two-way deal. He will need to clear waivers again.</p><p>Buffalo could stop there as they fulfilled NHL requirements and leaving it as so gives them room to expand should a player or two have an impact at training camp.</p><p>Many saw 24 yr. old defenseman <b>Will Borgen</b> as set to make a strong push for a roster spot this season. The rugged 6'3" 196 lb. righty has made marked progress in Rochester for two seasons and with a strong camp he could displace Irwin on the roster. And even though Sabreland has counted out forward <b>Casey Mittlestadt</b>, a good camp and/or a move to the wing could be his ticket to the NHL this season. Mittelstadt came to life in the second half of last season for the Amerks and was showing very good improvement before the season was halted. Having either or both of those two make the roster would be a huge plus for Buffalo.</p><p>One final possibility for either a spot on the roster or as a reserve is left wing <b>C.J. Smith</b> who's done yeoman's work since signing with the organization in 2017. Smith most of his time with the Amerks (57 goals and 129 points in 169 games) and didn't look too far out of place in 13 games for the Sabres (2 goals.) With left side in Buffalo is loaded up front, a one-way deal and a probable leadership role in Rochester, Smith may not be in the Sabres plans. However, a strong camp and the fact that he's not waivers exempt could put him in the conversation come January 13.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-27076623656788972052020-12-12T14:04:00.002-05:002020-12-19T10:53:40.797-05:00Sabres news, some good and not so good.<p>First off, some really good news for NHL fans as the league is targeting a January 13th start to a 56-game NHL season. Whether or not there will be fans in the seats in any capacity remains to be seen as Coronavirus vaccine manufacturing and distribution is just beginning but there is light at the end of a tunnel and even though it's long and dark, the first steps back to a sense of normalcy have been taken.</p><p>The National Hockey League has been hit hard by the pandemic and with that we'll lead into the not-so-good news for the Buffalo Sabres this long off season before ending on some happier notes.</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Financial health of the NHL and Sabres</u></p><p>NHL franchises took a tough hit in the Spring as the normal season was cancelled in March, but the league managed to scrape out some TV revenue with an alternative end to the regular season and a full slate of playoff games in two bubbles. The toll it took on some franchises, including the Buffalo Sabres, was pretty harsh. In it's annual listing of team values Forbes outlined the impact of the pandemic on the league:</p><p>--the average team value dropped by 2%</p><p>--the $4.4 billion in revenue from a season that was 85% completed was 14% below the prior year</p><p>--operating income was down a whopping 68% ($250 million)</p>The rich/poor disparity was glaring as well in a pandemic-ravaged 2019-20 season. "The league’s five most valuable teams—the New York Rangers ($1.65 billion), the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.5 billion), the Montreal Canadiens ($1.34 billion), the Chicago Blackhawks ($1.085 billion) and the Boston Bruins ($1 billon)," wrote Forbes, "accounted for almost a quarter of the league’s revenue. Without them, the league would have lost $50 million."<div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately the Sabres aren't amongst those big-market, money-machines even though they have big-money ownership in Terry and Kim Pegula. The Pegula's saw the current value of their team drop 4% to $385 million on an initial investment of $189 million in 2011. There were seven other teams in Buffalo's boat at -4% and five who fared worse at -5%.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to Forbes, revenue for the Sabres last season was $120 million with only 10 teams below them (the NY Rangers led the league with $225 million in revenue) while operating income for Buffalo was $-11 million, which was seventh-worst in the league (the Montreal Canadiens led with $87 million on revenue of $215 million.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Possible NHL realignment for 2020-21</u></div><div><br /></div><div>Those are some big losses for Buffalo but in a tribute to the commitment the Pegula's made at their 2011 introductory press conference, management has been given the financial resources to ice a roster that will hopefully end their league long, nine-year playoff drought.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately for the Sabres, the pandemic has forced the NHL to temporarily realign their divisions. International travel restrictions are probably giving us an all-Canadian division with the league leaning towards three regional divisions in the States. Preliminary indications has the Sabres in a group with Boston, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia and Washington along with Pittsburgh or Carolina. Only two of those teams, Buffalo and New Jersey, failed to make the expanded playoffs last year while Boston, Washington and Pittsburgh have been perennial playoff teams. Add in the Islanders, Philadelphia and Carolina as teams on the upswing and the Sabres are in a bit of a pickle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Should the league be looking at another expanded playoff scenario of 24 teams (six from each division,) the Sabres will need to get into the top six. Boston hasn't missed the playoffs since 2015-16 and have a Stanley Cup finals appearance since then while Washington has the 2018 Stanley Cup and hasn't missed the post season since 2013-14 so putting those two at or near the top of the division isn't much of a reach. The NY Islanders made a run to the 2020 eastern conference finals while Philadelphia lost a seven-game, second round series to those same Islanders and either Pittsburgh, with their long history of making the playoffs during the entirety of the Sidney Crosby-era (2006-present, including three Cups) or an upstart Carolina franchise (two consecutive playoff appearances,) seem poised to take the fifth spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>That leaves three teams vying for one playoff spot--the New Jersey Devils, NY Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.</div><div><br /></div><div>Does Buffalo have the wherewithal to take that spot? Adding 2018 league MVP Taylor Hall helps, and so does trading for top-six center Eric Staal but they may need to upgrade goaltending and/or their defense corps if they want to make it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Three Sabres make IIHF World Junior Team Canada and Team USA squads</u></div><div><br /></div><div>On a positive note, Buffalo's prospect pool is getting stronger. As noted in the previous blog their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, should see a sizeable influx of homegrown talent this upcoming season and behind them is another group that's making it's way through the system.</div><div><br /></div><div>Center Dylan Cozens leads the way with the 2019, seventh-overall pick set to make his second consecutive IIHF World Junior Championship skating for Team Canada. Cozens posted nine points (2+7) in a subdued role for the tournament champion Canadian team last year and will play a larger role this year. Joining him on the squad is Buffalo's 2020, eighth-overall pick Jack Quinn. There were questions concerning Quinn and whether or not he'd make the team but he did and early projections have him skating in a top-six role for the high-profile, talent-laden Canadians.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to those two forwards, it was announced today that defenseman Ryan Johnson has made Team U.S.A. Johnson, a 2019 first round pick (31st-overall) plays in the NCAA for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Sabres scouting staff growing incrementally</u></div><div><br /></div><div>Those three draft picks were from an amateur scouting staff that was definitively hacked in the spring as management decided to get more efficient and/or rebuild the scouting department. After going through the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with a skeleton crew, The Buffalo News reported yesterday that Anders Forsberg will rejoin the Sabres as their scout in Sweden. Forsberg had been a scout for the club from 2015-17 and is back in the fold, albeit in more of a "consulting" role, according to the News, while the also wrote that "his work will have a heavy emphasis on video."</div><div><br /></div><div>Forsberg is the second scout brought in since the spring purge bringing their total to eight. He joins Tristan Musser, who was hired October 7 as both an amateur and pro scout, as new adds under director of scouting Jeremiah Crowe and assistant director Jason Nightingale. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-63182247109542937912020-12-12T10:17:00.002-05:002020-12-12T10:17:38.018-05:00Has the cavalry finally arrived for the Sabres and their prospect pipeline? <p>It's been a long time since the Buffalo Sabres have been relevant on the ice. In fact one could say that they really haven't been since they came out of the 2004-05 NHL lockout with back-to-back runs to the eastern conference finals. Since then they've tried a number of avenues back to relevancy only to find themselves spinning their wheels as they slid from a middling track of mediocrity into a ditch of desperation that they still haven't been able to fully wrest themselves from. </p><p>It's been five years since the 2015 draft that netted the Sabres Jack Eichel and since that time they've missed the playoffs every year with the reverberation of those two scorched-earth rebuild/tank year reaching down to Buffalo's farm system. Their AHL affiliate, Rochester Americans, did not qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs in the two years after the 2015 NHL Draft, they got swept in the first round the next two years and Covid-19 put an end to the 2019-20 season. Down in the ECHL, the "single/double-A" of an NHL farm system, the Elmira Jackals missed the Kelly Cup playoffs two years post-Eichel, then folded. Buffalo moved it's affiliation to Cincinnati where the Cyclones went to the playoffs two years running before Covid-19 cancelled the season.</p><p>When former general manger Darcy Regier started a rebuild late into his long tenure in Buffalo beginning with the trade of Paul Gaustad on February 27, 2012, expectations in Sabreland was that picks and prospects would roll in as each of his "core players" were peeled away from the organization. Regier was masterful at getting prime returns for his group as Gaustad yielded a 2012 first-round pick, Jason Pominville got the team a 2013 first and a 2014 second rounder, Andrej Sekera a 2013 second, Thomas Vanek a 2014 first and a 2015 second while GM Tim Murray, who replaced Regier, turned Ryan Miller into a 2015 first round pick and a 2016 third. </p><p>In July 8, 2014 blog here on hockeybuzz, the tally up to that point, which included the Miller trade by Murray, was four first round picks (2012, 2013, two in 2015,) three second round picks (two in 2014, one in 2015) and two third round picks (2014, 2016) for Regier's core players </p><p>Regier did some solid drafting in his final two seasons and as we look at the 2012 and 2013 draft, the fate of those picks (18 total) are all determined by now. Four have been regular NHL contributors for the Sabres (Zemgus Girgensons, Jake McCabe, Linus Ullmark and Rasmus Ristolainen,) two were traded away and are NHL regulars for other teams (Nikita Zadorov, J.T. Compher) one was traded away and is set to make his mark in net after a long developmental period (goalie Cal Petersen,) one has been bouncing around from league to league which includes AHL, NHL and KHL but is back in the NHL (Mikhail Grigorenko,) two had a good taste of the big time but look like NHL/AHL tweeners at best (Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste,) and one had a cup of NHL coffee before being relegated to the AHL and various leagues around the globe (Brady Austin.)</p><p>Although that group lacked high-end impact players, having eight NHL regulars out of 18 draft picks (close to a 50% clip) is still some very solid drafting. Regier, who was noted not making a deal unless it was favorable to his team, was hell bent on developing his prospects and really didn't make many trades prior to him purging his core, which was a far cry from Murray, his successor.</p><p>GM Murray hit Buffalo with a lot of "Murrancy" built up by his predecessor in terms of draft capital but unlike his predecessor, he had a quick trigger and had designs on rebuilding the team quickly after the complete scorched-earth tear-down from 2013-15. </p><p>Without much left in Rochester or Elmira, Murray headed into the 2015-16 season using vets atop a group of youngins in the minors as a way to bridge a void left the tank years. Young players like Girgensons, McCabe and Ristolainen, who'd spent minimal time in the AHL were filling roles in Buffalo and there was a gap between that group and Murray's own draft picks that were at least a year or two away from beginning their pro career. The Amerks went into that season with Bailey and Baptist, both 20 yrs. old, who had legit shots at an NHL career and a few players from previous drafts (Daniel Catenacci, Justin Kea and goalie Nathan Lieuwen) to go along with Austin all of whom were long shots to make the NHL. The following season would be a bit different as a wave of drafted players, including 2017 eighth-overall pick Alexander Nylander, headed to Rochester to officially start their pro careers. Nylander had top-six skills and more upside than any player in the Sabres system, but he was only 18 yrs. old.</p><p>In the ensuing seasons Murray, along with his successor, Jason Botterill, would use the same formula of heavily relying on AHL vets to lead the Amerks while the farm system tried to catch up. By the 2018-19 season, the last year of Botterill's tenure and four years removed from the 2014-15 tank season, the Sabres had seven NHL regulars on their roster, only two of which were drafted by Murray--Reinhart and Eichel, both second-overall picks--while Regier's picks of Girgensons, McCabe and Ristolainen were joined by two first rounders from Botterill--Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) and Rasmus Dahlin (2018, 1st.)</p><p>Things were also looking a bit brighter in Rochester for the 2018-19 Amerks as Victor Olofsson (181st) came over from Sweden and fellow 2014 pick Jonas Johansson (61st) entered his first full pro season. The Amerks roster also included Rasmus Asplund (2016, 33rd,) who joined Nylander from that draft class as well as Will Borgen (2015, 92nd) and Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st) who were apart of Eichel's draft year.</p><p>Yet missing from the Sabres during that season were a number of players or picks that Murray traded away between February and June 2015. </p><p>Murray went on a splurge that began with him sending 2014 second round pick Brendan Lemieux and a 2015 first round pick to the Winnipeg Jets as part of Evander Kane blockbuster trade in February. Later at the draft in June, he sent another 2015 first round pick to the Ottawa Senators as part of a trade for goalie Robin Lehner. Murray would follow that up with another draft-day trade for center Ryan O'Reilly where he sent prospects Zadorov and Compher, along with Grigorenko and a 2015 second round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. A breakdown of what Murray traded away for players no longer with the club reveals that Lemieux has played 131 games in the NHL and all three players in the Avalanche trade have played in at least 200 NHL games. Ottawa selected Colin White 21st-overall in 2015 and he has played in 155 NHL games for the Sens while the Jets selected center Jack Roslovic with the 25th pick. He has 180 NHL games under his belt.</p><p>So what does this all mean? The Sabres are still playing catchup in regards to depth from the big club on down.</p><p>Murray was able to land Reinhart and Eichel with the second-overall pick in consecutive drafts while Botterill's "reward" for his club finishing last was drafting Dahlin first overall. Those three represent some very high-end talent, especially the latter two. Yet, because of a dearth of quality talent in the system to surround those three, Buffalo has had to go outside the organization via trades and free agent signings to try and add the appropriate talent. It's usually an expensive ride down a slippery slope.</p><p>For this season, in order to fill what seems to be perpetual holes in the roster, the Sabres traded for a No. 2 center in 37 yr. old Eric Staal and signed 2018 league MVP Taylor Hall to a 1yr/$8 million free agent contract, giving them five bona fide top-six forwards. New GM Kevyn Adams also signed a bottom-six center in Cody Eakin to a 2yr. deal to help fill the void at center behind Eichel. What those moves have done is buy them some time as they'll have another year to develop younger players like Mittelstadt and 2019 first round pick Dylan Cozens while still, hopefully, icing a competitive. playoff-worthy team. </p><p>As we move through Buffalo's draft classes, the verdict is in on 2014 and 2015. Outside of Reinhart in 2014 they have Olofsson who looks like a top-nine/potential top-six winger and Johansson, who has slowly been developing in net and who still looks as if he at least has NHL-backup qualities. Behind Eichel we find only defenseman Borgen, a probable NHL defenseman in a bottom-pairing role. Two other prospects from those draft classes were traded away--Lemieux, as mentioned by Murray and defenseman Brendan Guhle (51st) to the Anaheim Ducks by Botterill. Of the 15 picks made by Murray in those drafts, four are NHL regulars (Reinhart, Lemieux, Olofsson and Eichel with the jury still out on tree others. </p><p>The jury's still out on Murray's last draft class (2016) but it looks like they'll have some contributors at least in Rochester while Nylander was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Henri Jokiharju (2017, 29th,) who's quickly establishing himself as a top-four defenseman. As the organization either integrates or moves on from the last vestiges of Murray's drafting. Players from Botterill's 2017 class have already begun to make their way into the Sabres system beginning with defensemen Jacob Bryson (99th,) who just finished a very productive first full season in Rochester. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (54th) played his first pro season last year and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen (89th) just signed his entry-level deal. And from Botterill's 2018 class we have defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (32nd) and winger Matej Pekar (94th) all on entry-level deals set to make their debuts in Rochester.</p><p>Adding them to the likes of Mittelstadt, Borgen, Asplund, Brett Murray (2016, 99th,) and Casey Fitzgerald (2016, 86th,) as well as free agents Arturo Routsalainen and Brandon Biro, all of whom are waivers-exempt, plus a directive to cut back on AHL vets, means the Rochester Americans should see a large influx of young, homegrown talent filling their roster. Many of them may end up as serviceable NHL'ers but players like Mittelstadt and Luukkonen have high upsides while any of Asplund, Borgen, Bryson, Samuelsson and Routsalainen could rise above lower/reserve roles on the club. Which is a far cry from where this organization was some five years ago.</p><p>It took a while and while nothing's guaranteed, it seems as if the Sabres may have finally been able to overcome stripped-bare farm system and a depletion of quality talent in an ill-advised, short-cut attempt for NHL relevancy at the expense of building and developing through the draft. Where it goes from here remains to be seen, especially with the havoc Covid-19 has wreaked on the NHL, but on paper the Sabres organization/development pool looks better in the near-term and if they stick to drafting and developing, longer-term as well.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-71113946862620318572020-12-12T10:15:00.004-05:002020-12-12T10:15:42.622-05:00Two players to possibly push the Sabres towards a playoff spot<p>Are the Buffalo Sabres a couple players away from possibly breaking a league-long, nine year playoff drought? </p><p>Possibly. Buffalo has made some surprising off season moves that have strengthened the team up-front with the general consensus is that this team as constructed will end up in the 20-24th place range. Fair? Yes. Despite some big steps forward there are hurdles beyond the roster that will make it even more difficult for them to become a playoff contender in 2020-21.</p><p>First off, with the way the National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association are posturing, we're not even sure there will be a regular season to determine playoff-worthy teams. However, let's assume, even though the 2000's have shown otherwise, that the NHL and NHLPA will come to their senses and hammer out reasonable solutions to their main points of contention (player escrow and salary deferment) which would lead to an NHL season. When the season starts, where games are played and the length of the regular season are among things to be resolved, but let's plan on a regular season, even if it is a shortened one. In saying that, most Buffalo haven't played a game since March, which is an eternity when it comes to professional competition.</p><p>Next? Enter Covid-19...again.</p><p>Having vaccines on the way is a great thing, period, as the first steps will have begun on the long road back to a sense of normalcy as the vaccine is distributed throughout the population. That said, professional sports are a bit lower in the pecking order to receive the vaccine, settling in well behind front-line health care workers, first-responders, the elderly and those with underlying conditions, amongst possible other groups. Although it is totally up to individual states as to how they distribute the vaccines, it's safe to say that the aforementioned groups will universally be at the top of the list. It's also a widely held notion that the second quarter (beginning around April) will see the general public begin to get their doses (which could mean fans in the seats) so until then, the NHL is looking at scheduling constraints based upon U.S. governance of Covid-19 as well as international laws and guidelines with Canada using their own governance in relation to pandemic restrictions.</p><p>The NHL managed to pull off an admirable end to their shortened 2019-20 season with a bubbled play-in and playoffs, which was great for the sport and it's fans who watched exclusively on television. But that set-up also took a toll on the players and those who were in a bubble for weeks to months, dependent upon how long a particular team was in the playoffs. As of right now, we're pretty sure those involved don't, or won't, want to go through that again so there's a notion going around that the league will realign for the 2020-21 season. </p><p>We won't get into all the divisions, but as it looks right now, the Buffalo Sabres could be in an extremely difficult division featuring, the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. Only one of those teams, New Jersey, failed to make the expanded playoffs last season and since the post-lockout 2013-14 season, that group has combined for one Stanley Cup, two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, three conference finals and a combined 26 playoff appearances over that seven-season span. The Buffalo Sabres on the other hand have finished dead last three times while missing the playoffs every year including last season when the league expanded the playoffs to 24 teams. Also of note, Buffalo is on their third general manager and fourth head coach.</p><p>Such is the mountain to climb even before we get to the roster.</p><p>The promising news for Buffalo is that new Sabres GM Kevyn Adams and second-year head coach Ralph Krueger pulled off a one-two punch to upgrade Buffalo's top-six this off season. Adams traded forward Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild for 37 yr. old veteran Eric Staal, a player the GM had played with on the 2006 Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes team. Although Staal may be regarded as a little long in the tooth, the center topped all Wild forwards in even-strength average time on ice (14:10) while placing top-three on the team in goals (19) assists (28) and points (47) in 66 games played. He'll be dropped down a line in Buffalo behind Jack Eichel and should provide secondary scoring on par with what he was able to produce in a first-line role last season in Minnesota.</p><p>For his part, Krueger was the principal factor in the Sabres landing free agent winger Taylor Hall, who is only two years removed from a league MVP. Although Hall has been hampered by injuries the last two seasons, he still managed 27 goals and 89 points in 98 games while playing for the Devils and Arizona Coyotes. The thought of Eichel and Hall on the top line has Sabreland pretty excited.</p><p>As good as those two moves may have been to reset the top-nine and drop forwards into a more favorable role, there's still one general area and two positions of need that could be the difference between ending or continuing their playoff drought. The Sabres had solid offensive numbers at even strength and were a modest 20th in the league in powerplay efficiency, which were enough to get them close to an expanded playoffs (Hall and Staal should help boost those numbers) but what doomed them was the second worst penalty kill in the NHL.</p><p>The Sabres killed off only 74.6% of their penalties, a figure that was a mere 0.3 percentage points above the last place Detroit Red Wings who had a historically bad season. Whether it was the structure of the PK, or the direction from assistant coach Steve Smith or the execution of the players on the ice, it's safe to say that Buffalo's penalty kill was the reason they didn't make the playoffs. </p><p>It's been said the best penalty killer for any team is their goaltenders and if that's the case (which it isn't 100% true as everyone needs to be held accountable,) Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton were, statistically speaking, a train wreck. Ullmark went from a .926 save percentage even-strength, which was ninth in the league for goalies who played in 20 or more games, to .838 sv%, or 50th. For his part, Hutton was equally as bad going from .912 even strength to .836 short handed.</p><p>The PK needed key saves and Buffalo's goaltending tandem didn't provide nearly enough of them.</p><p>A name that's been floating around here in the Sabres threads is Arizona's <b>Darcy Kuemper</b>. With Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the financial structure of the NHL and it's individual teams, word on the street is that the Coyotes, who've almost always been in dire financial straights, are looking to slash salary and Kuemper, who has $9 million on his remaining two years (at a $4.5M cap-hit,) might be in the mix as they also have goalie Antti Raanta at $4.25 million AAV.</p><p>Kuemper's numbers over the last few years in Arizona have been exemplary. With goalies that have played in 75 or more games the last three seasons, Kuemper is fourth in goals-against average (2.35,) tied for first with Raanta in overall save percentage (.924,) is tied for third in even-strength percentage (.929) and is sixth with a .891 save percentage on the penalty kill. </p><p>That's the type of play in net that Buffalo needs and they should be willing to part with something of reasonable significance (or a combination adding up to that) to bring that type of goaltending in if they want to make a run at the playoffs in a highly competitive division.</p><p>It should also be noted that Raanta was at or above Kuemper in all of those categories except save percentage. </p><p>Tandem goalie stats like that might very well be the result of the 'Yotes employing a strong defensive scheme coupled with a strong d-corps, which was led by a highly respected Oliver Ekman-Larsson. From a penalty kill perspective, a comparison has the Sabres goaltending tandem facing 98 high-danger shots while being short-handed 185 times (fourth lowest number of short handed situations in the league) while the 'Yotes duo faced 70 while being short-handed 197 times (10th-best,) leading one to believe that Arizona knew how to play defense and the goalies played their part while on their way to the fifth-best PK in the league (82.7% kill rate.)</p><p>If the Sabres could add a quality defender, preferably a lefty as they have too many right-handed defensemen, to a goalie like Kuemper, their penalty kill could make a real leap and their fortunes change for the better. A name on that list might be unrestricted free agent, Andy Greene.</p><p>The 38 yr. old Greene certainly ain't no spring chicken, but he still averaged over 20 minutes per game for New Jersey in the regular season and 17:40 per game on a well stocked NY Islanders team in the 2020 playoffs. From 2011-12, the first full season under Terry Pegula (which also marks the first year of their playoff drought) until 2019-20, Greene's New Jersey Devils ranked 3rd on the penalty kill with the 5'11" 190 d-man averaging 3:21 of short-handed ice time. Even post-Martin Brodeur (using 2013-14 as a marker) the Devils were fourth on the PK with Greene logging 3:35 ATOI short handed.</p><p>It's safe to say that Greene knows a thing or two about playing defense, especially on the penalty kill.</p><p>There are other moves that would be great for the Sabres but Covid-19 complicates things. And what the Coyotes would want in exchange for Kuemper (or even Raanta,) along with what salary moves the Sabres would need to make (which includes trading a right handed defensemen and trading or waiving Hutton,) as well as how much Greene would want on a free agent contract remain to be seen. But it's good to speculate this long off season and if Buffalo were able to pull of both of those moves, their blueline and goaltending situation could look like this:</p><p>Rasmus Dahlin - Colin Miller</p><p>Andy Greene - Rasmus Ristolainen</p><p>Jake McCabe - Henri Jokiharju</p><p>Will Borgen</p><p><br /></p><p>Darcy Kuemper</p><p>Linus Ullmark</p><p><br /></p><p>It sure looks a whole lot better than before.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-59936470061627012972020-11-27T10:34:00.001-05:002020-11-27T10:34:53.199-05:00Everyone has an opinion on NHL Reverse Retro jerseys...me tooThe NHL "Reverse Retro" idea for alternate sweaters debuting this year were meant to capture the "unique and historical moments in each club's history, while refreshing the color and design combination for an all-new presentation," according to the NHL. <br /><br />So there you have it. Some came out great. Others did not. And, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.<br /><br />The list that follows partially appeared in the comments section of my last blog. Some responses from Sabres buzzards referenced a sweet Colorado Rockies Jersey (with picture) that won't be used by the present Colorado Avalanche club or the city and team where the Rockies moved--the New Jersey Devils. Too bad, because it's awesome. Soon after the Rockies mention, the old Kansas City Scouts sweaters--an Indian atop a horse proudly and steadfastly scanning the terrain before him--was mentioned. It was an iconic sweater in my mind, and one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately those Scouts sweaters, like the Rockies logo, won't be seen in Kansas City because they don't have a team, or in Colorado, a stop on their way to New Jersey, or in the Garden State, where that franchise eventually landed.<br /><br />Since we're so intertwined with the New Jersey Devils at this moment, I'll kick off our thumbs up portion of the NHL Reverse Retro jersey review with them. The other two categories are thumbs down and meh. Of note, there's no particular order to any category.<div><br /><br />Thumbs up:<br /><br />--<b>New Jersey Devils</b>: Speak of the Devil(s,) they go with the version they first wore when coming over from Colorado making that sweater jump with that bold green base.<br /><br />--<b>Chicago Blackhawks</b>: Any sweater that has the chief on it is as iconic as it comes in the NHL and is an immediate winner. And that black? Oh my!<br /><br />--<b>LA Kings</b>: It's purple. I don't care how many hues of blue you throw at me it's purple...and gold. It's Lakers. It's Los Angeles. It's got the 90's logo and the crown. It's Wayne Gretzky meets Marcel Dionne. What more you can ask for.<br /><br />--<b>Florida Panthers</b>: They're the "Cats". And that panther coming out of the deep blue (not purple) is headed your way. Anyone can wear this sweater with pride.<br /><br />--<b>Minnesota Wild</b>: Another of my favorites from back in the day when they were the North Stars. The new bear head logo with inlaid pine trees is solid and the old colors do it justice when melding the two. But where's that big 'N' topped with the North Star. (Give it back, Dallas.)<br /><br />--<b>Vegas Golden Knights</b>: "Welcome to Excalibur!" The franchise is only a few years old so there's not much retro involved, but those colors and that emblem make me want to joust for the King.<br /><br />--<b>Edmonton Oilers</b>: These scream "Gretzky!" Back in the day, one could never really appreciate the color combination because the Northland Coliseum lighting didn't do them justice. Now we see what they were supposed to look like.<br /><br />--<b>New York Rangers</b>: Always dug those Statue of Liberty thirds. Having it on a blue sweater makes it even better.<br /><br />--<b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b>: There's a lot to be said for simplicity and this retro sweater was simple to begin with. That white background makes it all the more classy.<br /><br />--<b>Washington Capitals</b>: That screaming, descending Bald Eagle looks even better in red, white and blue and should be a keeper.<br /><br />--<b>New York Islanders</b>: Sure they didn't do much, and I would love to have seen what they might have done with the Gorton Fisherman logo as it's becoming somewhat of a cult classic. But, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith and Mike Bossy would approve of this sweater while reminiscing about the first of their four consecutive Stanley Cups.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thumbs down:<br /><br />--<b>Calgary Flames</b>: It was a strange looking horse to begin with. The flames coming out of it's nostrils comes off as silly. The color scheme is great, but you just can't do much with that image of Blasty (thx for that tidbit, Mark Lazerus of the Athletic.<br /><br />--<b>St. Louis Blues</b>: That red. Oh my, I was having flashbacks. Just way too much going on.<br /><br />--<b>Vancouver Canucks</b>: They went from red and blue ('01 alternate jersey) to green and blue but that chest design reminds me of a paisley and stripes combination that never really works. Love the colors, though.<br /><br />--<b>Columbus Blue Jackets</b>: The logo looks as if it's a Christmas tree, which is great for the holiday season if you're looking for that ugly Christmas sweater.<br /><br />--<b>Montreal Canadiens</b>: The Habs logo is iconic. One of the greatest in sports and brings me back to the days of playing table-top hockey which always had the Canadians vs. the Maple Leafs. But that blue just swallowed me whole.<br /><br />--<b>Winnipeg Jets</b>: Never been to Winnipeg, but I've read that it's a pretty dreary place in the winter (which can seem to last forever, like in Western New York where I grew up.) There's a full array of colors are cool, and winter-like, and kind of depressing.<br /><br />--<b>Boston Bruins</b>: Is there a dimmer switch for that yellow?<br /><br /><br />Meh:</div><div><br /></div><div>--<b>Buffalo Sabres: Either bring back the red/black with that logo or leave it be (I prefer the latter as I never liked the butter knives)</b><br /><br />--<b>Hartford Whalers/Colorado Avalanche</b>: The Whale and the Nords sweaters are iconic regardless of era, but relevant to the teams today? (If so, bring back the North Star to Minnesota)<br /><br />--<b>Dallas Stars</b>: Give Minnesota its star back for retro jersey.<br /><br />--<b>Toronto Maple Leafs</b>: How many variances of a maple leaf can one have?<br /><br />--<b>Detroit Red Wings</b>: The winged wheel on a washed out jersey really does nothing for me.<br /><br />--<b>Nashville Predators</b>: It's as retro as can be, I guess. How 'bout goin with an image of Baby Puss (the Flintstones cat) as their alternate logo after all, Anaheim uses a cartoon?<br /><br />--<b>Anaheim Ducks</b>: Not bothersome, but I always hated the "Mighty Ducks" sweaters during their inception.<br /><br />--<b>Ottawa Senators</b>: Unexciting.<br /><br />--<b>Philadelphia Flyers</b>: Solid, but will be looking for them to be skating around in those stupid sweat pants from the Lindros era.<br /><br />--<b>San Jose Sharks:</b> Logo is great, color scheme not so great with all that grey.<br /><br />--<b>Tampa Bay Lightning</b>: Yawn. (Yeah, I realize you just won the Stanley Cup)<br /><br />--<b>Arizona Coyotes</b>: 'Yotes in 6 (sorry for the inside joke)</div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-68946127123818922192020-11-27T10:34:00.000-05:002020-11-27T10:34:31.527-05:00Rasmus Dahlin could end up being a Buffalo Sabre for next decade<p>Covid-19 is running rampant throughout the world, but especially in the United States where cases, hospitalizations and deaths are reaching unprecedented levels.</p><p>That statement isn't political, it's simply fact.</p><p>In addition to this pandemic taking nearly 250,000 American lives (about 1.3 million world wide) as of this writing, which is brutal in and of itself, as well as placing an immense strain on front-line workers, especially in the health care field (among many other things,) the economic engine that has driven the U.S. is beginning to sputter. Although it's unlikely that the U.S. will see a shutdown like we had last spring, the economy is set to slow to a crawl as we try and deal with a pandemic that's getting worse by the day.</p><p>That said, there is good news on the horizon as at least one vaccine with a high efficacy rate looks poised to be available within the next two months with more to follow as they finish their trials. </p><p>Those are also facts.</p><p>Every aspect of the economy has been effected including the sporting world as major professional leagues have either not allowed fans to attend games (hockey and basketball,) have allowed fans for games late in the playoffs (baseball) or have allowed fans based upon state regulations (football.) And Even the behemoth that is the National Football League, which has more television revenue ($9.5 billion) than over 50 countries (<i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/" target="_blank">according to worldometer.com</a>,</span></i>) is feeling the pinch. The 2020 NFL salary cap was $198 million for 2020 and was expected to reach $210 million for 2021, pre-pandemic. Revenue projections for next year, however, plummeted which could have preceded a drop in the 2021 cap to $130 million until the league and the NFL Players Association got together to reach an agreement in July where they would <span style="color: #0b5394; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-consequences-of-a-lower-2021-salary-cap-including-the-three-teams-wholl-be-hurt-most/" target="_blank">spread out losses over the next three seasons</a> </span><span>with minimal cap-reduction consequences.</span></p><p>Unlike the NFL, the gold standard of the North American big-four professional sports, the National Hockey League is a gate-driven league and without fans in the seats, they've been getting hit particularly hard by the pandemic. To keep it simple, the 2019-20 NHL salary cap of $81.5 million will be the same this year and will remain the same in 2021-22 before inching upward the following season (if possible.) </p><p>Relatively speaking, that's a big win, especially when you consider that approximately 37% of the NHL's revenue come from the gate (as opposed to 16% for the NFL.)</p><p>Many NHL teams will be struggling under the weight of these financial pressures but the Buffalo Sabres may not struggle as much. Were this the mid-latter 2000's we might be singing a different tune as ownership then had a dictate of "just break even," which in the present environment would be impossible. Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of the Sabres since 2011, have stated time and again that they will pump resources into the team and they backed it up with a projected salary expenditure for this season of over $77 million with a team cap-hit that stands at just over $78 million right now, according to CapFriendly. That could change but right now the Pegulas are projecting an image of wanting any dollars to be spent wisely, which includes cutting back certain areas while backing the roster with financial resources.</p><p>The assumption here, simply based on the NHL's salary cap projections for the next two seasons, is that there will be a 2020-21 season and that over the course of the next two seasons the NHL will slowly be getting back to a sense of normalcy. They and the NHLPA will need to do some financial juggling and individual teams will need to figure out for themselves how they want to approach these extremely difficult times, but overall there's an optimism here that beginning with the 2022-23 season sports in general, and the NHL in particular, will have begun to regain their financial footing.</p><p>Until then, it's not that far-fetched to believe that player's salaries will remain relatively in check and this is particularly good for the Sabres as they have a franchise defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin that will be coming off of his entry-level deal at the end of this season.</p><p>Dahlin is still on course to hit his franchise-defenseman designation. Despite some flaws, his impressive display of skating and offensive skills have already been on display as a teenager for the last two seasons and he still has a high ceiling. He's still filling out his 6'3" frame and continuing to gain experience playing against the best players in the world while continuing to show growth and Dahlin has already proven that he's the type of player that any team wouldn't hesitate to sign to a long-term deal.</p><p>Prior to the pandemic, there were thoughts being expressed in Sabreland about Dahlin's next deal and whether the team should pursue a short-term deal or dive right into an eight-year, max contract. The opinion here at the time was that of the latter but the pandemic has changed things and it's possible that the Sabres could stretch two deals into a decade-long association.</p><p>Dependent upon what kind of season Dahlin has, he and the team might simply come to the conclusion that an eight-year deal is the best way to go with a projected price-tag of anywhere from $6-8 million. Using the high figure, Dahlin's new contract would take him to unrestricted free agency at age 29 at a total of $64 million. Barring anything weird happening while assuming that he continues on his trajectory and NHL revenue will continue to climb post-pandemic, it's not that far-fetched to think that his following contract will see at least a 50-75% increase which would take him to a cap-hit in the $12-14 million range, a figure that might be a little conservative. It's also not that far-fetched to think that his term will be 7-8 years dependent upon who he signs with with that final year coming in his mid-latter 30's.</p><p>That's a long way into the future and a lot can happen between now and then. In saying that, Buffalo could very well think (relatively) shorter term now and end up locking Dahlin up for the next decade.</p><p>Because of the financial ramifications wrought by the pandemic, the trend right now has been for smaller salaries and generally shorter terms. St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup captain Alex Pietrangelo, was the prime free agent on the market this off season. The defenseman was coming off of a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $6.5 million. Most projected the UFA to sign a long-term deal for at least $9 million in the off season. He signed for just under that at $8.8 million/season. Winger Taylor Hall was the unequivocal best forward on the market and most believed the 2018 league MVP would be signing a long-term deal in the $8-9 million range. He signed a one-year deal with Buffalo for $8 million. </p><p>There's little reason to believe something similar won't happen next season as the league still doesn't know when it can start the 2020-21 season, how long it might be or whether there will be at least some paying customers in the stands.</p><p>As we look at Dahlin, the Sabres could go for the short-term deal in the one or two-year range and worry about the long-term deal later. Once again, if everything goes as projected, the team might be able to sign Dahlin to a two-year deal somewhere in the $6 million range while still retaining the rights of the then 23 yr. old defenseman at the end of the 2022-23 season. Circling back to projections made by the NHL, the salary cap at that time may be around $82.5 million, or only $1 million more than the prior three seasons because of the pandemic. </p><p>Following that season, Buffalo and Dahlin could be looking at an eight-year deal, which would probably fall in the $10 million range. At the end of that deal Dahlin would still be in his prime at 31 years of age.</p><p>It's a pay me now or pay me later situation leaving the Sabres with this: do they pursue go a max deal now and pay a premium later and hope that he'll re-sign as a UFA? Or is a two-year bridge followed by a max deal in order?</p><p>Both scenarios would have been bantered around regardless of the pandemic, but the financial ramifications of Covid-19 make the latter presumably much more team-friendly and they could have their franchise defenseman locked up for 10 years.</p><p>Not a bad deal for the team and the defenseman.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-52799304144416637272020-11-13T06:34:00.001-05:002020-11-13T06:34:24.514-05:00Possible Buffalo Sabres protected list for next year's Seattle expansion draft<div><div>The Buffalo Sabres organization was/is in an extremely difficult situation heading into the 2020-21 season. In addition to the effects of Covid-19 and the financial hardships this pandemic has placed on salary structure and the salary cap across the entire National Hockey League, a Buffalo team enduring a nine-year playoff drought has had to try wade through that morass while trying to keep superstar center Jack Eichel engaged as they attempt to execute yet another strategy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eichel expressed his dissatisfaction with not being a part of the playoffs very early in this very long off-season and it's weighed on everyone a bit in Sabreland. This is not to say that he's asked for a trade, or even insinuated (as far as we know in either case) that he wants out, but after five seasons of missing the playoffs while playing under his third head coach and into an off season featuring his third general manager, it's not too far-fetched to believe that Eichel may be getting a little antsy as he enters the prime playing years of his career.</div><div><br /></div><div>Credit to the management team in Buffalo for allaying some of those fears with two temporary moves--the trade for veteran center Eric Staal and the signing of free agent winger Taylor Hall, the 2018 league MVP. However, as of now they're only one-year stop-gaps. During this uncertain time being ruled by the pandemic, Sabres general manger Kevyn Adams, like much of the league, has curbed multi-year contracts in favor of short-term ones that give them flexibility heading into a 2021 off-season that will predate a similar, or possibly worse, 2021-22 season for the league because of the virus.</div><div><br /></div><div>And if all that Covid entails wasn't enough, Buffalo, like every team in the NHL other than the Vegas Golden Knights, will have another situation to deal with--an expansion draft. </div><div><br /></div><div>The city of Seattle, Washington was awarded the league's 32nd franchise and will fill their team--the Kraken--with players selected in the 2021 expansion draft. Every NHL team, save for Vegas, will give up a player in the draft and will have the opportunity to use one of two formats with which to protect others--7 forwards, 2 defensemen, 1 goalie or 8 skaters, 1 goalie. By the looks of how the Sabres laid their roster out, they'll more than likely be using the 7/2/1 format.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo is in excellent shape for this expansion draft as they will lose a player that may not be an impact player to Seattle but the question is, which one will it be? For the following exercise as to who Buffalo probably will protect and who they might expose, we'll follow the guidelines of the NHL while using CapFriendly's interactive expansion draft simulator to try and figure out how they'll play it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The NHL states that, "All first- and second-year NHL players, and all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward protection limits)." This keeps high-end prospects like center Dylan Cozens and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out of the mix.</div><div><br /></div><div>Firstly, the easiest way to get this process going is through this NHL mandate, "All players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team's applicable protection limits." It should be noted that if players waive those clauses, they may be left exposed to the expansion draft.</div><div><br /></div><div>To their credit, despite management signing some players to long-term deals, former GM's Tim Murray and Jason Botterill, signed only one player to a contract with a no movement clause--winger Jeff Skinner--who will automatically hit the protected list first (unless there's a waiving of said clause.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Then there are three other important NHL exposure requirements that have been met by Sabres management:</div><div><br /></div><div>--"One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons</div><div><br /></div><div>--One goalie who is under contract in 2021-22 or will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract immediately prior to 2021-22. If a team elects to make a restricted free agent goalie available to meet this requirement, that goalie must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the team's protected list."</div><div><br /></div><div>In relation to defensemen, Buffalo has two players who are signed through the 2021-22 season: Rasmus Ristolainen and Colin Miller. All of the remaining players are either signed for the next season only or, in the exclusive case of Lawrence Pilut, a restricted free agent who has been qualified and is yet to be re-signed but whose rights the Sabres still retain. </div><div><br /></div><div>When looking at the goaltending situation. Adams signed goalie Dustin Tokarski to a two-year contract on Tuesday. The remaining three goalies are all on one-year deals and like the d-group, we'll re-visit this a little further down after beginning with the forward group.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to Skinner, we'll add Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson to the protected forward group. Recent additions Staal and Hall will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and if they remain so, the belief here is that the Kraken may sign them if left unprotected (like any other team may sign a UFA,) but in doing so they will have used up their expansion pick from Buffalo. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sabres fans shouldn't worry about Staal being exposed as he'll dictate where he plays (or whether he retires.) Hall is a different story so we'll wait on him, leaving us to pick two more forwards to protect. </div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo re-signed winger Tage Thompson to a three-year deal and it's expected that he'll get every opportunity to further his development at the NHL level. And for as much grief as Casey Mittelstadt has received for his underperforming NHL career to this point, he's still an 8th-overall pick with high-level skills only three years removed from his draft year.</div><div><br /></div><div>With only one spot remaining, it's the opinion here that either Hall or third year pro Rasmus Asplund, who along with Mittelstadt is waivers-exempt, will fill that seventh spot on the protected list dependent upon what happens with Hall.</div><div><br /></div><div>The group of regular NHL forwards to be left exposed include Kyle Okposo, Cody Eakin and Zemgus Girgensons, all of whom are signed at least through the 2021-22 season, which fulfills NHL exposure requirements. Center Curtis Lazar, who signed a two-year deal recently, will also be exposed, but the former first-round pick has been yo-yoing between the NHL and American Hockey League with most of his games in the AHL and probably won't be an attractive option by most, if not all, measures.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we turn our attention to the defensemen, Rasmus Asplund and Henri Jokiharju, both with two years of NHL experience, will be protected by Buffalo leaving only one spot left. There are really only four defensemen left worth noting for the Kraken with two of them, Ristolainen and Miller, having already been mentioned as fulfilling the team exposure requirements.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right-handed defenseman Brandon Montour is only signed through the end of the 2020-21 season, will be an UFA and may be left unprotected (if he's not traded by then.) He would be free to sign with the Kraken, which isn't really all that far-fetched considering he's still young and has looked like a top-four defenseman in previous seasons.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other defenseman is rookie Will Borgen who has spent the last two full seasons in Rochester and is waivers-exempt. He may or may not be attractive to Seattle dependent upon how they lay out their draft board.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo's decision of who to protect on the blue line really seems to comes down to either Ristolainen or Miller and the bet here is that they'll protect Ristolainen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because the Sabres signed Tokarski through the 2021-22 season, they met that league requirement but he won't be protected. Neither will Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton, leaving one of two goalies left to protect--projected starter Linus Ullmark, who will be a UFA at the end of the season, or Jonas Johansson, who will be a RFA at season's end.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a tough call and will be wholly dependent upon what happens goalie-wise this off season and what kind of years Ullmark and Johansson have in net. Luukkonen has been deemed the goalie of the future but how far into the future that might happen, if it happens at all, is yet to be determined. Having said that, we're going to put a no-call on this one as there are too many determining factors.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Projected Sabres expansion draft protection list</div><div><br /></div><div>Forwards</div><div><br /></div><div>Jeff Skinner (NMC)</div><div>Jack Eichel</div><div>Sam Reinhart </div><div>Victor Olofsson </div><div>Tage Thompson </div><div>Casey Mittelstadt</div><div>Taylor Hall or Rasmus Asplund</div><div><br /></div><div>Defensemen</div><div><br /></div><div>Rasmus Dahlin</div><div>Henri Jokiharju</div><div>Rasmus Ristolainen</div><div><br /></div><div>Goalie</div><div><br /></div><div>Linus Ullmark/Jonas Johansson</div></div><div><br /></div>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-65800862275082153942020-11-13T06:33:00.001-05:002020-11-13T06:33:23.758-05:00Former Sabres dot the 2020 Stanley Cup semi-finals<p>Nearly every National Hockey League team can lay claim to former players in the NHL's 'final four," and Buffalo is no different. However, the Sabres have the dubious distinction of trading away a player in center Ryan O'Reilly who ended up being a 2019 Conn Smythe winner for playoff MVP while helping to lead the St. Louis Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup. O'Reilly also won the Selke Trophy for best two-way forward in 2018-19 while the Sabres were extending their playoff drought to eight seasons.</p><p>Egg meat face.</p><p>It happened. And there's no sense in re-hashing the details as that horse has been beaten to the point of cremation. Yet, as we move along in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, there's another player from former Tim Murray's "young-vet" group of acquisitions that is helping power his team to possibly their first Stanley Cup.</p><p>Murray took over as Sabres general manager, made sure the Sabres finished dead last in 2015 (guaranteeing either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the Blue and Gold,) and went for a quick rebuild after gutting the entire organization of talent. The process ended up setting Buffalo back years and the organization still hasn't fully recovered. While the Sabres are stuck in the bottom third of the league, closing in on an NHL playoff drought-tying record, some of the players Murray counted on to speed up the rebuild process have advanced with their teams.</p><p>The 2015 NHL Draft was a whirlwind of activity for the Sabres as not only were they planning on drafting Eichel second-overall, but also had Murray working the phones and pulling off trades for O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche and goalie <b>Robin Lehner</b> from his former team, the Ottawa Senators. </p><p>Lehner actually kicked off the day for the Sabres as Buffalo traded the 21st-overall pick for a 23 yr. old goalie who was caught up in a three-way battle to man the crease in Ottawa. Murray called Lehner "high-end competitive" and believed he would become "a No. 1 starter...on a good team, on a contending team, on a playoff team."</p><p>True words, but not in Buffalo where he went 42-61-22 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .916 save percentage before the Sabres. It was a tumultuous time in Buffalo as not only was Lehner battling inconsistencies in front of him on the ice, but he was also, as we would come to find out after the Sabres let him walk in 2018, battling debilitating demons within. He finally landed with the Vegas Golden Knights after a 2018-19 season with the New York Islanders and a partial 2019-20 season with the Chicago Blackhawks who traded him to Toronto before the Leafs moved him to Vegas. Lehner would win the trust of Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer in the playoffs and wrestled the starters job away from three-time Cup-winner, Marc-Andre Fleury and just led Vegas to a Game-7 shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks last night. He heads to the semis with an 8-4-0 playoff record, a 1.99 GAA, .918 sv% and three shutouts.</p><p>Was Murray right in trading for O'Reilly and Lehner back in 2015? Yes and no. Right players (albeit a a premium,) bad timing might be the best way to look at it.</p><p>Another Murray-trade that turned out poorly was trading defenseman <b>Brayden McNabb</b> (2009, 66th-overall,) along with two second-round picks and F, Jonathan Parker to the L.A. Kings for Nicolas Deslauriers and prospect Hudson Fasching, whom he acquired as "heavies" for the team. Although this wasn't a direct egg-in-the-face trade, embarrassment came later. The Kings left McNabb exposed to the 2018 NHL expansion draft, the Knight's plucked him and McNabb has been a mainstay on their top-pairing displaying definitive chemistry with top Vegas d-man Nate Schmidt.</p><p>Another member of Vegas who was once in the Sabres organization is forward <b>William Carrier</b>, whom Buffalo left unprotected at the expansion draft. New GM Jason Botterill made a deal with Vegas GM George McPhee sending a 6th round pick to Vegas to protect goalie Linus Ullmark. McPhee took that pick and Carrier who has now played in 162 regular season and 32 playoff games over three seasons for the Golden Knights.</p><p>Carrier and Vegas recently agreed to a 4yr./$5.6 million contract extension.</p><p>Staying out west, the veteran laden Dallas Stars will take on Vegas with two former Sabres patrolling the blueline in lesser roles. </p><p>Defenseman <b>Andrej Sekera</b> was a 2004, third-round pick of Buffalo and at 34 yrs. old is doing that journeyman thing. Sekera left Buffalo after the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and has had stints in Carolina, Toronto, Los Angeles, Edmonton and now Dallas. The Stars have him in a lower-pairing role with heavy penalty killing duties. As a player who was much maligned in Buffalo by a fan-base that over-emphasized his short-comings while de-emphasizing his positive qualities, it would bring this writer some pleasure seeing him skate around the ice with the Cup in his hands.</p><p><b>Taylor Fedun</b> is another former Sabres d-man playing for Dallas. The undrafted free agent initially signed with the Edmonton Oilers out of Princeton University, and played for the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks before landing in Buffalo in 2016. Botterill traded Fedun to the Stars in November, 2018 where he's been contributing as expected in a reserve role.</p><p>The NY Islanders have no former Sabres on their team as they head to the Eastern Conference Championship series but their opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning do.</p><p>Defenseman <b>Zach Bogosian</b> was another young-vet, Murray acquisition and though he wasn't the primary piece received in a blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets in 2015 (winger Evander Kane was the key player,) he was expected to, at the very least, be a top-four defenseman who would be with Buffalo a long time while Murray worked young players through the system.</p><p>Bogosian was in Buffalo for a relatively long time, six years, but only played in 243 games for the Sabres due to a rash of injuries that hit like clockwork on a yearly basis. The former first round pick (2008, third-overall) was drafted as a big, gritty defenseman with excellent skating and some real good offensive touch but little of that showed in Buffalo as he was either playing injured, on injured reserve or recovering from injuries. Eventually it came to the point where the Sabres wanted to trade him, but his $5.14 cap-hit made him immovable. </p><p>When he came back from his latest injury, head coach Ralph Krueger gave him a shot and made him a healthy scratch (for the first time in the defenseman's career) prompting Bogosian asked for a trade. With no takers the 29 yr. old was waived, failed to report and was given his unconditional release. Bogosian hooked up with the Lightning on an NHL-minimum salary.</p><p>Like O'Reilly before him, Bogosian walked into a situation where the team was set and he had his defined role within that setup and he's performed well with nearly all of his advanced metrics either at the top amongst Tampa Bay defensemen or in top-three.</p><p>Odds are that at least one former Sabre will be skating around with a big smile on his face while lofting the Stanley Cup high above his head. Which one will it be?</p><p>We shall see.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-1661811250997034902020-11-13T06:33:00.000-05:002020-11-13T06:33:09.098-05:00What was the process used to select high-scoring winger Jack Quinn 8th-overall?<p>If you've followed the Buffalo Sabres the past decade you had to know that this was a possibility. After a long seven-month off season due to the pandemic and Buffalo's failure to make the expanded playoffs, new Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams stepped up in a virtual setting and made his selection for the 8th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, RW Jack Quinn of the Ottawa 67's.</p><p>Quinn was second in the Canadian Hockey League in scoring with 52 goals in 62 games after scoring just 12 goals in 61 games the previous season. The 19 yr. old with a wicked wrist shot scored in many ways and in all situations (5v5, powerplay, shorthanded) while finding those soft spots around the net. At 6'0" 176 lbs. Quinn has a projectable frame and if he continues to put in the work, which he has diligently done recently, he should be physically ready to begin his NHL journey next fall.</p><p>Most were aware of Quinn's meteoric rise last season and he was considered a mid to upper-mid first round pick at the draft. That Buffalo took him at No. 8 was a surprise in most circles and was met with mixed emotions in Sabreland and beyond.</p><p>With the board unfolding the way it did as two defensemen were taken top-six, the Sabres were looking at selecting a very nice player at No. 8 including the possibility of drafting two centers--Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti--who many believed would be gone by the time Buffalo made their pick. After the New Jersey Devils selected a sniper in winger Alexander Holtz, it seemed as if Sabreland was facing a simple situation of taking sides between Rossi and Perfetti with neither really being a bad pick. When Adams selected Quinn, Sabreland devolved into two different groups of those who got that sinking feeling and those who were on the side of hope that the new GM had done well.</p><p>Quinn is "a pure sniper" according to Kyle Woodlief, chief scout and publisher of the Red Line Report, a premier draft guide. In his analysis of Buffalo's pick for USA Today Woodlief called Quinn an "aggressive winger...[who] has a knack for sifting through the wash and winding up in dangerous scoring territory without being noticed." </p><p>Corey Pronman of The Athletic had Quinn rated 16th amongst prospects writing that although he didn't call him "an elite sniper, Quinn is just super skilled and smart player who scored a lot of goals around that net." Pronman nailed it in his final mock draft where he had the Sabres selecting him. "Trying to figure out the Sabres has been tough with the moving pieces from new management coming in," he wrote, "but the two names I've heard most are the two Ottawa forwards in Quinn and Rossi. I've been hearing Quinn more often now and think he could be the pick."</p><p>Which makes a lot of sense. Most thought Rossi, who led the CHL with 120 points (39+81) in 56 games would be off the board when the Sabres picked so leaning towards Quinn was a matter of elimination. What caused Adams to take the second best player on that 67's team?</p><p>"Jack's a Sabre," said Adams right off the bat in a Zoom call after the first round and he went on to credit his scouting staff with giving him insight into Quinn's entire game. "[It's] not just the goal scoring," said Adams, "his overall game kept showing through as we did the work. We see the ability for him to keep getting better, his athleticism is high and just the metrics we use scouting he met, and then some."</p><p>When asked what he meant by "Jack's a Sabre" Adams said "he was looking for certain characteristics, whether it's on the ice and the process they use to get their results. You're talking about the competitiveness, the athleticism, some of the measurables...when you package it all together, we felt he was a Sabre."</p><p>Whatever those measurables were, the analytical side of the equation didn't seem to be foremost in Adams' thoughts. Jeremiah Crowe was promoted by Adams three months ago to be the head scout of the pro and amateur departments in Buffalo. In an interview posted on the Sabres website the 34 yr. old Crowe called it "a unique opportunity knowing what's been laid out by Kevyn's vision...the buzzwords being analytics, video and scouting." </p><p>We didn't really hear Adams mention anything from an analytics standpoint last night. Instead he offered up a general thoughts on numbers, which is somewhat expected as no GM will get into specifics. As the call unfolded he seemed to focus on Quinn's journey as a determining factor along with his goal-scoring prowess and all around play. Adams said he "really dug in with his scouts to understand [Quinn's] path" which is one of a dogged determination to get to this point. That path included being cut numerous times in triple-A and also his rookie season in the OHL. Quinn had never worked out in the summers as a 15 or 16 yr. old opting to play competitive golf and other sports, but once he got with a trainer, his path to the draft ramped up.</p><p>"We interviewed him and he had a lot of interesting answers to the questions I personally asked him," said Adams of Quinn. "He has a really good self-awareness of who he is as a player and he also has a determination in that I see him getting better and better. He's got that growth-mindset kind of mentality where you can see he wants to get better and he was upset when he was younger that he didn't feel he was where he wanted to be as a hockey player. Then he started doing thing to help him improve. To me you see that trajectory, that arc.</p><p>"He's got a big ceiling."</p><p>On the call Adams seemed to bypass what he's been preaching the last seven months. From what he conveyed during the Zoom call, this didn't seem as if it was an analytics-driven pick and from just looking at comparative stats from Rossi and Quinn, two players on the same team, it looks like a reach as they seemed to have bypassed a "best player available" approach and drafted for a position of need. How much of a reach, if it is at all, is to be determined.</p><p>Quinn seems like a really good player with plenty of upside and no doubt Buffalo could use some scoring on the wing. In my mock I surmised that they'd select Holtz with the eighth-overall ahead of Perfetti. It will be a couple years, at least, before we see how Adams' first draft pick unfolds and both sides of the Quinn pick have legit arguments as to why or why not this was the best pick for the Buffalo Sabres. The initial reaction here that of disbelief enveloped in that sinking feeling. And to repeat, it's not that Quinn is a bad prospect, but when a fan base has been subjected to mismanagement for years, they have every right to feel skeptical when a consensus mid-first round pick gets taken at No. 8 ahead of two consensus top-six picks, one being his own teammate who led the CHL in scoring. Having said that I, like 99.9% of those reading this don't have access to the information the Sabres scouting department has, so this writer defers.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-55601808173000161712020-11-13T06:30:00.001-05:002020-11-13T06:31:20.614-05:00Are the Buffalo Sabres finished this off season?<p>Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams took care of three restricted free agents with arbitration rights before their respective hearings. The team announced that they re-signed right wing Sam Reinhart and goalie Linus Ullmark to one-year deals on Sunday and earlier today the Sabres announced that winger Victor Olofsson signed a two-year deal with the club. Buffalo still has two more players in center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Lawrence Pilut who were tendered qualifying offers but remain unsigned. </p><p>It's an uncertain time for the National Hockey League and it's players as Covid-19 is still shrouds the immediate and near-term future of the league. The NHL has already laid out a scenario where the cap-ceiling will remain at $81.5 million for this season and next with a potential $1 million increase for the 2022-23 season and in doing so has created a salary structure conundrum for players and teams. </p><p>Very few long-term deals have been reached this off season with the Sabres opting for one, two and three-year deals for 14 players leaving only 10 players signed through next season. Their biggest, most stunning signing was former NHL MVP Taylor Hall who signed a 1yr./$8 million deal with the club on October 12. In all Adams and the Sabres re-signed four of their restricted free-agents to one-year deals including Reinhart, who will still be an RFA next season. "I think every player in the times right now would be open to a long-term deal," said the 24 yr. old when asked if a one year deal was right for these uncertain times. "Unfortunately that's not always the case, it's not always available."<br /></p><p>Reinhart is on his third contract with Buffalo since signing his entry-level deal in 2014 (with a one-year slide that season) and said on the Zoom call this morning that he's "certainly comfortable playing on short-term deals like I always have."</p><p>Indeed. Reinhart has outplayed his contract every season as he's consistently gone from a 23-goal/42-point rookie campaign to a 22-goal/65-point season in 2018-19. Last year his 22 goals and 50 points in 69 games projected out to 26 goals and 59 points for a full 82-game season.</p><p>Having Reinhart in the fold means five of Buffalo's top-six forwards are in place and with the two-year contract extension signed by Victor Olofsson this morning, it puts their projected forward group at 12 players without Mittelstadt or promising forward Rasmus Asplund, both of whom are waivers-exempt or 19 yr. old Dylan Cozens who seems to be on the cusp of an NHL spot.</p><p>Re-signing defenseman Brandon Montour filled out their defense although it's still weighted to the right as they have five right-handed defensemen and only two lefties signed. Pilut is a left-handed d-man and the Sabres still own his rights, however he's under contract in the KHL and shouldn't be counted on, at least at this point, to be an add on defense. </p><p>Adams filled out his crease by re-signing Linus Ullmark to a one-year deal. Ullmark showed some real promise as a starter last season before going down with an injury. In his only game post-injury/pre-Covid, he defeated the Washington Capitals for the first time in his career with a 3-2 shootout win. The 27 yr. old will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end and he could end up anywhere, including the Pacific Northwest where the Seattle Kraken could take him in the expansion draft. </p><p>It's a situation that isn't likely as he and the organization have been together through every step of his professional career including three years in his native Sweden, an emergency call-up/split season in 2015-16, two full seasons in Rochester after and two full seasons with the Sabres. Ullmark split duties in 2018-19 with Carter Hutton the starter and last season he took over the starters role after Hutton stumbled miserably. </p><p>Ullmark's one-year deal looks like a "prove-it" contract and it's something he just rolls with. The affable net minder shrugged it off saying that he always needs to prove his worth in goal. The experience of being dubbed the starter last season laid the foundation for him manning the crease in the same role this season. As he dealt with the fast pace and accurate shooting these past two seasons with the club, he gained valuable experience which allows him to "read and react in a more natural way because experience build on itself.</p><p>"Experience makes a huge difference for a goaltender," he continued, "everything I do every day is helping me take the next step."</p><p>He also alluded to the talent Adams brought in that will help him at practice. "Doing the repetitions and movements at full speed against better and better players is certainly helping me to act in a natural way and not a fabricated way. </p><p>With all but Mittelstadt and Pilut signed, the Sabres have a full roster right now and will head coach Ralph Krueger enters the 2020-21 season with more firepower up top thanks to the signing of Hall. Reinhart praised Krueger for his approach saying this morning, "just the level of honesty and the communication he has is something that every player wants to play under.</p><p>"I think that's a big part of why you see these players wanting to come here right now and I truly believe it's because of the kind of person he is and how bad players want to play for him."</p><p>Unless Adams and Krueger have something else up their sleeves, the Sabres roster for this season looks complete. The recent signings have the Sabres with a projected cap hit, according to CapFriendly, of just a smidge over $78 million dollars and when looking at that figure we also need to keep in mind that they'll be carrying overages from last season totaling just under $1.5 million which means they really only have $2 million in cap space. And that doesn't include any potential performance bonuses for this season so if they're so inclined to upgrade anywhere, it will need to be a money-in/money-out scenario.</p><p>Without any changes, this is what the roster could look like at the start of the 2020-21 NHL season (whenever that is):</p><p><br /></p><p>Forwards</p><p>Taylor Hall - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart</p><p>Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tage Thompson</p><p>Victor Olofsson - Cody Eakin - Kyle Okposo</p><p>Zemgus Girgensons - Curtis Lazar - Tobias Reider</p><p><br /></p><p>With Casey Mittelstadt, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Asplund and possibly C.J. Smith vying for roster spots.</p><p><br /></p><p>Defense</p><p>Rasmus Dahlin - Colin Miller</p><p>Jake McCabe - Rasmus Ristolianen</p><p>Brandon Montour - Henri Jokiharju</p><p><br /></p><p>With Matt Irwin, rookie Will Borgen and possibly Lawrence Pilut vying for spots on defense</p><p><br /></p><p>Goaltenders</p><p>Linus Ullmark</p><p>Carter Hutton</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5557621080663192066.post-12492688721201665602020-10-29T14:43:00.000-04:002020-10-29T14:43:03.894-04:00Questions galore as the Sabres ready for the opening of free agency<p>For a large swath of fans in Sabreland, the hits keep coming as new Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams fashions his team to his liking. It began Tuesday night with the selection of scoring winger Jack Quinn 8th-overall in the 2020 NHL Draft which in and of itself isn't a bad pick by any means, although the methodology as to how they came to that pick at that spot is somewhat quizzical.</p><p>As things calmed down near the end of Rounds 2-7 on Wednesday evening it was revealed that Dominik Kahun was not tendered a qualifying offer which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent today. The 25 yr. old undrafted forward finished up the season with the Sabres after a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kahun scored two goals and added two assists in six games for Buffalo tallying 68 points (25+42) in 138 total NHL games for three different teams. The reasoning behind the decision on Kahun centered around a possible arbitration award that might not be to Buffalo's liking with Adams calling it a "calculated" move as he tries to give himself roster flexibility heading into free agency. Most looked at this as a gamble at best as it allowed for the possibility that a top-nine scoring forward, which happens to be an area of need, could walk away.</p><p>If that wasn't enough, the team announced yesterday that forward Zemgus Girgensons signed a 3yr./$6.6 million contract extension with the club. At seven years Girgensons is the longest tenured Buffalo Sabre but unfortunately that tenure has been marked by on-ice ineptitude that has reached historic levels for this franchise. It's not that he's a bad player as he scored 12 goals in a checking role last season under new head coach Ralph Kruger. What it really amounts to is that the highly likeable Girgensons is associated with seven years of futility and when Sabreland was promised change under Adams, most didn't think that change and him were compatible.</p><p>The Sabres head into the start of free agency, which begins at noon today, with an abundance of holes in the roster and, according to CapFriendly, about $30 million in projected cap space. They have 29 players signed to pro contracts, which is 21 under the upper limit and have six restricted free agents under their control--forwards Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt, defensemen Brandon Montour and Lawrence Pilut plus goalie Linus Ullmark. </p><p>Tendering Montour was a somewhat curious move. Many thought they'd let him walk as they have an abundance of right-shot defensemen and he was coming off a less than stellar season under Krueger where he played both sides of the ice. The hole they have is on the left side and Pilut may have filled that spot if he was still with the team. Buffalo signed the highly sought after free agent defenseman but he had a difficult 2019-20 season that began with recovery from surgery before splitting time between the big club and the AHL, something he wasn't particularly thrilled with. Although we're not sure whether he has an out-clause in his contract, head scout Jeremiah Crowe said they're still tracking his development in Russia and the qualifying offer shows that the Sabres are still interested in him.</p><p>All-in-all those six players could total as much as $20 million towards the cap leaving the team less than $10 million to spend when you account for last year's performance bonus overages. </p><p>Accounting for all six of those players signing, Buffalo heads into today with four spots amongst the forward group that need to be addressed. One of those spots will probably be taken up by Dylan Cozens who just finished an outstanding season in Canadian Junior with 85 points (38+47) in 51 games and had an equally impressive World Junior tournament for Team Canada. There's no in-between for the 19 yr. old center as it's either going back to junior, which he's too good for, or Buffalo. Rasmus Asplund is waivers exempt this season and could be in the mix for a roster spot as well. The 22 yr. old is coming off of two solid pro seasons which included splitting time last year between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans.</p><p>Mittelstadt is a bit of a wild card and could be in the mix for Buffalo. The 2017 seventh-overall pick left college after his freshman season and was put in a top-nine role for the Sabres. It was a case of too much too soon and he was sent to Rochester last year after struggling mightily. He is also waivers exempt.</p><p>With the AHL season still in question because of the pandemic, it's possible that all three of those forwards could be with the big club. </p><p>How it all fits together is still up in the air and we may have an answer or two sometime this evening as the "free agent frenzy" settles down. The big names usually go off the board early in the day while lesser names filter through as the day goes on. No one expects Buffalo to be in the mix for an Alex Pietrangelo or Taylor Hall but Adams has something on his mind while Sabreland has questions galore as to what this roster will look like come January 1st.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Motohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872935601357756236noreply@blogger.com0