Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-14-2019
A lot of times when a team is in a funk the overriding theme on a far-reaching road trip like this is that it will be a good bonding experience. Without any local distractions, it's just the team and their opponents and a lot of time to focus solely on the task at hand.
Buffalo begins a three-game, western Canada swing tonight with a visit to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta to take on the Oilers. After that it's a stop in Calgary to face the Flames before they head to the Pacific coast to take on the Vancouver Canucks which will ultimately take them 2,700 miles from home and hopefully even further away from the struggles they've endured lately.
The Sabres have been brilliant versus the Pacific Division this season going 9-2-1 and haven't lost in regulation since the Anaheim Ducks walloped them 5-1 on October 18. For those following, it was after that game that Buffalo bench boss Phil Housley mixed up his forward lines. He moved Jeff Skinner back to Jack Eichel's left wing, which was where he started the season, and moved 35 yr. old Jason Pominville to that duo's right. Kyle Okposo remained on rookie Casey Mittelstadt's right wing while fourth-line center Evan Rodrigues was moved to up to the left on that line. The bottom-six featured Conor Sheary/Vladimir Sobotka/Sam Reinhart along with Zemgus Girgensons/Johan Larsson/Patrick Berglund.
Showing posts with label Connor McDavid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connor McDavid. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
A win against Toronto is always a good win for Buffalo...and Jack Eichel as well
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-27-2018
It's always good to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs and it's even better when the 'W' comes in Toronto at the Air Canada Center. And what made last night even more fun for those of us in Sabreland was that the Leafs had no answer for Buffalo's Jack Eichel who scored the Sabres first goal and their last to give his team the 3-2 victory.
The Sabres also stopped Toronto's franchise record 13-game home winning streak and prevented them from breaking their franchise record for wins in a season and home wins in a season. And in overcoming 2-1 deficit with two third period goals, the Sabres dropped Toronto's record when leading after two periods to 29-3-2.
Oh, and the win snapped Buffalo's four-game losing streak that saw them get outscored by a combined 16-2 despite outshooting their opponent in every game and by a cumulative 144-108 margin.
To keep it in perspective, unless the Leafs incur a major disaster over their final six games they'll be in the playoffs for the second consecutive season while Buffalo is looking like they'll be finishing last for the third time in five seasons.
But for one night, Sabres fans savored victory over the arch-rival Leafs.
The talent discrepancy was once again definitive last night as Toronto controlled much of the game pumping 41 shots on goalie Chad Johnson and another 26, according to Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, "where we missed the net."
"We've got to hit the net," Babcock told the gathered media post-game.
Johnson has really been making a name for himself as of late. After an atrocious start to the 2017-18 season the 31 yr. old is 8-4-0 in his last 13 appearances which includes six consecutive wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs, the top teams in the Atlantic Division. As a surprise starter after rookie Linus Ullmark suffered an injury at the morning skate, Johnson thwarted Toronto through much of the game coming up with big saves when needed.
"It's not how I want to prepare or how I want to find out, but you just deal with it," Johnson told the media afterward. "It's always nice beating that team regardless of the situation. Is there another little boost to it ending the streak? Yeah, it's always fun to be that team that ends it, especially Leafs and Sabres here."
For as much as Johnson made a difference in the game, Eichel was a beast. And it began early when he stripped fellow superstar Auston Matthews of the puck in the Toronto corner. Buffalo's Zemgus Girgensons won a puck battle and fed a streaking Eichel who deeked the Leafs Freddy Andersen for his 23rd goal of the season.
Eichel had another opportunity as he went in a on a 2-on-1 with Jordan Nolan, but Andersen thwarted Nolan. Sabres fans are still trying to figure out what Nolan was doing out there with Eichel to begin with.
The Leafs had trouble with Eichel's speed and quickness all game and the only one to corral it was 235 lb. veteran defenseman Roman Polack, who got the angle on a streaking Eichel down the left side deep in the Toronto zone.
Eichel was not to be denied as he streaked in once again the same way, beat defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and slid a one-handed backhand past Anderssen for his 24th goal.
For as much trouble as the Sabres have had over the past three seasons, especially this one, and for as much as Eichel has been the forgotten one when it comes to the superstars of the future, namely Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Matthews, he and the Sabres have owned head to head matchups.
Eichel lost both of his first meetings against McDavid and Matthews, but since then he and the Sabres are 6-0-0 in those head-to-head meetings. In all the Sabres are 6-1-1 vs. McDavid/Oilers and Matthews/Leafs with the Sabres those two teams by a combined 27-15 margin.
Head to head Eichel has more points in those matchups than McDavid and Matthews combined. In four head-to-head games vs. the Oilers, Eichel has six points (2+4) while McDavid has four (2+2) and in four against Leafs Eichel has eight points (4+4) while Matthews has three (2+1.) Eichel also has a cumulative plus-5 rating in all eight games while McDavid and Matthews are a combined minus-3.
The Sabres are what they are this season, a bottom-feeder destined for a top pick in the draft. There's a lot of work to be done with a roster that needs some serious tweaking. More help is on the way as forward Casey Mittelstadt, who has speed, skill and hockey smarts, just signed his entry-level deal and is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday.
One never does know what to expect from this team moving forward, but at least we've come to expect good performances against divisional foes like the Lightning, Bruins and Leafs. And beating them, especially the Leafs at Air Canada Center, is a drink of cool water in the depths of a hellish season.
For your viewing pleasure, via the NHL:
It's always good to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs and it's even better when the 'W' comes in Toronto at the Air Canada Center. And what made last night even more fun for those of us in Sabreland was that the Leafs had no answer for Buffalo's Jack Eichel who scored the Sabres first goal and their last to give his team the 3-2 victory.
The Sabres also stopped Toronto's franchise record 13-game home winning streak and prevented them from breaking their franchise record for wins in a season and home wins in a season. And in overcoming 2-1 deficit with two third period goals, the Sabres dropped Toronto's record when leading after two periods to 29-3-2.
Oh, and the win snapped Buffalo's four-game losing streak that saw them get outscored by a combined 16-2 despite outshooting their opponent in every game and by a cumulative 144-108 margin.
To keep it in perspective, unless the Leafs incur a major disaster over their final six games they'll be in the playoffs for the second consecutive season while Buffalo is looking like they'll be finishing last for the third time in five seasons.
But for one night, Sabres fans savored victory over the arch-rival Leafs.
The talent discrepancy was once again definitive last night as Toronto controlled much of the game pumping 41 shots on goalie Chad Johnson and another 26, according to Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, "where we missed the net."
"We've got to hit the net," Babcock told the gathered media post-game.
Johnson has really been making a name for himself as of late. After an atrocious start to the 2017-18 season the 31 yr. old is 8-4-0 in his last 13 appearances which includes six consecutive wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs, the top teams in the Atlantic Division. As a surprise starter after rookie Linus Ullmark suffered an injury at the morning skate, Johnson thwarted Toronto through much of the game coming up with big saves when needed.
"It's not how I want to prepare or how I want to find out, but you just deal with it," Johnson told the media afterward. "It's always nice beating that team regardless of the situation. Is there another little boost to it ending the streak? Yeah, it's always fun to be that team that ends it, especially Leafs and Sabres here."
For as much as Johnson made a difference in the game, Eichel was a beast. And it began early when he stripped fellow superstar Auston Matthews of the puck in the Toronto corner. Buffalo's Zemgus Girgensons won a puck battle and fed a streaking Eichel who deeked the Leafs Freddy Andersen for his 23rd goal of the season.
Eichel had another opportunity as he went in a on a 2-on-1 with Jordan Nolan, but Andersen thwarted Nolan. Sabres fans are still trying to figure out what Nolan was doing out there with Eichel to begin with.
The Leafs had trouble with Eichel's speed and quickness all game and the only one to corral it was 235 lb. veteran defenseman Roman Polack, who got the angle on a streaking Eichel down the left side deep in the Toronto zone.
Eichel was not to be denied as he streaked in once again the same way, beat defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and slid a one-handed backhand past Anderssen for his 24th goal.
For as much trouble as the Sabres have had over the past three seasons, especially this one, and for as much as Eichel has been the forgotten one when it comes to the superstars of the future, namely Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Matthews, he and the Sabres have owned head to head matchups.
Eichel lost both of his first meetings against McDavid and Matthews, but since then he and the Sabres are 6-0-0 in those head-to-head meetings. In all the Sabres are 6-1-1 vs. McDavid/Oilers and Matthews/Leafs with the Sabres those two teams by a combined 27-15 margin.
Head to head Eichel has more points in those matchups than McDavid and Matthews combined. In four head-to-head games vs. the Oilers, Eichel has six points (2+4) while McDavid has four (2+2) and in four against Leafs Eichel has eight points (4+4) while Matthews has three (2+1.) Eichel also has a cumulative plus-5 rating in all eight games while McDavid and Matthews are a combined minus-3.
The Sabres are what they are this season, a bottom-feeder destined for a top pick in the draft. There's a lot of work to be done with a roster that needs some serious tweaking. More help is on the way as forward Casey Mittelstadt, who has speed, skill and hockey smarts, just signed his entry-level deal and is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday.
One never does know what to expect from this team moving forward, but at least we've come to expect good performances against divisional foes like the Lightning, Bruins and Leafs. And beating them, especially the Leafs at Air Canada Center, is a drink of cool water in the depths of a hellish season.
For your viewing pleasure, via the NHL:
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thoughts on the MIN game, "McEichel-3" tonight and Risto's back.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-24-2017
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hope you all enjoyed warmth, happiness and great food amongst family and friends yesterday with a bow to the heavens for the blessings bestowed upon us.
The Buffalo Sabres take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight at KeyBank Center and enter the game reeling on a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2.) But before we get to Connor McDavid and the Oilers coming to town, some notes on Buffalo's 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thanksgiving Eve.
Everyone from the coach to the players to the media were beside themselves after the Sabres pulled their usual stunts en route to the loss. Buffalo scored first and looked great in the process before giving up three unanswered goals in a span of 5:27. Twice they would answer another Wild goal, coming to within one goal with just over six minutes left but could they not tie the game.
Afterwards, bottom-six forward and two-time Stanley Cup winner Jordan Nolan, called out his team mates for not holding each other accountable using his examples from his time in Los Angeles playing for the Kings. Head coach Phil Housley channeled his inner John Tortorella with short, terse answers at his post-game presser and veteran forward Jason Pominville was visibly upset while fielding questions.
WGR550 radio's Paul Hamilton was as irate as we've heard him all season in his post-game thoughts. Hamilton, who's been GR's Sabres beat reporter for years, took the players to task for their play and called for action in the form of waiving players while also saying that maybe they should consider benching a player no one would expect to be benched. That last remark seemingly referred to Jack Eichel without calling him out by name.
Interesting to note that every player was available post-game for an interview with the media having their pick of the litter when they walked in. It was something Hamilton said he hadn't seen since Chris Drury was co-captain of the Sabres. It's also interesting to note that they went to Pominville after interviewing Nolan.
Nolan was an easy one as he just scored his first two goals of the season and was a beast out there. But why Pominville, a former player who doesn't wear a letter? "If I have seen him madder," said Hamilton of Pominville, "I don't know when it was. He just had steam coming out of his ears. He was extremely upset."
Pominville was indeed emotionally upset to the point where it looked as if he might break down in his quivering. This is the same Pominville that captained GM Darcy Regier's core to the exact same play we witnessed for years before it was blown up. "This is what he left," continued Hamilton, "and it's no better than when he left as far as the attitudes in there and what goes on."
Yet, the 34 yr. old came into the game with a nine-game goal-drought (extended to 10 against the Wild) and a seven-game pointless streak. He was originally credited with Buffalo's first goal but received the primary assist when the goal was given to Eichel. He was also credited with two of his four shots on goal in that sequence and all of his shots within the first 8:04 of the game. After that he was invisible.
There was plenty of blame to throw around at most players after the game, and Housley rightfully took his players to task for "not following the game-plan for 60 minutes, not being on the same page, taking things into their own hands and [poor] decisions and choices at the wrong time of the game." Yet his decision to start back-up goalie Chad Johnson was questionable at best and blew up in his face as Johnson allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first period before being pulled to begin the second period.
The first goal Johnson let in as weak a goal as you'll ever see and he couldn't rise to the challenge on the second one with his defenseman covering the pass on a 2-on-1. The 31 yr. old goalie, whom GM Jason Botterill signed to provide quality as a back-up, went into the Wild game with a 1-4-2 record, a 3.36 GAA and a .892 Sv%.
When asked why Johnson got the nod over starter Robin Lehner giving him two of the last three starts, Housley's short response was, "we're losing games so we have to make some decisions and we decided to go with Chad."
End of press conference.
The coaching staff is also responsible for a Sabres powerplay that has plummeted from No. 1 last season to 30th in the league as of today. On Wednesday a powerplay could've either added to their momentum or swung it in their favor but they were disjointed on all three. Conversely, the Wild scored on two of three powerplay opportunities which made a big difference in a one-goal game.
"Jason Botterill has a problem on his hands," noted an agitated Hamilton, while also stating that it's the middle of the season and it would be difficult to fix at this point. Then again, Botterill seems intent upon letting this thing burn to the ground in Buffalo while simultaneously cultivating a winning culture in Rochester.
Which isn't such a bad idea.
Botterill looks like he has more problems than he bargained for and he's willing to let them figure it out on their own, short-term consequences be damned.
The Sabres play an Edmonton Oilers team tonight that's been struggling so far this season but are coming off a 6-2 win at Detroit on Wednesday.
The Oilers and Sabres have met four times since the "McEichel Sweepstakes" known as the 2015 NHL Draft with Buffalo going 2-1-1 thus far. Edmonton took the first post-draft matchup minus McDavid, 4-2 and in "McEichel-1" they beat the Sabres in overtime 2-1 as McDavid scored both goals. Last season the Sabres crushed Edmonton 6-2 without Jack Eichel and in "McEichel-2" Buffalo won 4-3 in overtime.
McDavid has four points (2+2) in three games versus the Sabres while Eichel has two points (1+1) in three games as well with the 2015 first-overall pick outscoring the 2015 second-overall pick four points to one in head-to-head action.
*****
According to reports from the rink, here are the Sabres lines at the skate:
Kane-Eichel-Pominville
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Reinhart
Nolan-Josefson-Okposo
Girgensons-Larsson-Criscuolo
Of note: The Josefson line was listed as the fourth line during the morning skate on Wednesday but played third-line minutes and looked very good in the process as Nolan scored those two goals and Josefson got his first point (an assists) as a Buffalo Sabre. Kyle Okposo failed to hit the scoresheet but like his linemates was a plus-1 on the night.
*****
It looks as if Rasmus Ristolainen will be back in action tonight for the Sabres. Ristolainen was felled by an upper-body injury for nine games. During that time the Sabres are 1-6-2 and have presently lost four in a row and are winless in their last seven.
The d-pairings are reported as being:
Ristolainen-Scandella
McCabe-Antipin
Beaulieu-Falk
Perhaps Jake McCabe should have gotten some attention last night after the game. The 24 yr. old played one of his best games of the season with a nice primary assist after joining the rush and three pretty solid hits on the night. He also was well aware of his d-partner, Victor Antipin, in their own zone and provided an outlet on numerous occasions when Antipin was in trouble. He also looked genuinely ticked off at the plight of his team during the game.
It looks as if Housley's going back to Lehner for tonight.
*****
Two final notes.
Props to the fans at KeyBank Center on Wednesday as they avoided booing en masse during portions of the game although there was one lunkhead that seemingly tried to get a chorus of boos going on a number of occasions.
And it's time for the goal-song to go the way of the "turd burger" third jersey they had a couple years back. Both of them might have been good ideas in the eyes (and ears) of those in positions of power at the time, but both were/are lame at best. One's been tossed away and the other should follow soon.
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hope you all enjoyed warmth, happiness and great food amongst family and friends yesterday with a bow to the heavens for the blessings bestowed upon us.
The Buffalo Sabres take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight at KeyBank Center and enter the game reeling on a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2.) But before we get to Connor McDavid and the Oilers coming to town, some notes on Buffalo's 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thanksgiving Eve.
Everyone from the coach to the players to the media were beside themselves after the Sabres pulled their usual stunts en route to the loss. Buffalo scored first and looked great in the process before giving up three unanswered goals in a span of 5:27. Twice they would answer another Wild goal, coming to within one goal with just over six minutes left but could they not tie the game.
Afterwards, bottom-six forward and two-time Stanley Cup winner Jordan Nolan, called out his team mates for not holding each other accountable using his examples from his time in Los Angeles playing for the Kings. Head coach Phil Housley channeled his inner John Tortorella with short, terse answers at his post-game presser and veteran forward Jason Pominville was visibly upset while fielding questions.
WGR550 radio's Paul Hamilton was as irate as we've heard him all season in his post-game thoughts. Hamilton, who's been GR's Sabres beat reporter for years, took the players to task for their play and called for action in the form of waiving players while also saying that maybe they should consider benching a player no one would expect to be benched. That last remark seemingly referred to Jack Eichel without calling him out by name.
Interesting to note that every player was available post-game for an interview with the media having their pick of the litter when they walked in. It was something Hamilton said he hadn't seen since Chris Drury was co-captain of the Sabres. It's also interesting to note that they went to Pominville after interviewing Nolan.
Nolan was an easy one as he just scored his first two goals of the season and was a beast out there. But why Pominville, a former player who doesn't wear a letter? "If I have seen him madder," said Hamilton of Pominville, "I don't know when it was. He just had steam coming out of his ears. He was extremely upset."
Pominville was indeed emotionally upset to the point where it looked as if he might break down in his quivering. This is the same Pominville that captained GM Darcy Regier's core to the exact same play we witnessed for years before it was blown up. "This is what he left," continued Hamilton, "and it's no better than when he left as far as the attitudes in there and what goes on."
Yet, the 34 yr. old came into the game with a nine-game goal-drought (extended to 10 against the Wild) and a seven-game pointless streak. He was originally credited with Buffalo's first goal but received the primary assist when the goal was given to Eichel. He was also credited with two of his four shots on goal in that sequence and all of his shots within the first 8:04 of the game. After that he was invisible.
There was plenty of blame to throw around at most players after the game, and Housley rightfully took his players to task for "not following the game-plan for 60 minutes, not being on the same page, taking things into their own hands and [poor] decisions and choices at the wrong time of the game." Yet his decision to start back-up goalie Chad Johnson was questionable at best and blew up in his face as Johnson allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first period before being pulled to begin the second period.
The first goal Johnson let in as weak a goal as you'll ever see and he couldn't rise to the challenge on the second one with his defenseman covering the pass on a 2-on-1. The 31 yr. old goalie, whom GM Jason Botterill signed to provide quality as a back-up, went into the Wild game with a 1-4-2 record, a 3.36 GAA and a .892 Sv%.
When asked why Johnson got the nod over starter Robin Lehner giving him two of the last three starts, Housley's short response was, "we're losing games so we have to make some decisions and we decided to go with Chad."
End of press conference.
The coaching staff is also responsible for a Sabres powerplay that has plummeted from No. 1 last season to 30th in the league as of today. On Wednesday a powerplay could've either added to their momentum or swung it in their favor but they were disjointed on all three. Conversely, the Wild scored on two of three powerplay opportunities which made a big difference in a one-goal game.
"Jason Botterill has a problem on his hands," noted an agitated Hamilton, while also stating that it's the middle of the season and it would be difficult to fix at this point. Then again, Botterill seems intent upon letting this thing burn to the ground in Buffalo while simultaneously cultivating a winning culture in Rochester.
Which isn't such a bad idea.
Botterill looks like he has more problems than he bargained for and he's willing to let them figure it out on their own, short-term consequences be damned.
The Sabres play an Edmonton Oilers team tonight that's been struggling so far this season but are coming off a 6-2 win at Detroit on Wednesday.
The Oilers and Sabres have met four times since the "McEichel Sweepstakes" known as the 2015 NHL Draft with Buffalo going 2-1-1 thus far. Edmonton took the first post-draft matchup minus McDavid, 4-2 and in "McEichel-1" they beat the Sabres in overtime 2-1 as McDavid scored both goals. Last season the Sabres crushed Edmonton 6-2 without Jack Eichel and in "McEichel-2" Buffalo won 4-3 in overtime.
McDavid has four points (2+2) in three games versus the Sabres while Eichel has two points (1+1) in three games as well with the 2015 first-overall pick outscoring the 2015 second-overall pick four points to one in head-to-head action.
*****
According to reports from the rink, here are the Sabres lines at the skate:
Kane-Eichel-Pominville
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Reinhart
Nolan-Josefson-Okposo
Girgensons-Larsson-Criscuolo
Of note: The Josefson line was listed as the fourth line during the morning skate on Wednesday but played third-line minutes and looked very good in the process as Nolan scored those two goals and Josefson got his first point (an assists) as a Buffalo Sabre. Kyle Okposo failed to hit the scoresheet but like his linemates was a plus-1 on the night.
*****
It looks as if Rasmus Ristolainen will be back in action tonight for the Sabres. Ristolainen was felled by an upper-body injury for nine games. During that time the Sabres are 1-6-2 and have presently lost four in a row and are winless in their last seven.
The d-pairings are reported as being:
Ristolainen-Scandella
McCabe-Antipin
Beaulieu-Falk
Perhaps Jake McCabe should have gotten some attention last night after the game. The 24 yr. old played one of his best games of the season with a nice primary assist after joining the rush and three pretty solid hits on the night. He also was well aware of his d-partner, Victor Antipin, in their own zone and provided an outlet on numerous occasions when Antipin was in trouble. He also looked genuinely ticked off at the plight of his team during the game.
It looks as if Housley's going back to Lehner for tonight.
*****
Two final notes.
Props to the fans at KeyBank Center on Wednesday as they avoided booing en masse during portions of the game although there was one lunkhead that seemingly tried to get a chorus of boos going on a number of occasions.
And it's time for the goal-song to go the way of the "turd burger" third jersey they had a couple years back. Both of them might have been good ideas in the eyes (and ears) of those in positions of power at the time, but both were/are lame at best. One's been tossed away and the other should follow soon.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Defense. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. Plus, lookin' for another top-six LW
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-29-2017
From Edmonton to Buffalo moves altering the course of the Buffalo Sabres upcoming season, but the big move new GM Jason Botterill needs to make to really get things rolling probably won't happen this off season.
Defense, defense, defense.
The Sabres don't exactly have a top-five defense-corps in the league which leaves them looking to upgrade, especially filling a top-pairing need next to RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen. Botterill was able to fortify his lower pairings a bit with the signings of Victor Antipin, the trade for Nathan Beaulieu and the re-signing of Taylor Fedun. That trio adds plenty of depth from for new head coach Phil Housley to work with, but a top-four of Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't close to what he worked with in Nashville last season.
It will take time. And for those who are looking for a jolt this July 1, you can pretty much fuggedaboutit. The top two free agent d-men on the market are Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner both of whom will collect huge paychecks on long-term deals despite flaws in their games. Buffalo could be in the running if Botterill was willing to go above and beyond an expected overpayment for both, but despite plenty of room under the cap this year, it wouldn't seem as if it's in his blood to reach like that.
So the Sabres look to be headed into the off season, and possibly into training camp as well, with a defense corps as is. One possible addition, as mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, is that of soon to be free agent defenseman Will Butcher who's opting to go to free agency August 15 instead of signing with the team that drafted him. In a quick blurb I mentioned that having an opportunity in Buffalo to play under a coach like Housley who values puck-movers might pique his interest. Even if the Sabres were to land him, his impact, if any, wouldn't be felt for a few years as Butcher will probably need a couple years of seasoning for his development.
*****
Speaking of development, Botterill released player development coach Randy Cunneyworth two days ago.
After leaving the Rochester Americans in 2008 to pursue an NHL coaching career, Cunneyworth was brought back in 2015 as player development coach. He spent the 2015-16 season coaching in Rochester before going back to his previous position.
From 2015 to 2017 the Amerks were near the bottom of the league although the players that were brought up to Buffalo seemed to be well prepared for the NHL game. Unfortunately none were able to have an impact for the Sabres.
Botterill also released pro scout Jon Christiano. The Buffalo native had been with the Sabres since 1997 and spent three years as Director of Pro Scouting under GM Darcy Regier.
Also dismissed was amateur scout Kevin Prendergast who came on board in 2013.
Owner Terry Pegula and Botterill have slowly been purging the hockey department to start anew. Cunneyworth, Christiano and Prendergast join scouting director Rob Murphy, director of amateur scouting Greg Royce, pro scout Jim Kovachik and amateur scouts Keith Hendrickson and Brandon Jay as those on the outs since Pegula fired GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
*****
The hockey world just got a major jolt yesterday when word got out that Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid is looking at a contract extension that will have a cap-hit over $13 million. McDavid is entering the final year of his entry-level deal and the Oilers aren't messing around.
And they shouldn't.
McDavid just finished his sophomore season as the only 100-point player in the league and captained his Oilers team to Game-7 of the Western Conference Finals. He also backed up the truck at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas last week. He took home the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer,) Hart Trophy (league MVP,) and the Ted Lindsay Award as the leagues top player voted by his peers.
The shockwaves rattled rinks all the way to Buffalo as the Sabres and Jack Eichel are said to be talking about a contract extension. Eichel was taken second-overall behind McDavid in the 2015 NHL Draft and although he's had two real good seasons on a team that was in the 'build' stage of rebuild, his 113 points (48+65) in 142 games aren't on the same level as McDavid's 148 (46+102) in 127 games. However, there's still plenty of untapped upside for Eichel which is why his next contract could be in the $8-9 million/season range.
They're two different players with enormous talents who came into the leagued in two different situations. Both will forever be tied to the whole 2015 "McEichel" Draft and will be compared from a points, salary and impact perspective.
The Sabres are lucky to have Eichel and it might be in everyone's best interest to get him signed long-term. They could fool around with a three-year bridge contract that could possibly extend his stay in Buffalo to 11 years if they went max contract thereafter. Or they could just come together on an eight-year deal and save everyone the worry.
*****
Word on the street is that the Sabres are losing a goalie prospect but gaining a veteran backup in net.
To no one's surprise, Sabres prospect Cal Petersen (2013, 129th-overall) is not signing in Buffalo but instead will be headed to Los Angeles. Although nothing can be announced until Saturday, July 1, reports have Petersen and the Kings agreeing to a contract.
Petersen opted to forgo his senior season at Notre Dame to turn pro and the Sabres had nearly all of June to sign him but he elected to become a free agent.
The loss of Petersen effectively jumbled the goalie depth-chart as Buffalo was missing a piece. The two givens were that Robin Lehner is the Sabres starter and Jonas Johansson will be starting his first full North American pro season in Rochester. Linus Ullmark, whom Botterill effectively kept from Las Vegas in the expansion draft, could have been Lehner's backup had Petersen signed with Buffalo.
But our very own Buffalo 39 mentioned a couple days ago that the Sabres and former goalie Chad Johnson were in talks and word on the street is that Johnson will be back in Buffalo next season. Having him behind Lehner means that Ullmark goes back to Rochester as their starter for the second consecutive season.
Which is a good thing.
Goalies need reps and Ullmark will get a lot of them with the Amerks. The move also bodes well for Johansson who can get eased into the North American pro game.
Losing Petersen is a downer as he has legit No. 1 potential, but the Sabres will need to make lemonade.
*****
The Sabres, as mentioned above, could use a top-pairing defenseman but the could also use help on the wing in the top-six. And, as luck would have it, this isn't a particularly strong free agent class at LW.
The list at left wing is topped by veteran forward Patrick Marleau. However reports have him not wanting to leave San Jose and if he does, he wants to stay on the West Coast as to not disrupt his family.
After that the Sabres could, and should, have of some interest in Thomas Vanek.
Since being traded by Buffalo in October, 2013, Vanek has been wandering around the league. Vanek was traded by the NY Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens that same season then signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings last off season and was traded to Florida at the trade deadline March 1.
During this sojourn, word came out that Vanek's name appeared on a list in a Rochester, NY gambling sting and he apparently lost millions of dollars. With Pegula touting virtues like character and his Murray-firing presser, Vanek might not fit into what he wants moving forward. Yet you can't deny that Vanek still has the chops. Last season he scored 17 goals and added 31 assists in 68 games for Detroit and Florida. Those 48 points would have placed him third on the Sabres in scoring behind only Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. He also lead the league in the shootout going a perfect 5 for 5.
Speaking of gambling, the Sabres could also look into signing former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov to a "show me" contract. Yakupov has been set adrift after four years with the Oilers and one season in St. Louis. It would be a low-risk/high-reward scenario for the Sabres but most feel that the upside just isn't there as there's a disconnect with him and the NHL game.
Finally, maybe we should keep an eye on winger Beau Bennett who was the 20th-overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 when Botterill was in the front office.
The 6'2" 207 lb. Bennett is listed as a right-winger but can play either side.
Of course if Buffalo's own Tyler Ennis could return to form, it would eliminate the need for a top-six left-winger. Ennis' last two seasons have been dismal as he's had injury problems and just could never get into the flow of things. The Edmonton, Alberta native has only eight goals and 16 assist while playing in only 84 games the last two seasons.
As of right now the Sabres have only one legit top-six left wing in Evander Kane. He'll be entering the final year of his contract with questions as to whether or not there will be an extension for him this off season. There's been speculation that the Sabres would be trading him, but Pierre LeBrun told the WGR afternoon guys yesterday that Botterill is listening but not actively shopping Kane.
From Edmonton to Buffalo moves altering the course of the Buffalo Sabres upcoming season, but the big move new GM Jason Botterill needs to make to really get things rolling probably won't happen this off season.
Defense, defense, defense.
The Sabres don't exactly have a top-five defense-corps in the league which leaves them looking to upgrade, especially filling a top-pairing need next to RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen. Botterill was able to fortify his lower pairings a bit with the signings of Victor Antipin, the trade for Nathan Beaulieu and the re-signing of Taylor Fedun. That trio adds plenty of depth from for new head coach Phil Housley to work with, but a top-four of Ristolainen, Beaulieu, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe isn't close to what he worked with in Nashville last season.
It will take time. And for those who are looking for a jolt this July 1, you can pretty much fuggedaboutit. The top two free agent d-men on the market are Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner both of whom will collect huge paychecks on long-term deals despite flaws in their games. Buffalo could be in the running if Botterill was willing to go above and beyond an expected overpayment for both, but despite plenty of room under the cap this year, it wouldn't seem as if it's in his blood to reach like that.
So the Sabres look to be headed into the off season, and possibly into training camp as well, with a defense corps as is. One possible addition, as mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, is that of soon to be free agent defenseman Will Butcher who's opting to go to free agency August 15 instead of signing with the team that drafted him. In a quick blurb I mentioned that having an opportunity in Buffalo to play under a coach like Housley who values puck-movers might pique his interest. Even if the Sabres were to land him, his impact, if any, wouldn't be felt for a few years as Butcher will probably need a couple years of seasoning for his development.
*****
Speaking of development, Botterill released player development coach Randy Cunneyworth two days ago.
After leaving the Rochester Americans in 2008 to pursue an NHL coaching career, Cunneyworth was brought back in 2015 as player development coach. He spent the 2015-16 season coaching in Rochester before going back to his previous position.
From 2015 to 2017 the Amerks were near the bottom of the league although the players that were brought up to Buffalo seemed to be well prepared for the NHL game. Unfortunately none were able to have an impact for the Sabres.
Botterill also released pro scout Jon Christiano. The Buffalo native had been with the Sabres since 1997 and spent three years as Director of Pro Scouting under GM Darcy Regier.
Also dismissed was amateur scout Kevin Prendergast who came on board in 2013.
Owner Terry Pegula and Botterill have slowly been purging the hockey department to start anew. Cunneyworth, Christiano and Prendergast join scouting director Rob Murphy, director of amateur scouting Greg Royce, pro scout Jim Kovachik and amateur scouts Keith Hendrickson and Brandon Jay as those on the outs since Pegula fired GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
*****
The hockey world just got a major jolt yesterday when word got out that Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid is looking at a contract extension that will have a cap-hit over $13 million. McDavid is entering the final year of his entry-level deal and the Oilers aren't messing around.
And they shouldn't.
McDavid just finished his sophomore season as the only 100-point player in the league and captained his Oilers team to Game-7 of the Western Conference Finals. He also backed up the truck at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas last week. He took home the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer,) Hart Trophy (league MVP,) and the Ted Lindsay Award as the leagues top player voted by his peers.
The shockwaves rattled rinks all the way to Buffalo as the Sabres and Jack Eichel are said to be talking about a contract extension. Eichel was taken second-overall behind McDavid in the 2015 NHL Draft and although he's had two real good seasons on a team that was in the 'build' stage of rebuild, his 113 points (48+65) in 142 games aren't on the same level as McDavid's 148 (46+102) in 127 games. However, there's still plenty of untapped upside for Eichel which is why his next contract could be in the $8-9 million/season range.
They're two different players with enormous talents who came into the leagued in two different situations. Both will forever be tied to the whole 2015 "McEichel" Draft and will be compared from a points, salary and impact perspective.
The Sabres are lucky to have Eichel and it might be in everyone's best interest to get him signed long-term. They could fool around with a three-year bridge contract that could possibly extend his stay in Buffalo to 11 years if they went max contract thereafter. Or they could just come together on an eight-year deal and save everyone the worry.
*****
Word on the street is that the Sabres are losing a goalie prospect but gaining a veteran backup in net.
To no one's surprise, Sabres prospect Cal Petersen (2013, 129th-overall) is not signing in Buffalo but instead will be headed to Los Angeles. Although nothing can be announced until Saturday, July 1, reports have Petersen and the Kings agreeing to a contract.
Petersen opted to forgo his senior season at Notre Dame to turn pro and the Sabres had nearly all of June to sign him but he elected to become a free agent.
The loss of Petersen effectively jumbled the goalie depth-chart as Buffalo was missing a piece. The two givens were that Robin Lehner is the Sabres starter and Jonas Johansson will be starting his first full North American pro season in Rochester. Linus Ullmark, whom Botterill effectively kept from Las Vegas in the expansion draft, could have been Lehner's backup had Petersen signed with Buffalo.
But our very own Buffalo 39 mentioned a couple days ago that the Sabres and former goalie Chad Johnson were in talks and word on the street is that Johnson will be back in Buffalo next season. Having him behind Lehner means that Ullmark goes back to Rochester as their starter for the second consecutive season.
Which is a good thing.
Goalies need reps and Ullmark will get a lot of them with the Amerks. The move also bodes well for Johansson who can get eased into the North American pro game.
Losing Petersen is a downer as he has legit No. 1 potential, but the Sabres will need to make lemonade.
*****
The Sabres, as mentioned above, could use a top-pairing defenseman but the could also use help on the wing in the top-six. And, as luck would have it, this isn't a particularly strong free agent class at LW.
The list at left wing is topped by veteran forward Patrick Marleau. However reports have him not wanting to leave San Jose and if he does, he wants to stay on the West Coast as to not disrupt his family.
After that the Sabres could, and should, have of some interest in Thomas Vanek.
Since being traded by Buffalo in October, 2013, Vanek has been wandering around the league. Vanek was traded by the NY Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens that same season then signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent. He signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings last off season and was traded to Florida at the trade deadline March 1.
During this sojourn, word came out that Vanek's name appeared on a list in a Rochester, NY gambling sting and he apparently lost millions of dollars. With Pegula touting virtues like character and his Murray-firing presser, Vanek might not fit into what he wants moving forward. Yet you can't deny that Vanek still has the chops. Last season he scored 17 goals and added 31 assists in 68 games for Detroit and Florida. Those 48 points would have placed him third on the Sabres in scoring behind only Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. He also lead the league in the shootout going a perfect 5 for 5.
Speaking of gambling, the Sabres could also look into signing former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov to a "show me" contract. Yakupov has been set adrift after four years with the Oilers and one season in St. Louis. It would be a low-risk/high-reward scenario for the Sabres but most feel that the upside just isn't there as there's a disconnect with him and the NHL game.
Finally, maybe we should keep an eye on winger Beau Bennett who was the 20th-overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 when Botterill was in the front office.
The 6'2" 207 lb. Bennett is listed as a right-winger but can play either side.
Of course if Buffalo's own Tyler Ennis could return to form, it would eliminate the need for a top-six left-winger. Ennis' last two seasons have been dismal as he's had injury problems and just could never get into the flow of things. The Edmonton, Alberta native has only eight goals and 16 assist while playing in only 84 games the last two seasons.
As of right now the Sabres have only one legit top-six left wing in Evander Kane. He'll be entering the final year of his contract with questions as to whether or not there will be an extension for him this off season. There's been speculation that the Sabres would be trading him, but Pierre LeBrun told the WGR afternoon guys yesterday that Botterill is listening but not actively shopping Kane.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Maturation process continues in win over McDavid and the Oilers
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-07-2016
Last night's 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers wasn't without tension, and maybe that's why it must be extremely gratifying for the Buffalo Sabres to come away with two points.
After blowing a third period lead in Washington Monday night and losing in overtime 3-2 to the Capitals, the Sabres came home to face Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers with built-in excuses ready--it was the second game of a back-to-back, the Oilers were rested, the defense has two rookies on it with a combined three games of NHL experience, back-up goalie Anders Nilsson was in net, Jack Eichel is not 100%, etc., etc. etc. And they almost needed to use them.
But a funny thing happened on the way to another possible loss at KeyBank Center--they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Buffalo's Evander Kane tied the game with the goalie pulled and less than :30 seconds left in the third period after a fortuitous bounce put the puck on his stick in the crease, and Rasmus Ristolainen chimed in (literally) with his first goal of the season on the powerplay in overtime.
Looking at the two back-to-back games as a whole may constitute a turning point in the season when all's said and done. The Sabres went all-in for two points against Washington and fell short expending a ton of energy in the process, then did what many teams do on the second of a back-to-back--the adrenaline kicks in early, reality hits in the middle leaving the team to battle back at the end. On many occasions said team runs out of gas and/or luck and they end up in the loser's locker room talking about a missed opportunity for the team and missed opportunities individually.
Not so last night.
It's good to be on the winning side of this one as the maturation process for this young Buffalo Sabres team seems to have taken a big step forward these last two nights. As a Sabres fan you gotta love how they attacked the net in Washington as often times more than a couple of Sabres players were in the crease battling for the puck and looking for a rebound against a top-notch goalie and a veteran Capitals team.
In coming back the next night versus Edmonton the Sabres faced an Oilers team that's very similar to their own in a battle of peers. Edmonton's a fast team with a premier player in McDavid while the Sabres counter with speed of their own and a premier player in Eichel. Edmonton has vets guiding their youngins as do the Sabres. Although the Oilers defense isn't as strong as Buffalo's, the Sabres are missing three top-four d-men which knocks them down a notch overall. And both teams have very capable coaches in the Oilers Todd McLellan and the Sabres Dan Bylsma.
Buffalo, however, pulled one over on their contemporary and it's the second win for the Sabres over the Oilers this season as Buffalo blasted Edmonton 6-2 at Rexall Place in early October. "You gotta win hockey games in a lot of different ways," Bylsma told the gathered media post-game last night. "Tonight we claw back and get one 6-on-5 at the end of the game to tie it up and we came up big 4-on-3 post-regulation to get the win."
The Sabres are on a pretty good run right now. They're playing good, solid hockey and, thank God, are beginning to score some goals. Dating back a big 2-1 shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo's compiled a 5-2-2 record facing the likes of Washington, Boston, the NY Rangers and last night the Edmonton Oilers who came into the game tied for the Pacific Division lead.
Buffalo's drive to the playoffs is anything but dead right now and should they be able to overcome the many hurdles thrown their way in the first quarter of the season, this stretch of nine games, highlighted by this back-to-back, may be looked upon as a turning point. Individually and as a group the Sabres seem to be maturing before our eyes. Although far from perfect they're forming their identity and learning what it takes to win games. Consistency is the next big step overall, and health may be a huge factor once again, but you gotta give this group a bunch of credit for being able to do work their way back towards relevancy.
***
Whipping boy Evander Kane was one of the hero's last night. Perhaps he finally feels healthy again after cracking four ribs in the first game of the season. Or maybe it's the return of Jack Eichel. Or maybe it's divine intervention or he's been getting proper sleep or he wants to quash the trade rumors that have surrounded him since last summer. Who knows? But the Kane we've been witnessing over the past few games is the Evander Kane GM Tim Murray traded for when he pulled off the blockbuster with Winnipeg--the power forward with speed and skill who plays a north/south game with definitive edge.
Kane had two goals last night, one from a quick snap shot that caught Oilers goalie Cam Talbot a little off guard and one off a rebound while parked in Talbot's crease with :29 seconds to go in the third period. About the only thing missing from his repertoire is a fight.
Maturation has been a big problem for the 25 yr. old with 441 NHL games under his belt and if this is the Kane we'll be seeing from here on in, he's the type of player that can really help drive the team forward. That said, it always seems to be something with him and in the back of our minds we're thinking "it's only a matter of time."
For now, however, I choose to marvel at the tools he has on the ice and the force he can be when he uses them.
***
So much for Rasmus Ristolainen playing less this season.
According to head coach Dan Bylsma in the preseason, he planned on using Ristolainen less this year but that all fell to the wayside with each injury on defense. Ristolainen has topped 29 minutes three games in a row, five out of the last nine. His lowest time on ice was 24:57.
Ristolainen ranks fifth in the league right now with an ATOI/Game of 26:41 but it doesn't seem to bother him. In the last nine games he has eight points and scored his first goal of the season in overtime. He had 29:58 of ice-time last night and 29:51 vs. the Capitals the night before.
That's the definition of a workhorse.
***
Connor McDavid cross-checked Sabres d-man Jake McCabe into the boards last night early in the second period which didn't sit well with McCabe. Later in the game McCabe saw an opportunity for payback at center ice and came very close to knocking McDavid into tomorrow. McDavid barely avoided the hit.
McCabe, who's known for very physical play which includes standing all players up at the blueline and generally making life difficult for the opposition was on McDavid all night. After the game a reporter asked McDavid about the incidents and if he was surprised at McCabe's physicality. "You know. I kinda brought it upon myself taking that penalty on him," McDavid said to the reporters, "and he responded. I thought we had a 2-on-1 and he kinda caught me off guard nut I thought I did a pretty good job of getting out of the way."
It's too bad these two teams only meet twice a ye
Last night's 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers wasn't without tension, and maybe that's why it must be extremely gratifying for the Buffalo Sabres to come away with two points.
After blowing a third period lead in Washington Monday night and losing in overtime 3-2 to the Capitals, the Sabres came home to face Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers with built-in excuses ready--it was the second game of a back-to-back, the Oilers were rested, the defense has two rookies on it with a combined three games of NHL experience, back-up goalie Anders Nilsson was in net, Jack Eichel is not 100%, etc., etc. etc. And they almost needed to use them.
But a funny thing happened on the way to another possible loss at KeyBank Center--they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Buffalo's Evander Kane tied the game with the goalie pulled and less than :30 seconds left in the third period after a fortuitous bounce put the puck on his stick in the crease, and Rasmus Ristolainen chimed in (literally) with his first goal of the season on the powerplay in overtime.
Looking at the two back-to-back games as a whole may constitute a turning point in the season when all's said and done. The Sabres went all-in for two points against Washington and fell short expending a ton of energy in the process, then did what many teams do on the second of a back-to-back--the adrenaline kicks in early, reality hits in the middle leaving the team to battle back at the end. On many occasions said team runs out of gas and/or luck and they end up in the loser's locker room talking about a missed opportunity for the team and missed opportunities individually.
Not so last night.
It's good to be on the winning side of this one as the maturation process for this young Buffalo Sabres team seems to have taken a big step forward these last two nights. As a Sabres fan you gotta love how they attacked the net in Washington as often times more than a couple of Sabres players were in the crease battling for the puck and looking for a rebound against a top-notch goalie and a veteran Capitals team.
In coming back the next night versus Edmonton the Sabres faced an Oilers team that's very similar to their own in a battle of peers. Edmonton's a fast team with a premier player in McDavid while the Sabres counter with speed of their own and a premier player in Eichel. Edmonton has vets guiding their youngins as do the Sabres. Although the Oilers defense isn't as strong as Buffalo's, the Sabres are missing three top-four d-men which knocks them down a notch overall. And both teams have very capable coaches in the Oilers Todd McLellan and the Sabres Dan Bylsma.
Buffalo, however, pulled one over on their contemporary and it's the second win for the Sabres over the Oilers this season as Buffalo blasted Edmonton 6-2 at Rexall Place in early October. "You gotta win hockey games in a lot of different ways," Bylsma told the gathered media post-game last night. "Tonight we claw back and get one 6-on-5 at the end of the game to tie it up and we came up big 4-on-3 post-regulation to get the win."
The Sabres are on a pretty good run right now. They're playing good, solid hockey and, thank God, are beginning to score some goals. Dating back a big 2-1 shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo's compiled a 5-2-2 record facing the likes of Washington, Boston, the NY Rangers and last night the Edmonton Oilers who came into the game tied for the Pacific Division lead.
Buffalo's drive to the playoffs is anything but dead right now and should they be able to overcome the many hurdles thrown their way in the first quarter of the season, this stretch of nine games, highlighted by this back-to-back, may be looked upon as a turning point. Individually and as a group the Sabres seem to be maturing before our eyes. Although far from perfect they're forming their identity and learning what it takes to win games. Consistency is the next big step overall, and health may be a huge factor once again, but you gotta give this group a bunch of credit for being able to do work their way back towards relevancy.
***
Whipping boy Evander Kane was one of the hero's last night. Perhaps he finally feels healthy again after cracking four ribs in the first game of the season. Or maybe it's the return of Jack Eichel. Or maybe it's divine intervention or he's been getting proper sleep or he wants to quash the trade rumors that have surrounded him since last summer. Who knows? But the Kane we've been witnessing over the past few games is the Evander Kane GM Tim Murray traded for when he pulled off the blockbuster with Winnipeg--the power forward with speed and skill who plays a north/south game with definitive edge.
Kane had two goals last night, one from a quick snap shot that caught Oilers goalie Cam Talbot a little off guard and one off a rebound while parked in Talbot's crease with :29 seconds to go in the third period. About the only thing missing from his repertoire is a fight.
Maturation has been a big problem for the 25 yr. old with 441 NHL games under his belt and if this is the Kane we'll be seeing from here on in, he's the type of player that can really help drive the team forward. That said, it always seems to be something with him and in the back of our minds we're thinking "it's only a matter of time."
For now, however, I choose to marvel at the tools he has on the ice and the force he can be when he uses them.
***
So much for Rasmus Ristolainen playing less this season.
According to head coach Dan Bylsma in the preseason, he planned on using Ristolainen less this year but that all fell to the wayside with each injury on defense. Ristolainen has topped 29 minutes three games in a row, five out of the last nine. His lowest time on ice was 24:57.
Ristolainen ranks fifth in the league right now with an ATOI/Game of 26:41 but it doesn't seem to bother him. In the last nine games he has eight points and scored his first goal of the season in overtime. He had 29:58 of ice-time last night and 29:51 vs. the Capitals the night before.
That's the definition of a workhorse.
***
Connor McDavid cross-checked Sabres d-man Jake McCabe into the boards last night early in the second period which didn't sit well with McCabe. Later in the game McCabe saw an opportunity for payback at center ice and came very close to knocking McDavid into tomorrow. McDavid barely avoided the hit.
McCabe, who's known for very physical play which includes standing all players up at the blueline and generally making life difficult for the opposition was on McDavid all night. After the game a reporter asked McDavid about the incidents and if he was surprised at McCabe's physicality. "You know. I kinda brought it upon myself taking that penalty on him," McDavid said to the reporters, "and he responded. I thought we had a 2-on-1 and he kinda caught me off guard nut I thought I did a pretty good job of getting out of the way."
It's too bad these two teams only meet twice a ye
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
No time to sulk with McDavid in town. Eichel looks good to go.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-06-2016
Chalk up another lost point in Washington last night. Buffalo went into the third period against the Washington Capitals with a hard-earned 2-1 lead but couldn't hang on as the Caps put the pressure on for most of the period. Washington's forecheck kept Buffalo hemmed in their own zone for minutes at a time and as often happens, the team on the defensive takes a penalty and gives up a goal.
And so it went for the Sabres last night.
The Caps were buzzing the Sabres zone for an extended length of time and Evander Kane was called for hooking at 13:37 of the third period and five seconds later, Washington's Marcus Johansson tipped the puck past Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner for the game-tying goal. Although the new wave of analytics place little emphasis on faceoffs and special teams, this was a case where both proved to be extremely important as the Caps won the draw on the powerplay and just like that the puck was in the back of the Sabres net.
Redemption was in the offing for the Sabres both in regulation with a powerplay of their own and in overtime where they boggled a 2-on-1 and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen whiffed from in the slot on a feed from Ryan O'Reilly. In a matter of about 10 minutes we saw the difference between a veteran team like the Caps and a young, inconsistent Sabres team. Simply put, when given opportunities, Washington capitalized and Buffalo didn't.
That said, I liked the Sabres team I saw last night...for most of the game anyway.
The Sabres were skating hard and fast for the first two periods and were barreling towards the net after the puck. Multiple shemozzles lead to the puck being in the Capitals crease--with one laying on the goal line before it was covered up--and the Sabres getting multiple chances that lead to one disallowed goal and Kyle Okposo's eighth goal of the season that put Buffalo up 2-1.
The Sabres haven't looked this hungry in a long time. They were enduring face washes and headlocks, grappling and tackling all in an effort to get the puck over the goal line. At one point with the puck in the crease, all five Sabres skaters were near the crease, locked in on the puck.
Buffalo skated and hit and scored on a 50' tic-tac-toe from Ristolainen to Derek Grant to Zemgus Girgensons who scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway. Girgensons hadn't lit the lamp since October 18th and when he got the puck at center ice, it looked as if he would not be denied. Props to Ristolainen who got the puck quickly to Grant at center ice and to Grant who sent a long, hard touch pass to a streaking Girgensons.
As much as one might like to use injuries as an excuse, the Sabres should have won that game last night. They caught the Caps on an average night and were given opportunities to win but couldn't get it done.
Some quick notes from the game:
--Twenty-seven yr. old Sabres defenseman Eric Burgdoerfer finally made it to the NHL and played a very good game. Save for one mistake where he lost his man in the slot on the Capitals first goal. For a newbie it happens, but he recovered pretty well and finished the game playing just over 10 minutes.
--Sam Reinhart, on the other hand, is in his second full season and leaving his man wide open in overtime is inexcusable. Not sure what he was thinking there. He's also lucky that Marcus Johansson scored on that slapshot. With the way Reinhart lamely went down to block the shot the whole side of his body was in a prone position.
--Speaking of Reinhart, the kid's been just a little off lately. Something's amiss as his passes are just a touch off and he hasn't been the net front presence he's been in the past, even with the return of Jack Eichel from injury. His stats are there with a goal and three assists since Eichel's return, and he's made a nice play or two, but he's not as locked in as he's been in the past. It's probably nothing more than a consistency issue which is typical of a young player in his sophomore season.
--That goal by Girgensons was a doozy and he might have had played his best game all season. Girgensons has dropped all the way down to the fourth line and it was looking like he was headed to the pressbox. One thing that should be noted, however. Although he hasn't been scoring, Girgensons has been solid in his own zone as he's been on the ice for only one goal against in the last 10 games.
--Nineteen yr. old defenseman Brendan Guhle has been impressive in his first two NHL games. In his first game against Boston his jump had him in the offense while last night his quick feet, positioning and stickwork was impressive against the Capitals. He even stymied a barreling Alexander Ovechkin a couple of times one-on-one. Which is no small feat. Head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 today telling the hosts that it's up to a young player to force the big club to keep him. Guhle's on emergency recall and odds are he won't stick, but he's sure making a strong case for the maximum allowable games.
--Defenseman Jake McCabe has had his minutes ramped up since the move to the top pairing after the Josh Gorges injury and the kid is taking the bull by the horns. Every chance he gets McCabe is grabbing the puck and skating it up ice while also pinching in deep in the offensive zone. He's quick to the puck and has a ton of confidence right now. He and Ristolainen have been workhorses on the back end and seem to be getting a pretty good feel for each other. Methinks McCabe doesn't want to leave the top-pairing.
***
On tonight's matchup between Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers:
--The Oilers are in the midst of a tough stretch where they play six games in nine days. Edmonton started out with a back to back over the weekend (with both games going past regulation) before travelling to Buffalo yesterday while the Sabres were in Washington. Buffalo is the first of a three-game eastern road swing that will culminate with at back-to-back at Philadelphia and at Minnesota beginning Thursday. They'll travel back to Edmonton to take on Winnipeg on Sunday and Columbus next Tuesday.
--This will be the second matchup between McDavid and Buffalo's Jack Eichel. Edmonton won the first one last season 2-1 in overtime with McDavid scoring both Oilers' goals. Buffalo was without Eichel in October when they smoked the Oilers in Edmonton, 6-2.
--It's a different scenario this time around as McDavid is quoted as saying about the matchup. From Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, "We were just flat. It was a game we obviously didn't have it and they were well-rested and ready to go," McDavid said today in recalling the first meeting. "Kind of a different story here. They played last night, traveled and everything like that while we were here in bed early and ready to go."
--Harrington points out that McDavid, the league leader in points (34) and assists (23,) has been held off the scoresheet for the past two games and that he's never gone three games without a point.
--Where this all leads is to be determined but we do know that Buffalo goalie Anders Nilsson, who's getting the start tonight, and his d-corps features two players--Guhle and Burgdoerfer--who have played a grand total of three NHL games.
--Sabres fans held their collective breath yesterday as Eichel was checked awkwardly into the boards and was shown on the bench writhing in pain. According to reports he tweak his high ankle sprain but looks to be good to go tonight. “I’m fine. I’m good,” Eichel told the gathered media after a team meeting this morning. “Going through an injury like this, you know it’s going to come back and bother you at times, but it’s fine now.”
--McDavid and Eichel played for Team North America this fall in the World Cup of Hockey.
Chalk up another lost point in Washington last night. Buffalo went into the third period against the Washington Capitals with a hard-earned 2-1 lead but couldn't hang on as the Caps put the pressure on for most of the period. Washington's forecheck kept Buffalo hemmed in their own zone for minutes at a time and as often happens, the team on the defensive takes a penalty and gives up a goal.
And so it went for the Sabres last night.
The Caps were buzzing the Sabres zone for an extended length of time and Evander Kane was called for hooking at 13:37 of the third period and five seconds later, Washington's Marcus Johansson tipped the puck past Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner for the game-tying goal. Although the new wave of analytics place little emphasis on faceoffs and special teams, this was a case where both proved to be extremely important as the Caps won the draw on the powerplay and just like that the puck was in the back of the Sabres net.
Redemption was in the offing for the Sabres both in regulation with a powerplay of their own and in overtime where they boggled a 2-on-1 and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen whiffed from in the slot on a feed from Ryan O'Reilly. In a matter of about 10 minutes we saw the difference between a veteran team like the Caps and a young, inconsistent Sabres team. Simply put, when given opportunities, Washington capitalized and Buffalo didn't.
That said, I liked the Sabres team I saw last night...for most of the game anyway.
The Sabres were skating hard and fast for the first two periods and were barreling towards the net after the puck. Multiple shemozzles lead to the puck being in the Capitals crease--with one laying on the goal line before it was covered up--and the Sabres getting multiple chances that lead to one disallowed goal and Kyle Okposo's eighth goal of the season that put Buffalo up 2-1.
The Sabres haven't looked this hungry in a long time. They were enduring face washes and headlocks, grappling and tackling all in an effort to get the puck over the goal line. At one point with the puck in the crease, all five Sabres skaters were near the crease, locked in on the puck.
Buffalo skated and hit and scored on a 50' tic-tac-toe from Ristolainen to Derek Grant to Zemgus Girgensons who scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway. Girgensons hadn't lit the lamp since October 18th and when he got the puck at center ice, it looked as if he would not be denied. Props to Ristolainen who got the puck quickly to Grant at center ice and to Grant who sent a long, hard touch pass to a streaking Girgensons.
As much as one might like to use injuries as an excuse, the Sabres should have won that game last night. They caught the Caps on an average night and were given opportunities to win but couldn't get it done.
Some quick notes from the game:
--Twenty-seven yr. old Sabres defenseman Eric Burgdoerfer finally made it to the NHL and played a very good game. Save for one mistake where he lost his man in the slot on the Capitals first goal. For a newbie it happens, but he recovered pretty well and finished the game playing just over 10 minutes.
--Sam Reinhart, on the other hand, is in his second full season and leaving his man wide open in overtime is inexcusable. Not sure what he was thinking there. He's also lucky that Marcus Johansson scored on that slapshot. With the way Reinhart lamely went down to block the shot the whole side of his body was in a prone position.
--Speaking of Reinhart, the kid's been just a little off lately. Something's amiss as his passes are just a touch off and he hasn't been the net front presence he's been in the past, even with the return of Jack Eichel from injury. His stats are there with a goal and three assists since Eichel's return, and he's made a nice play or two, but he's not as locked in as he's been in the past. It's probably nothing more than a consistency issue which is typical of a young player in his sophomore season.
--That goal by Girgensons was a doozy and he might have had played his best game all season. Girgensons has dropped all the way down to the fourth line and it was looking like he was headed to the pressbox. One thing that should be noted, however. Although he hasn't been scoring, Girgensons has been solid in his own zone as he's been on the ice for only one goal against in the last 10 games.
--Nineteen yr. old defenseman Brendan Guhle has been impressive in his first two NHL games. In his first game against Boston his jump had him in the offense while last night his quick feet, positioning and stickwork was impressive against the Capitals. He even stymied a barreling Alexander Ovechkin a couple of times one-on-one. Which is no small feat. Head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 today telling the hosts that it's up to a young player to force the big club to keep him. Guhle's on emergency recall and odds are he won't stick, but he's sure making a strong case for the maximum allowable games.
--Defenseman Jake McCabe has had his minutes ramped up since the move to the top pairing after the Josh Gorges injury and the kid is taking the bull by the horns. Every chance he gets McCabe is grabbing the puck and skating it up ice while also pinching in deep in the offensive zone. He's quick to the puck and has a ton of confidence right now. He and Ristolainen have been workhorses on the back end and seem to be getting a pretty good feel for each other. Methinks McCabe doesn't want to leave the top-pairing.
***
On tonight's matchup between Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers:
--The Oilers are in the midst of a tough stretch where they play six games in nine days. Edmonton started out with a back to back over the weekend (with both games going past regulation) before travelling to Buffalo yesterday while the Sabres were in Washington. Buffalo is the first of a three-game eastern road swing that will culminate with at back-to-back at Philadelphia and at Minnesota beginning Thursday. They'll travel back to Edmonton to take on Winnipeg on Sunday and Columbus next Tuesday.
--This will be the second matchup between McDavid and Buffalo's Jack Eichel. Edmonton won the first one last season 2-1 in overtime with McDavid scoring both Oilers' goals. Buffalo was without Eichel in October when they smoked the Oilers in Edmonton, 6-2.
--It's a different scenario this time around as McDavid is quoted as saying about the matchup. From Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, "We were just flat. It was a game we obviously didn't have it and they were well-rested and ready to go," McDavid said today in recalling the first meeting. "Kind of a different story here. They played last night, traveled and everything like that while we were here in bed early and ready to go."
--Harrington points out that McDavid, the league leader in points (34) and assists (23,) has been held off the scoresheet for the past two games and that he's never gone three games without a point.
--Where this all leads is to be determined but we do know that Buffalo goalie Anders Nilsson, who's getting the start tonight, and his d-corps features two players--Guhle and Burgdoerfer--who have played a grand total of three NHL games.
--Sabres fans held their collective breath yesterday as Eichel was checked awkwardly into the boards and was shown on the bench writhing in pain. According to reports he tweak his high ankle sprain but looks to be good to go tonight. “I’m fine. I’m good,” Eichel told the gathered media after a team meeting this morning. “Going through an injury like this, you know it’s going to come back and bother you at times, but it’s fine now.”
--McDavid and Eichel played for Team North America this fall in the World Cup of Hockey.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Buffalo lights up the Oilers as McDavid's words proves prophetic
Published by hockeybuzz, 10-17-2016
The Edmonton Oilers headed into yesterday's game against the Buffalo Sabres having beaten cross-province rival Calgary by a combined 12-7 score with a gameplan that hearkenened back to the 80's glory days of Wayne Gretzky and Co. Phenom Connor McDavid lead the charge for the Oilers with three goals and three assist in back-to-back three-point games but midst the euphoria surrounding the Oilers start, McDavid threw a cautionary note to the gathered press after practice Saturday .
“You want to want to win the game any way you can and it’s definitely nicer winning it 7-4 than losing 7-4,” he said. “If you’re going to win 1-0 or 10-9 it’s about getting it done but ultimately we do need to tighten it up. I don’t think you can expect us to get 5-7 goals every game. That’s not the type of hockey that’s successful.”
Seven goals is what the Oilers would have needed last night to beat Buffalo after the Sabres exploded for six goals in a 6-2 win at Rogers Place. Even though Buffalo was without Jack Eichel and winger Evander Kane, who are sidelined with long-term injuries, the cavalry did come in the form of Kyle Okposo and Dmitry Kulikov who both made their Sabres debuts last night.
Okposo got his first goal as a Sabre in the first period on a beautiful feed from linemate Sam Reinhart then proceeded to chip in primary assist on the first of Ryan O'Reilly's two goals. The Oilers who tie it up at 2-2 late in the first period but the Sabres scored four unanswered against a Edmonton team that was described by their head coach, Todd McLellan, as "The Bad News Bears."
Except for that stretch late in the first period when the Oilers tied the game, Buffalo was pretty much in control from start to finish. It was a team game through and through for the Sabres with every player strappin' on their work boots to get the job done. Buffalo frustrated the hell out of Edmonton all night to the point where the Oilers Patrick Maroon crashed the net hard and tried to get to goalie Robin Lehner by bumping into him. He was swarmed and in the process McDavid, who was right there in the crease got forcibly cleared out by Buffalo defenseman Josh Gorges. McDavid was having trouble with Gorges all night as he was held without a point and finished the game with only one shot on goal.
Lehner was stingy all night as he seemed hell-bent on not letting anything past him. It began early for the fiery Swede as the kicked out his leg to stop a point-blank shot from Jesse Puljujarvi less than two minutes into the game. Not long after O'Reilly stole the puck in the Edmonton zone, got it over to Reinhart who slithered a pass to Okposo who buried it into a wide open net.
Chemistry is often talked about and head coach Dan Bylsma may have found himself a top line in O'Reilly, Reinhart and Okposo who worked well together all night. Last year both O'Reilly and Reinhart seemed to be able to work with whatever linemates Bylsma gave them and Okposo looks to be the beneficiary moving forward.
Bylsma also tapped into a successful line from last year when he reunited Johan Larsson between powerforward Marcus Foligno and captain Brian Gionta. Larsson was his usual dogged, pesky self while Foligno rumbled across the ice all night while Gionta used his veteran savvy to score twice. The first was on a nice tip off of a shot from Jake McCabe at the point and while his second came from the hard work of Foligno and a nice feed from Larsson. That line finished the night with two goals, two assists and a plus-four rating.
The second of three games on this western Canada road trip is tomorrow at Calgary. Goaltender Brian Elliot was the victim in Calgary's first two losses at the hands of the Oilers allowing 10 goals on 55 shots (.818 save percentage.) Former Sabre Chad Johnson was in net on Saturday at Vancouver and was much better allowing only one goal on 31 shots but the Flames fell in the shootout.
On the same western Canada swing last season Buffalo was outscored by a combined 13-7 in three regulation losses to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
The Edmonton Oilers headed into yesterday's game against the Buffalo Sabres having beaten cross-province rival Calgary by a combined 12-7 score with a gameplan that hearkenened back to the 80's glory days of Wayne Gretzky and Co. Phenom Connor McDavid lead the charge for the Oilers with three goals and three assist in back-to-back three-point games but midst the euphoria surrounding the Oilers start, McDavid threw a cautionary note to the gathered press after practice Saturday .
“You want to want to win the game any way you can and it’s definitely nicer winning it 7-4 than losing 7-4,” he said. “If you’re going to win 1-0 or 10-9 it’s about getting it done but ultimately we do need to tighten it up. I don’t think you can expect us to get 5-7 goals every game. That’s not the type of hockey that’s successful.”
Seven goals is what the Oilers would have needed last night to beat Buffalo after the Sabres exploded for six goals in a 6-2 win at Rogers Place. Even though Buffalo was without Jack Eichel and winger Evander Kane, who are sidelined with long-term injuries, the cavalry did come in the form of Kyle Okposo and Dmitry Kulikov who both made their Sabres debuts last night.
Okposo got his first goal as a Sabre in the first period on a beautiful feed from linemate Sam Reinhart then proceeded to chip in primary assist on the first of Ryan O'Reilly's two goals. The Oilers who tie it up at 2-2 late in the first period but the Sabres scored four unanswered against a Edmonton team that was described by their head coach, Todd McLellan, as "The Bad News Bears."
Except for that stretch late in the first period when the Oilers tied the game, Buffalo was pretty much in control from start to finish. It was a team game through and through for the Sabres with every player strappin' on their work boots to get the job done. Buffalo frustrated the hell out of Edmonton all night to the point where the Oilers Patrick Maroon crashed the net hard and tried to get to goalie Robin Lehner by bumping into him. He was swarmed and in the process McDavid, who was right there in the crease got forcibly cleared out by Buffalo defenseman Josh Gorges. McDavid was having trouble with Gorges all night as he was held without a point and finished the game with only one shot on goal.
Lehner was stingy all night as he seemed hell-bent on not letting anything past him. It began early for the fiery Swede as the kicked out his leg to stop a point-blank shot from Jesse Puljujarvi less than two minutes into the game. Not long after O'Reilly stole the puck in the Edmonton zone, got it over to Reinhart who slithered a pass to Okposo who buried it into a wide open net.
Chemistry is often talked about and head coach Dan Bylsma may have found himself a top line in O'Reilly, Reinhart and Okposo who worked well together all night. Last year both O'Reilly and Reinhart seemed to be able to work with whatever linemates Bylsma gave them and Okposo looks to be the beneficiary moving forward.
Bylsma also tapped into a successful line from last year when he reunited Johan Larsson between powerforward Marcus Foligno and captain Brian Gionta. Larsson was his usual dogged, pesky self while Foligno rumbled across the ice all night while Gionta used his veteran savvy to score twice. The first was on a nice tip off of a shot from Jake McCabe at the point and while his second came from the hard work of Foligno and a nice feed from Larsson. That line finished the night with two goals, two assists and a plus-four rating.
The second of three games on this western Canada road trip is tomorrow at Calgary. Goaltender Brian Elliot was the victim in Calgary's first two losses at the hands of the Oilers allowing 10 goals on 55 shots (.818 save percentage.) Former Sabre Chad Johnson was in net on Saturday at Vancouver and was much better allowing only one goal on 31 shots but the Flames fell in the shootout.
On the same western Canada swing last season Buffalo was outscored by a combined 13-7 in three regulation losses to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
Monday, October 17, 2016
"McEichel II" is on hold as Buffalo faces an offensive juggenaut in Edmonton
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-16-2016
They were the top two picks in the 2015 NHL draft and ended up in different conferences--Connor McDavid of theEdmonton
They were the top two picks in the 2015 NHL draft and ended up in different conferences--Connor McDavid of the
The NHL has to be thrilled right now as the not only does
the league have McDavid and Eichel, but also rookie Auston Matthews playing at “The
Center of the Hockey Universe” in Toronto. They couldn’t have asked for much more as
three franchise-type teenagers are in place to lead three troubled franchises as the eventual faces of the league for years to come. McDavid looks to be heir-apparent to
Wayne Gretzky, Eichel and his blue collar roots looks ready to carry the load
in Buffalo
Those three represent merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to burgeoning young talent hitting the ice in the NHL. There’s Dylan
Larkin in Detroit, Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel
Landeskog in Colorodo Max Domi in Arizona, Mitch Marner and William Nylander in
Toronto as well as Tampa’s Jonathan Drouin, New Jersey’s Taylor Hall and
defensemen Aaron Ekblad (FLA,) Victor Hedman (TBL,) Shayne Gostisbeher (PHI)
and Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson, to name a few.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
NBC shows Buffalo some love, will televise eight Sabres games.
The NBC Sports Group released their television schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 NHL season touting a record 106 games (up one from last season) to be aired on NBC and NBCSN and the Buffalo Sabres will be a part of that.
Thanks to Yahoo's Greg Wyshinski a breakdown of the schedule shows that NBC has the Chicago Blackhawks on tap for 21 games and the Philadelphia Flyers with 20 to lead the way amongst appearances. With 17 appearances, the Boston Bruins surpassed both the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Big Apple's NY Rangers who both have 15 as well as and the Washington Capitals who are on tap for 14 games.
This year the Buffalo Sabres are scheduled to be on national TV eight times. Last year with Jack Eichel in the fold after bottoming-out the prior two seasons, NBC tapped the Sabres for five appearances on their network which included a March 1st, post trade-deadline day meeting with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at First Niagara Center. Buffalo would end up finishing 1-3 in primetime NBC/NBCSN matchups last season with an OT loss vs. Edmonton in a game that was yanked from the national schedule.
Thanks to Yahoo's Greg Wyshinski a breakdown of the schedule shows that NBC has the Chicago Blackhawks on tap for 21 games and the Philadelphia Flyers with 20 to lead the way amongst appearances. With 17 appearances, the Boston Bruins surpassed both the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Big Apple's NY Rangers who both have 15 as well as and the Washington Capitals who are on tap for 14 games.
This year the Buffalo Sabres are scheduled to be on national TV eight times. Last year with Jack Eichel in the fold after bottoming-out the prior two seasons, NBC tapped the Sabres for five appearances on their network which included a March 1st, post trade-deadline day meeting with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at First Niagara Center. Buffalo would end up finishing 1-3 in primetime NBC/NBCSN matchups last season with an OT loss vs. Edmonton in a game that was yanked from the national schedule.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Rookie scoring race weekly recap--Connor McDavid continues his surge
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
While rookie scoring leader Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo's Jack Eichel were being held to a single point over the past week, Edmonton's Connor McDavid continued his surge.
In three games this week McDavid had a goal and four assists to bring his season totals to 15 goals and 30 assists in 41 games. That 45 points now places him two behind Arizona's Max Domi and five behind Eichel's 50. Panarin is still in front with 64 points on the season while Detroit's Dylan Larkin remained at 43.
McDavid's five assists came in three games last week and vaulted him into second place amongst rookies in that category. With 30 on the year he still trails Panarin by nine and with only four games left for the Oilers so it's a longshot for him to get to the top. Even though Panarin's been in a bit of a slump with only two assists in the last eight games, there doesn't seem to be enough track for McDavid to catch him. Plus the Blackhawks have six more games to play.
Rounding out the top-five in assists are Domi (29,) Eichel (27,) and Philadelphia's Shane Gostisbehere (25.)
There's probably only one category where Panarin can be caught this year and that's goals. Although he still leads with 25, Eichel's goal on Saturday gave him 23 on the season. Panarin has hit a drought going goalless in his last eight while Eichel has been chipping away with six goals in his last 10 games. The Sabres also have one more game to play than the Blackhawks and at his present pace, there's a good chance Eichel can overtake Panarin for the rookie goal-scoring crown.
Larkin and Buffalo's Sam Reinhart are tied for third place with 21 goals each while Domi rounds out the top-five with 18 goals.
Of note. Eichel, Reinhart and the Buffalo Sabres travel to Detroit this evening to take on Larkin and the Red Wings.
Rookie leaders:Points
Panarin--64
Eichel--50
Domi--47
McDavid--55
Larkin--43
Goals
Panarin--25
Eichel--23
Larkin--21
Reinhart--21
Domi--18
Assists
Panarin--39
McDavid--30
Domi--29
Eichel--27
Gostisbehere--25
While rookie scoring leader Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo's Jack Eichel were being held to a single point over the past week, Edmonton's Connor McDavid continued his surge.
In three games this week McDavid had a goal and four assists to bring his season totals to 15 goals and 30 assists in 41 games. That 45 points now places him two behind Arizona's Max Domi and five behind Eichel's 50. Panarin is still in front with 64 points on the season while Detroit's Dylan Larkin remained at 43.
McDavid's five assists came in three games last week and vaulted him into second place amongst rookies in that category. With 30 on the year he still trails Panarin by nine and with only four games left for the Oilers so it's a longshot for him to get to the top. Even though Panarin's been in a bit of a slump with only two assists in the last eight games, there doesn't seem to be enough track for McDavid to catch him. Plus the Blackhawks have six more games to play.
Rounding out the top-five in assists are Domi (29,) Eichel (27,) and Philadelphia's Shane Gostisbehere (25.)
There's probably only one category where Panarin can be caught this year and that's goals. Although he still leads with 25, Eichel's goal on Saturday gave him 23 on the season. Panarin has hit a drought going goalless in his last eight while Eichel has been chipping away with six goals in his last 10 games. The Sabres also have one more game to play than the Blackhawks and at his present pace, there's a good chance Eichel can overtake Panarin for the rookie goal-scoring crown.
Larkin and Buffalo's Sam Reinhart are tied for third place with 21 goals each while Domi rounds out the top-five with 18 goals.
Of note. Eichel, Reinhart and the Buffalo Sabres travel to Detroit this evening to take on Larkin and the Red Wings.
Rookie leaders:Points
Panarin--64
Eichel--50
Domi--47
McDavid--55
Larkin--43
Goals
Panarin--25
Eichel--23
Larkin--21
Reinhart--21
Domi--18
Assists
Panarin--39
McDavid--30
Domi--29
Eichel--27
Gostisbehere--25
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Rookie scoring race weekly recap--Connor McDavid cracks Top-5
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
We all know that Chicago's Artemi Panarin has been the rook in the driver's seat this season. The 24 yr. old winger with loads of skill signed with the closest thing to a dynasty the league has seen since the Edmonton Oilers were winning five Stanley Cups in seven years (no disrespect to the Detroit Red Wings.) Panarin has also had the benefit of playing on a line with Patrick Kane, who's on track to be the first ever American-born player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer.
That said, Panarin (63 points,) barring anything weird happening, is on track to take the rookie scoring crown this season. With less than 10 games to go he leads Buffalo's Jack Eichel by 14 points this week, the same spread as last week. The two are also separated by three goals again as neither scored one this past week (Panarin in four games, Eichel in two.)
But the surging horse in this race is Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
We all know that Chicago's Artemi Panarin has been the rook in the driver's seat this season. The 24 yr. old winger with loads of skill signed with the closest thing to a dynasty the league has seen since the Edmonton Oilers were winning five Stanley Cups in seven years (no disrespect to the Detroit Red Wings.) Panarin has also had the benefit of playing on a line with Patrick Kane, who's on track to be the first ever American-born player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer.
That said, Panarin (63 points,) barring anything weird happening, is on track to take the rookie scoring crown this season. With less than 10 games to go he leads Buffalo's Jack Eichel by 14 points this week, the same spread as last week. The two are also separated by three goals again as neither scored one this past week (Panarin in four games, Eichel in two.)
But the surging horse in this race is Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Rookie scoring race weekly recap--Panarin still strong, McDavid, Eichel making moves
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
As we down the stretch this season, when it comes to the rookie scoring race, it would seem as if the only thing keeping Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin from winning this would be an injury. Panarin's still on the top line, still with the league's leading scorer in Patrick Kane and still using his incredible skills to produce.
Since last we checked in prior to the 2016 NHL trade deadline, Panarin has lost a little ground in overall points and assists while he's managed to maintain his three-goal lead over the nearest competitor in that category. In seven games since our February 23 update Panarin's tacked on three goals and two assists to bring his overall total to 25 goals and 37 assists for 62 points.
Buffalo's Jack Eichel capped off a solid stretch with a two-goal effort yesterday including the game-winner in overtime. Overall he upped his point total to 48 with five goals and two assists in his last 10 games and he now stands 12 back of Panarin for the points-lead. Arizona's Max Domi, who was even with Eichel at 16 points behind Panarin three weeks ago, had a rough stretch adding only three points to his total (all assists) in eight games for a total of 44 points. Rounding out the top-five are Detroit forward Dylan Larkin at 40 points (one goal in his last eight games) and Philadelphia defenseman Shane Gostisbehere with 38 points (three goals, one assist in his last eight games.)
As we down the stretch this season, when it comes to the rookie scoring race, it would seem as if the only thing keeping Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin from winning this would be an injury. Panarin's still on the top line, still with the league's leading scorer in Patrick Kane and still using his incredible skills to produce.
Since last we checked in prior to the 2016 NHL trade deadline, Panarin has lost a little ground in overall points and assists while he's managed to maintain his three-goal lead over the nearest competitor in that category. In seven games since our February 23 update Panarin's tacked on three goals and two assists to bring his overall total to 25 goals and 37 assists for 62 points.
Buffalo's Jack Eichel capped off a solid stretch with a two-goal effort yesterday including the game-winner in overtime. Overall he upped his point total to 48 with five goals and two assists in his last 10 games and he now stands 12 back of Panarin for the points-lead. Arizona's Max Domi, who was even with Eichel at 16 points behind Panarin three weeks ago, had a rough stretch adding only three points to his total (all assists) in eight games for a total of 44 points. Rounding out the top-five are Detroit forward Dylan Larkin at 40 points (one goal in his last eight games) and Philadelphia defenseman Shane Gostisbehere with 38 points (three goals, one assist in his last eight games.)
Thursday, March 3, 2016
NBC drops the ball as Connor McDavid steals the show in Buffalo
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
NBC had the opportunity to showcase the future of the NHL last night with the first-ever "McEichel Matchup" as Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers visited Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres. It was the first time that the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft faced off against each other and it was slated for a national U.S. audience on the NBC Sports Network.
But the network decided to bail on that game and show a matchup of a known rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. It didn't matter that hockey fans have seen more than their fair share of Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin over the course of the last 10 seasons, nor did it matter that McDavid looks as if he'll surpass both of them in the annals of NHL history. Although it might be jumping the gun a bit, McDavid is the real deal.
Perhaps WGR Sabres' beat writer Paul Hamilton put it best when he said that McDavid could be the best prospect since Mario Lemieux while Eichel could be the best since Crosby.
For all but :22 seconds into the first when McDavid scored the first goal of the game and the ten or so seconds prior to McDavid's overtime winner 3:48 into the overtime session, NBC seemed to have made the right call.
NBC had the opportunity to showcase the future of the NHL last night with the first-ever "McEichel Matchup" as Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers visited Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres. It was the first time that the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft faced off against each other and it was slated for a national U.S. audience on the NBC Sports Network.
But the network decided to bail on that game and show a matchup of a known rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. It didn't matter that hockey fans have seen more than their fair share of Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin over the course of the last 10 seasons, nor did it matter that McDavid looks as if he'll surpass both of them in the annals of NHL history. Although it might be jumping the gun a bit, McDavid is the real deal.
Perhaps WGR Sabres' beat writer Paul Hamilton put it best when he said that McDavid could be the best prospect since Mario Lemieux while Eichel could be the best since Crosby.
For all but :22 seconds into the first when McDavid scored the first goal of the game and the ten or so seconds prior to McDavid's overtime winner 3:48 into the overtime session, NBC seemed to have made the right call.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Anaheim dirge; McEichel not intriguing for NBCSN; Amerks head to Cleveland
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Just how much do the Buffalo Sabres miss Ryan O'Reilly?
Plenty. Just ask Jack Eichel who was hounded by the Ducks, especially Ryan Kesler. In just over 20 minutes Eichel, who is Buffalo's top center with O'Reilly out, managed only two shots on goal which isn't all that surprising considering Eichel went only 3-13 (23%) in the faceoff circle vs. Kesler.
Eichel and the Sabres did a lot of chasing last night as each faceoff loss meant energy expended trying to get it back. Buffalo went 25-61 (41%) on draws and it really hurt late in the third period with the Sabres trailing 1-0 and looking to get goalie Robin Lehner off in favor of the extra attacker.
All-in-all, the final two minutes was a comedy of errors as Buffalo would mishandle the entire situation. Even though the Sabres would go three of six on the dot, they couldn't keep the puck in the Anaheim zone long enough to get Lehner off the ice.
Beginning at the 17:15-mark Buffalo:
--turned the puck over in the offensive zone
--turned it over in their own zone giving up a clear shot in the high slot
--turned the puck over in the neutral zone
--were called for off sides at the 18:02-mark
--won a two neutral zone faceoffs, but the Ducks cleared
--were called for icing
--won the draw but couldn't get the puck into the Ducks zone
--with :56 seconds to go, put the puck in the benches
--won the faceoff, got Lehner to the bench
--were called for icing after the Ducks cleared the zone
--after using their timeout, lost the draw
--and in the final :30 seconds could only muster a missed shot on goal
Although it wasn't a "jump-off-the-Peace-Bridge" kind of game, that ending was thouroughly frustrating as a veteran Anaheim club choked the life out of a young Sabres team.
Just how much do the Buffalo Sabres miss Ryan O'Reilly?
Plenty. Just ask Jack Eichel who was hounded by the Ducks, especially Ryan Kesler. In just over 20 minutes Eichel, who is Buffalo's top center with O'Reilly out, managed only two shots on goal which isn't all that surprising considering Eichel went only 3-13 (23%) in the faceoff circle vs. Kesler.
Eichel and the Sabres did a lot of chasing last night as each faceoff loss meant energy expended trying to get it back. Buffalo went 25-61 (41%) on draws and it really hurt late in the third period with the Sabres trailing 1-0 and looking to get goalie Robin Lehner off in favor of the extra attacker.
All-in-all, the final two minutes was a comedy of errors as Buffalo would mishandle the entire situation. Even though the Sabres would go three of six on the dot, they couldn't keep the puck in the Anaheim zone long enough to get Lehner off the ice.
Beginning at the 17:15-mark Buffalo:
--turned the puck over in the offensive zone
--turned it over in their own zone giving up a clear shot in the high slot
--turned the puck over in the neutral zone
--were called for off sides at the 18:02-mark
--won a two neutral zone faceoffs, but the Ducks cleared
--were called for icing
--won the draw but couldn't get the puck into the Ducks zone
--with :56 seconds to go, put the puck in the benches
--won the faceoff, got Lehner to the bench
--were called for icing after the Ducks cleared the zone
--after using their timeout, lost the draw
--and in the final :30 seconds could only muster a missed shot on goal
Although it wasn't a "jump-off-the-Peace-Bridge" kind of game, that ending was thouroughly frustrating as a veteran Anaheim club choked the life out of a young Sabres team.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Rookie scoring race recap plus, Leafs trade and trade partners for Buffalo
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
With Chicago's Artemi Panarin scoring his first career hat trick this week while adding another goal and assist, his 57 point total and 16 point lead may make this a race for second place in overall points. Buffalo's Jack Eichel and Max Domi are tied for second in overall points with 41 after Eichel added three assists this week while Domi lit it up with four goals and two assists in three games for the Arizona Coyotes. Detroit's Dylan Larkin had a rough week with only one goal added to his resume. Larkin is in fourth with 39 points.
Philadelphia defenseman Shane Gostisbehere continues to marvel in the point production department as the 22 yr. old third round pick (2012) extended his record for points in consecutive games by a defenseman to 15 games. Gostisbehere added a point in all three games played this past week (2g +1a) and extended his streak in style with the overtime winner at Toronto on Saturday night.
According to NHL.com, Gostisbehere has the longest points-streak by a defenseman since 1995 when Chris Chelios had a 15-game streak beginning on October 26. He also now has the third longest streak behind any rookie since 1987-88. Paul Stastny (Feb. 3 to March 17, 2007) holds the longest streak during that period with 20 games while Teemu Selanne had a 17-game streak beginning March 9, 1993.
Gostisbehere also held on to the fourth spot in rookie assists with a total of 22. Panarin leads that category with 35, Eichel and Domi are tied for second with 24 while Larkin is in fifth with 20.
With Chicago's Artemi Panarin scoring his first career hat trick this week while adding another goal and assist, his 57 point total and 16 point lead may make this a race for second place in overall points. Buffalo's Jack Eichel and Max Domi are tied for second in overall points with 41 after Eichel added three assists this week while Domi lit it up with four goals and two assists in three games for the Arizona Coyotes. Detroit's Dylan Larkin had a rough week with only one goal added to his resume. Larkin is in fourth with 39 points.
Philadelphia defenseman Shane Gostisbehere continues to marvel in the point production department as the 22 yr. old third round pick (2012) extended his record for points in consecutive games by a defenseman to 15 games. Gostisbehere added a point in all three games played this past week (2g +1a) and extended his streak in style with the overtime winner at Toronto on Saturday night.
According to NHL.com, Gostisbehere has the longest points-streak by a defenseman since 1995 when Chris Chelios had a 15-game streak beginning on October 26. He also now has the third longest streak behind any rookie since 1987-88. Paul Stastny (Feb. 3 to March 17, 2007) holds the longest streak during that period with 20 games while Teemu Selanne had a 17-game streak beginning March 9, 1993.
Gostisbehere also held on to the fourth spot in rookie assists with a total of 22. Panarin leads that category with 35, Eichel and Domi are tied for second with 24 while Larkin is in fifth with 20.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
McDavid serves Calder notice. Of Montreal, Robin Lehner and John Scott.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
It's too bad that those who subscribed to NHL GameCenter Live (like myself) couldn't watch the "Triumphant Return," as was NHL.com's headline this morning, of Connor McDavid to the ice. The rookie phenom had been sidelined by a broken clavicle that cost him 37 games and it would have been great to be able to watch him dazzle on the heels of an impressive NHL All-Star Weekend. But, the note from the website was: Media Error. Video not available.
So, we're left with the highlights and if you haven't seen it, McDavid's goal last night was the stuff of legend. With the game tied at 1-1, McDavid took the puck in the neutral zone and hit the blueline as two Columbus Blue Jackets players converged on him. He left Jackets' d-man Jack Johnson looking for his jockstrap, had defenseman Justin Faulk literally tripping over himself as he fell to the ice while he whizzed past him and made Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo look like the 21 year old rookie he is.
It's too bad that those who subscribed to NHL GameCenter Live (like myself) couldn't watch the "Triumphant Return," as was NHL.com's headline this morning, of Connor McDavid to the ice. The rookie phenom had been sidelined by a broken clavicle that cost him 37 games and it would have been great to be able to watch him dazzle on the heels of an impressive NHL All-Star Weekend. But, the note from the website was: Media Error. Video not available.
So, we're left with the highlights and if you haven't seen it, McDavid's goal last night was the stuff of legend. With the game tied at 1-1, McDavid took the puck in the neutral zone and hit the blueline as two Columbus Blue Jackets players converged on him. He left Jackets' d-man Jack Johnson looking for his jockstrap, had defenseman Justin Faulk literally tripping over himself as he fell to the ice while he whizzed past him and made Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo look like the 21 year old rookie he is.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Taylor Hall should be fined for boarding Sam Reinhart
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
First-off, I think Edmonton's Taylor Hall is a helluva player and in no way, shape or form do I believe him to be dirty. From the limited number of games I've seen he plays fast, plays with skill and is basically plays the game the way it should be played.
That said, what he did last night in boarding Buffalo's Sam Reinhart smacked of malicious intent as he took out his frustrations on a player in a prone position.
Early in the third period of last night's game with the Oilers up 4-2, Hall got tangled up deep in his own zone with Sabres d-man Jake McCabe who was pinching in on the play. McCabe's stick ended up between Hall's legs and he went down to the ice. No penalty. When Hall got up he bee-lined towards the puck which was on the far side. You could see in his stride that he was ticked off and when a short pass went to Reinhart along the boards, Hall took out his frustrations on him and received a two-minute minor penalty.
It was a dangerous hit, the type the NHL is trying to eliminate. Reinhart got up and skated to the bench a little off-kilter, but had he not, we'd be looking at something a bit more serious.
Hall is a star player who's having an outstanding season thus-far with 28 points (11+17,) good for seventh in the league. But that doesn't give mean he should be given a pass on this.
**********
The Oilers pretty much left the Sabres in the dust last night as they were flying around all over the ice. They pressured Buffalo in every zone and made them look as if it were last year's team. The official giveaway stats don't come close to telling just how much trouble the Sabres had in the game.
"Every puck through the first 30 minutes was north and behind our defenseman," said head coach Dan Bylsma to the gathered media post-game. "They got in with speed, got in with a forecheck and forced us in a lot of areas."
Edmonton not only controlled the first 30 minutes with the puck in play, they also controlled the faceoff circle. Buffalo was 13 of 36 (36%) on the dot and their best faceoff man, Ryan O'Reilly, was even worse as he went 4 of 11 (27%.) Two of Edmonton's three goals were direct results of winning a faceoff in Buffalo's zone.
When all was said and done, the Sabres headed into the third period down 4-2 but had redemption on the horizon as Hall took that boarding penalty. The Sabres managed four shots on goal and they would get no closer as the game would end with that score.
**********
Although this wasn't a clunker on the scale of the 7-2 Montreal debacle, the Sabres just didn't play well as a team. There were way too many individual lapses, especially early on, that put Buffalo in a hole and by the time they woke up, they were down 4-2 with the Oilers in lock-down mode.
One could make the excuse that their slow start was a product of adjusting to the Mountain Time Zone, and there's some truth to that. But there's also truth to the fact that they've been notoriously slow starters for much of the season. In saying that, it also looked like the Sabres weren't prepared for the Oilers' speed as they witnessed it first-hand for the first time this season.
They got schooled by an Edmonton team that they'll be compared to for years to come and not just because of the Connor McDavid/Eichel thing. They're two of the youngest teams in the league who were built with a bevy of first round draft picks and they both like to use their team-speed to play an up-tempo game.
The next meeting between the two clubs will be March 1, 2016 as the Oilers visit First Niagara Center to kick off a four-game road trip and one would expect Edmonton to have McDavid in the lineup at that time.
One should also expect a better performance from Buffalo as well.
First-off, I think Edmonton's Taylor Hall is a helluva player and in no way, shape or form do I believe him to be dirty. From the limited number of games I've seen he plays fast, plays with skill and is basically plays the game the way it should be played.
That said, what he did last night in boarding Buffalo's Sam Reinhart smacked of malicious intent as he took out his frustrations on a player in a prone position.
Early in the third period of last night's game with the Oilers up 4-2, Hall got tangled up deep in his own zone with Sabres d-man Jake McCabe who was pinching in on the play. McCabe's stick ended up between Hall's legs and he went down to the ice. No penalty. When Hall got up he bee-lined towards the puck which was on the far side. You could see in his stride that he was ticked off and when a short pass went to Reinhart along the boards, Hall took out his frustrations on him and received a two-minute minor penalty.
It was a dangerous hit, the type the NHL is trying to eliminate. Reinhart got up and skated to the bench a little off-kilter, but had he not, we'd be looking at something a bit more serious.
Hall is a star player who's having an outstanding season thus-far with 28 points (11+17,) good for seventh in the league. But that doesn't give mean he should be given a pass on this.
**********
The Oilers pretty much left the Sabres in the dust last night as they were flying around all over the ice. They pressured Buffalo in every zone and made them look as if it were last year's team. The official giveaway stats don't come close to telling just how much trouble the Sabres had in the game.
"Every puck through the first 30 minutes was north and behind our defenseman," said head coach Dan Bylsma to the gathered media post-game. "They got in with speed, got in with a forecheck and forced us in a lot of areas."
Edmonton not only controlled the first 30 minutes with the puck in play, they also controlled the faceoff circle. Buffalo was 13 of 36 (36%) on the dot and their best faceoff man, Ryan O'Reilly, was even worse as he went 4 of 11 (27%.) Two of Edmonton's three goals were direct results of winning a faceoff in Buffalo's zone.
When all was said and done, the Sabres headed into the third period down 4-2 but had redemption on the horizon as Hall took that boarding penalty. The Sabres managed four shots on goal and they would get no closer as the game would end with that score.
**********
Although this wasn't a clunker on the scale of the 7-2 Montreal debacle, the Sabres just didn't play well as a team. There were way too many individual lapses, especially early on, that put Buffalo in a hole and by the time they woke up, they were down 4-2 with the Oilers in lock-down mode.
One could make the excuse that their slow start was a product of adjusting to the Mountain Time Zone, and there's some truth to that. But there's also truth to the fact that they've been notoriously slow starters for much of the season. In saying that, it also looked like the Sabres weren't prepared for the Oilers' speed as they witnessed it first-hand for the first time this season.
They got schooled by an Edmonton team that they'll be compared to for years to come and not just because of the Connor McDavid/Eichel thing. They're two of the youngest teams in the league who were built with a bevy of first round draft picks and they both like to use their team-speed to play an up-tempo game.
The next meeting between the two clubs will be March 1, 2016 as the Oilers visit First Niagara Center to kick off a four-game road trip and one would expect Edmonton to have McDavid in the lineup at that time.
One should also expect a better performance from Buffalo as well.
Monday, December 7, 2015
No Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel matchup as the Sabres bid adieu to Rexall Place
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres will be visiting Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta tonight to kick off a three-game West Coast swing. Originally known as Northlands Coliseum, Rexall Place opened in 1974 and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA. It is the second oldest arena in the NHL, behind the legendary Madison Square Gardens (1968,) and will soon be relegated to NHL history once the new Rogers Place opens up in downtown Edmonton in time for next season.
The banners up in the rafters boast five Stanley Cup Championships and an impressive display of retired numbers featuring some to the greatest ever to play the game. The Great One's No. 99 headlines a group of six great players from their heyday in the 1980's. Wayne Gretzky is joined by "The Captain's Captain" and six-time Stanley Cup-winner, Mark Messier (No. 11,) three-time Norris-winner and four-time Cup-winner Paul Coffey (No. 7,) six-time Cup-winner Glenn Anderson (No. 9,) and five-time Cup-champions Grant Fuhr (No. 31,) and Jari Kurri (No. 17.)
The No. 3 banner belongs to defenseman Al Hamilton who played for the NY Rangers and their AHL affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, before the expansion Buffalo Sabres selected him in the 1970 Expansion Draft. He played two seasons for Buffalo before he jumped to the WHA, signing with Alberta Oilers, forerunner to the Edmonton franchise. He retired after the 1979-80 season and is the only player with a number in the rafters who was not a part of the Oilers dynasty of the 80's.
A quick note, the other banner with the No. 3542 belongs to long-time broadcaster Rod Phillips and represents the number of Oilers games he called.
The Buffalo Sabres will be visiting Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta tonight to kick off a three-game West Coast swing. Originally known as Northlands Coliseum, Rexall Place opened in 1974 and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA. It is the second oldest arena in the NHL, behind the legendary Madison Square Gardens (1968,) and will soon be relegated to NHL history once the new Rogers Place opens up in downtown Edmonton in time for next season.
The banners up in the rafters boast five Stanley Cup Championships and an impressive display of retired numbers featuring some to the greatest ever to play the game. The Great One's No. 99 headlines a group of six great players from their heyday in the 1980's. Wayne Gretzky is joined by "The Captain's Captain" and six-time Stanley Cup-winner, Mark Messier (No. 11,) three-time Norris-winner and four-time Cup-winner Paul Coffey (No. 7,) six-time Cup-winner Glenn Anderson (No. 9,) and five-time Cup-champions Grant Fuhr (No. 31,) and Jari Kurri (No. 17.)
The No. 3 banner belongs to defenseman Al Hamilton who played for the NY Rangers and their AHL affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, before the expansion Buffalo Sabres selected him in the 1970 Expansion Draft. He played two seasons for Buffalo before he jumped to the WHA, signing with Alberta Oilers, forerunner to the Edmonton franchise. He retired after the 1979-80 season and is the only player with a number in the rafters who was not a part of the Oilers dynasty of the 80's.
A quick note, the other banner with the No. 3542 belongs to long-time broadcaster Rod Phillips and represents the number of Oilers games he called.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
McDavid/Eichel plus, Rex Ryan and a tip of the hat to Phil Housley
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Buffalo's Jack Eichel will always be linked together. And that's a good thing. A while back I posted a blog that compared a McDavid/Eichel to the NBA's Magic Johnson/Larry Bird rivalry. In it I mentioned that the NBA at the time was no where near as popular as it is now and the Johnson/Bird was the driving force that brought into the limelight.
Although it's doubtful that the NHL will reach the status of the NBA in the States, 10-15 years of McDavid/Eichel will certainly have a strong, positive affect on a sport who's popularity has been growing steadily for at least a half-a-dozen years.
I also posted a while back that if the Sabres didn't win the lottery and have the opportunity to grab McDavid, I'd have no problem with the Oilers getting the pick even though they'd had an inordinate number of first-overall picks the previous five draft-years. I laid out similarities between the small-market cities while also citing that the two organizations had some real problems when it came to upper management and when you put it all together, they couldn't collect enough talent to make an impact beyond a short-lived playoff run or two. And it was a shame because both cities have a very loyal fan-base.
"In a way, I wouldn't mind the Oilers with Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel as the fans of Edmonton, who seem to be similar to those of Buffalo, deserve it," I wrote nearly a year ago. "They're a dedicated lot and although the people in charge of hockey ops should be held accountable (read fired) for their incompetence (as was the case in Buffalo,) it's through no fault of their fans that the incompetents were either put in their positions and/or lasted as long as they did. That's an ownership problem."
Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Buffalo's Jack Eichel will always be linked together. And that's a good thing. A while back I posted a blog that compared a McDavid/Eichel to the NBA's Magic Johnson/Larry Bird rivalry. In it I mentioned that the NBA at the time was no where near as popular as it is now and the Johnson/Bird was the driving force that brought into the limelight.
Although it's doubtful that the NHL will reach the status of the NBA in the States, 10-15 years of McDavid/Eichel will certainly have a strong, positive affect on a sport who's popularity has been growing steadily for at least a half-a-dozen years.
I also posted a while back that if the Sabres didn't win the lottery and have the opportunity to grab McDavid, I'd have no problem with the Oilers getting the pick even though they'd had an inordinate number of first-overall picks the previous five draft-years. I laid out similarities between the small-market cities while also citing that the two organizations had some real problems when it came to upper management and when you put it all together, they couldn't collect enough talent to make an impact beyond a short-lived playoff run or two. And it was a shame because both cities have a very loyal fan-base.
"In a way, I wouldn't mind the Oilers with Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel as the fans of Edmonton, who seem to be similar to those of Buffalo, deserve it," I wrote nearly a year ago. "They're a dedicated lot and although the people in charge of hockey ops should be held accountable (read fired) for their incompetence (as was the case in Buffalo,) it's through no fault of their fans that the incompetents were either put in their positions and/or lasted as long as they did. That's an ownership problem."
Thursday, November 5, 2015
On this year's Sabres, Connor McDavid, the NFL and more
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres have been playing real well as of late and WGR's Paul Hamilton gave us a little insight as to what's transpired on the ice since the beginning of the season. The team went from struggling early on to putting together four strong games in a row that lead to a 3-1 record. And even in the loss (to Pittsburgh) they were the better team.
So what gives?
"[Buffalo head coach] Dan Bylsma is always teaching and always coaching when he’s on the ice," began Hamilton's piece. "Last season the coaching staff preached hard work, but very little on systems or game plans. Bylsma is the exact opposite."
What it lead to according to was information overload for some of the players. “I think in some instances maybe it’s the first time a players been given a lot of information, I am mindful of that,”
said Bylsma in the Hamilton piece. “It’s evident, I can see it, I can see it from September 18 through the first three weeks of training camp, I can see it in some player’s eyes they’re like, ‘I didn’t know’, they weren’t aware of it, so I know that.”
The Buffalo Sabres have been playing real well as of late and WGR's Paul Hamilton gave us a little insight as to what's transpired on the ice since the beginning of the season. The team went from struggling early on to putting together four strong games in a row that lead to a 3-1 record. And even in the loss (to Pittsburgh) they were the better team.
So what gives?
"[Buffalo head coach] Dan Bylsma is always teaching and always coaching when he’s on the ice," began Hamilton's piece. "Last season the coaching staff preached hard work, but very little on systems or game plans. Bylsma is the exact opposite."
What it lead to according to was information overload for some of the players. “I think in some instances maybe it’s the first time a players been given a lot of information, I am mindful of that,”
said Bylsma in the Hamilton piece. “It’s evident, I can see it, I can see it from September 18 through the first three weeks of training camp, I can see it in some player’s eyes they’re like, ‘I didn’t know’, they weren’t aware of it, so I know that.”
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