Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-16-2018
Game-2 of Buffalo's season-long five-game road trip is tonight in Las Vegas as the Sabres take on the Golden Knights for the second time in just over a week. Buffalo defeated the Golden Knights last Monday and can sweep the season series with a win tonight. Last year in their inaugural season Vegas won both games against the Sabres in overtime.
According to the Sabres twitter page this looks to be Buffalo's lineup for tonight's 10:30 pm ET matchup:
Conor Sheary-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Jeff Skinner-Casey Mittelstadt-Kyle Okposo
Vladimir Sobotka-Patrik Berglund-Tage Thompson
Zemgus Girgensons-Evan Rodrigues-Jason Pominville
Head coach Phil Housley didn't mess with a winning formula from the previous game as he kept all of his lines intact which includes Mittelstadt centering Skinner and Okposo.
The top four of Rasmus Ristolainen-Marco Scandella and Rasmus Dahlin-Jake McCabe remain intact but the Sabres made room for a returning Zach Bogosian by sitting Casey Nelson.
Bogosian has been out since January and returns to the lineup after recovering from elective hip surgery. The 28 yr. old Bogosian has had an injury-plagued career ever since playing an 81-game season in 2009-10 for the Atlanta Thrashers, the team that drafted him third-overall in 2008. In the five next five seasons playing for the Thrashers and the Winnipeg Jets after Atlanta moved there as well as his first partial season in Buffalo after getting traded, Bogosian played in 286 of a possible 376 game or 76%. The last three seasons things have gotten progressively worse as Bogosian played in 64, 56 and 18 games, respectively, beginning in 2015-16 for a total of 138 games or only 56% of a possible 246 games.
Despite his injury woes, Housley still has respect for the defenseman and showed that by naming him an associate captain, and the coach said that respect is strong in the locker room. The guys really like him and really respect him,” Housley told the gathered media the other day. “That goes a long way. I like the job that he’s done with our younger guys, making them feel comfortable and part of our team. He’s a really good mentor.”
The right-handed Bogosian joins the left handed Nathan Beaulieu on Buffalo's third pairing. Buffalo heads into tonight's contest with a 3-2-0 record and is tied for ninth in the league with a 2.60 goals-against average which is worlds above their third-worst 3.39 GAA last season.
Goalie Carter Hutton had been an anchor in net before getting a day off against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night. Linus Ullmark got the start and with the help of his skaters, proceeded to pitch his first-ever NHL shutout with a 3-0 win. In a not to a defined starter/backup hierarchy right now, Housley is said to be going back to Hutton in net tonight. The 32 yr. old is 2-2-0 this season with a 3.06 GAA and .912 Sv%.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Some firsts for a few Sabres and some Amerks making a push
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-15-2018
The Buffalo Sabres are on the road for the next week playing four more games in six nights beginning tomorrow with a visit to Las Vegas. The Sabres kicked off their five game trip out west with a pretty strong 3-0 shutout win over an Arizona Coyotes team that's really struggling so far. Through their first four games (including the Buffalo loss) the 'Yotes are 1-3-0 and were shutout in all three losses.
Buffalo did a lot of good things in their win against Arizona Saturday night. They pressured the Coyotes early and got a goal just 2:26 into the game as Rasmus Dahlin scored his first career NHL goal by sneaking between three Arizona players in the slot and depositing the rebound off of a Jeff Skinner drive to the net. Skinner was exceptional on that play as he streaked in and drew all the attention while Dahlin followed the play and lifted the stick of an unsuspecting Brad Richardson before burying the rebound.
The Buffalo Sabres are on the road for the next week playing four more games in six nights beginning tomorrow with a visit to Las Vegas. The Sabres kicked off their five game trip out west with a pretty strong 3-0 shutout win over an Arizona Coyotes team that's really struggling so far. Through their first four games (including the Buffalo loss) the 'Yotes are 1-3-0 and were shutout in all three losses.
Buffalo did a lot of good things in their win against Arizona Saturday night. They pressured the Coyotes early and got a goal just 2:26 into the game as Rasmus Dahlin scored his first career NHL goal by sneaking between three Arizona players in the slot and depositing the rebound off of a Jeff Skinner drive to the net. Skinner was exceptional on that play as he streaked in and drew all the attention while Dahlin followed the play and lifted the stick of an unsuspecting Brad Richardson before burying the rebound.
Skinner himself finally got on the board as a Buffalo Sabre when he deked 'Yotes goalie Anti Raanta before roofing a sweet backhand to seal the victory late in the third period. The former Carolina Hurricanes winger, whom the Sabres traded for, had been a little snake-bitten as he'd fail to score in his first four games but had been playing well. Buffalo bench boss Phil Housley had praised Skinner for his puck-retrieval work on the forecheck and play on backcheck and it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before he broke through with a goal.
Meanwhile on the defensive side of things, rookie goalie Linus Ullmark pitched the first shutout of his NHL career by stopping all 36 Arizona shots. The two-time Rochester Americans MVP got the call after watching veteran Carter Hutton usher the Sabres to a 2-2-0 start to the season. The 25 yr. old Ullmark was poised in net as he calmly took care of the crease leaving very little opportunities for the Coyotes and when they did get off a great shot, he was there to stop it. He was named the game's first star.
The Sabres will conclude their two-game series with the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow night in "Sin City." Buffalo defeated Vegas 4-2 in a Monday matinee last week and is looking to even the series in the win column. The Knights beat the Sabres both times as their storybook inaugural season lead them all the way to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas is off to a rough 2-4-0 start this season as they've lost the magic that propelled them to an 8-1-0 start last year.
*****
Dahlin, Skinner and Ullmark are all locked in with the big club this season as are a number of other Sabres players, but there are a few who are fighting to stay. Young players like Tage Thompson and vets like Johan Larsson, Nathan Beaulieu and Casey Nelson are all looking to stick with the club but have some Amerks players who are making a push to replace them.
Unlike the past two season where the Sabres organization was devoid of quality depth, this year is different as a convergence of draft picks and free agent signings have upped the level of competition for not only roster spots but for playing time as well.
Rochester has six players as healthy scratches, according to Let's Go Amerks writer Keith Wozniak, which should add some urgency to those in the lineup on any given night. Amerks head coach Chris Taylor wants his team to be tough and gritty to play against with the backend joining the play. The first two games he didn't get that as they lost two games against the Charlotte Checkers (CAR) 10-4 at home to start the season. They came back with a win against the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) the team that swept them in the playoffs last season with Wozniak writing "roster changes the first two games of the season set the tone that right now there’s competition for playing time."
“I tried to set the standard right off the bat if you don’t play well," Taylor told the local media last week. "The accountability is there, we’ll put someone else in the lineup."
The coach had to stop practice on Friday to get his point across. “It’s not just for our defensive habits out there, its for our offensive habits too. If we’re not used to playing against guys that are hitting in practice and then all of a sudden we’re in a game and not used to it. We need to push each other every day. It’s not acceptable that we don’t practice like we play. We make sure we preached that and we want to make sure we’re doing that and it’ll make us that much better.”
Rochester just finished taking two games from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI) over the weekend to give them a three-game winning streak.
The Amerks are beginning to gel and there are two players in particular who are turning some heads. Seventh round pick Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st overall) is leading the Amerks in scoring through five games with three goals and five assists. The 23 yr. old native of Sweden came to North America after leading the Swedish Hockey League with 27 goals last season. Olofsson is tied for third in the AHL in scoring so far.
Another Swede, defenseman Lawrence Pilut, is also having an impact. The undrafted free agent whom Sabres GM Jason Botterill signed in May is second amongst AHL defensemen in points with six (2+4) and is sporting a plus-5 plus/minus rating. Taylor talked of Pilut having to adjust to the smaller North American ice surface and it seems as if the 2018 SHL Defenseman of the Year is doing just that.
What Taylor said about having another player ready to take over a spot in the lineup goes for the organization as well. Take a player like Thompson. Although the 20 yr. old right winger has been playing well, he's yet to hit the scoresheet despite playing second line minutes for a good chunk of Buffalo's first five games. It might be a little early to call up Olofsson to replace Thompson but that possibility is there right now only five games into the season.
On the back end, Pilut is exactly the type of defenseman Housley and the Sabres love as he has the mobility and offensive acumen to help the Sabres score. And he's proven to be pretty sound in his own end as well. Both Nelson and Beaulieu already have the prospect of Zach Bogosian replacing one of them when he officially returns to action and to have Pilut off to this kind of start is pushing them to play better. Both have done well as Buffalo's third pairing, but there are players ready to take their spots in the lineup.
Internal competition is a key driver to success and after many years, the Sabres organization finally has some quality depth which will help drive that aspect.
It's a pleasure to be able to write about that.
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Carter Hutton and some words of wisdom, plus the "SHOOT!!!" people
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-12-18
GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres may have found themselves a real gem in goaltender Carter Hutton. Although he may not be the second coming of Martin Brodeur or go on a late-bloomer run to the Stanley Cup like Tim Thomas did, what Hutton is bringing to the Sabres both on and off the ice is worth mentioning...again.
Hutton came to the Sabres after a pretty strong performance in a backup role for the St. Louis Blues and was ready for his shot as a starter. But he also knew that there were other responsibilities as well, like being helping his new team transition from cellar-dweller and taking the heat off of rookie Linus Ullmark.
"I think my role is to come in here, step in, play well and help the team win hockey games," said the 32 yr. old to the gathered media after his signing. What's been expressed to me is I think they kind of want me to protect [Ullmark] in the sense that this is going to be a big year for him. Playing full-time in the NHL is a lot different than playing full-time in the AHL. I just think they don't want to make any mistakes rushing him. They know he's their guy in the future and they have a lot of faith in him."
Botterill said at the time of the signing that his scouts focused on Hutton in free agency and they really liked what they saw. "What we've learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies.
"We think it's a great fit."
What we in Sabreland have learned about Hutton after four games is that he's a real calming presence both on and off the ice.
Hutton is a great puckhandler for a goalie and that aspect eases some of the burden on the defensemen heading back for the puck. With a league built on speed and pressure, the opposition forecheck can be a nightmare for defenseman. However, with Hutton back there handling the puck, it's almost as if there was another skater there already and instead of a defenseman starting the play on or beneath the goal line, Hutton is already there looking for an outlet pass or dump-off. He's already told his defensemen to let him handle things when the situation calls for it and they've obliged. The results are consistent breakouts from the back-end the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.
Off the ice Hutton is a calming voice of reason regardless of the outcome. After the Sabres got spanked by the Boston Bruins by a 4-0 score at home and were booed of off the ice. When asked by the media if it was difficult not to over react to a game like that, Hutton said matter-of-factly, "For me it's pretty easy. It is what it is. Whether we lost 10-0 or 1-0 it's just one game. We've got to move on and take what we can from it."
The Sabres proceeded to win the next two games before dropping their second of the season last night 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and the general vibe was that they may have taken things a little for granted, according to head coach Phil Housley. He told the gathered media last night that his team should have "a good, valuable lesson to learn (from) last night" and that he still has a team that's "learning to win."
Good points.
The Sabres have been in the dumps so long, most recently a last place finish In 2017-18, that winning and maintaining that winning attitude is still somewhat foreign. Forward Kyle Okposo said last night that they "just weren't ready to go" while Hutton said that it might be "just one of those things where maybe we get a little too comfortable at home."
Hutton, who was with a 46-win St. Louis Blues team that advanced to the second round of the 2018 NHL playoffs, also mentioned "the grind of winning" saying that "it's not anything that's easy to do" and that they must learn to embrace it."
Buffalo is on the road for a season-long five-game road trip beginning in Arizona tomorrow night followed by trips to Las Vegas (the 16th,) San Jose (18th,) Los Angeles (20th) and Anaheim (25th.) Facing off against the one-win Coyotes would be a good way to hopefully start learning to win again.
*****
It took a while for the Sabres to get their feet underneath them last night but when they did they started playing much better and got back into the game.
Midway through the second period the second line of Patrik Berglund, Jeff Skinner and Okposo got a nice cycle going in the Avalanche zone that lasted over 1:30. After the puck left the Colorado zone Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary, along with defensemen Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin got it going again for over a minute.
That quintet were using every inch of the offensive zone trying to create space against a real solid defensive-five for the 'Lanche. The cycle was beautiful to watch as the Sabres did everything they could to get a good shot off and looked every bit in control. I could have watched it a lot longer as it's something we haven't really seen often.
Unfortunately at KeyBank Center a vociferous portion of the 15,000-plus were getting anxious and they displayed their impatience and displeasure with what was transpiring by yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!"
McCabe eventually got a shot off from the slot that was just wide of the net.
If people pay money to go to a game, they can pretty much act as they choose as long as it's not offensive or causing physical harm.
People yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!" at that point with the beauty that was the Sabres cycle seemed rather offensive to me. Nobody in the Sabres organization will say it, nor will anyone in the Buffalo media mention it, but it should be said. Having money to go to a game, or spending that money to go to the game doesn't make one an expert on what should be done in any given situation.
At-me all you want, but that just wasn't warranted.
GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres may have found themselves a real gem in goaltender Carter Hutton. Although he may not be the second coming of Martin Brodeur or go on a late-bloomer run to the Stanley Cup like Tim Thomas did, what Hutton is bringing to the Sabres both on and off the ice is worth mentioning...again.
Hutton came to the Sabres after a pretty strong performance in a backup role for the St. Louis Blues and was ready for his shot as a starter. But he also knew that there were other responsibilities as well, like being helping his new team transition from cellar-dweller and taking the heat off of rookie Linus Ullmark.
"I think my role is to come in here, step in, play well and help the team win hockey games," said the 32 yr. old to the gathered media after his signing. What's been expressed to me is I think they kind of want me to protect [Ullmark] in the sense that this is going to be a big year for him. Playing full-time in the NHL is a lot different than playing full-time in the AHL. I just think they don't want to make any mistakes rushing him. They know he's their guy in the future and they have a lot of faith in him."
Botterill said at the time of the signing that his scouts focused on Hutton in free agency and they really liked what they saw. "What we've learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies.
"We think it's a great fit."
What we in Sabreland have learned about Hutton after four games is that he's a real calming presence both on and off the ice.
Hutton is a great puckhandler for a goalie and that aspect eases some of the burden on the defensemen heading back for the puck. With a league built on speed and pressure, the opposition forecheck can be a nightmare for defenseman. However, with Hutton back there handling the puck, it's almost as if there was another skater there already and instead of a defenseman starting the play on or beneath the goal line, Hutton is already there looking for an outlet pass or dump-off. He's already told his defensemen to let him handle things when the situation calls for it and they've obliged. The results are consistent breakouts from the back-end the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.
Off the ice Hutton is a calming voice of reason regardless of the outcome. After the Sabres got spanked by the Boston Bruins by a 4-0 score at home and were booed of off the ice. When asked by the media if it was difficult not to over react to a game like that, Hutton said matter-of-factly, "For me it's pretty easy. It is what it is. Whether we lost 10-0 or 1-0 it's just one game. We've got to move on and take what we can from it."
The Sabres proceeded to win the next two games before dropping their second of the season last night 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and the general vibe was that they may have taken things a little for granted, according to head coach Phil Housley. He told the gathered media last night that his team should have "a good, valuable lesson to learn (from) last night" and that he still has a team that's "learning to win."
Good points.
The Sabres have been in the dumps so long, most recently a last place finish In 2017-18, that winning and maintaining that winning attitude is still somewhat foreign. Forward Kyle Okposo said last night that they "just weren't ready to go" while Hutton said that it might be "just one of those things where maybe we get a little too comfortable at home."
Hutton, who was with a 46-win St. Louis Blues team that advanced to the second round of the 2018 NHL playoffs, also mentioned "the grind of winning" saying that "it's not anything that's easy to do" and that they must learn to embrace it."
Buffalo is on the road for a season-long five-game road trip beginning in Arizona tomorrow night followed by trips to Las Vegas (the 16th,) San Jose (18th,) Los Angeles (20th) and Anaheim (25th.) Facing off against the one-win Coyotes would be a good way to hopefully start learning to win again.
*****
It took a while for the Sabres to get their feet underneath them last night but when they did they started playing much better and got back into the game.
Midway through the second period the second line of Patrik Berglund, Jeff Skinner and Okposo got a nice cycle going in the Avalanche zone that lasted over 1:30. After the puck left the Colorado zone Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary, along with defensemen Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin got it going again for over a minute.
That quintet were using every inch of the offensive zone trying to create space against a real solid defensive-five for the 'Lanche. The cycle was beautiful to watch as the Sabres did everything they could to get a good shot off and looked every bit in control. I could have watched it a lot longer as it's something we haven't really seen often.
Unfortunately at KeyBank Center a vociferous portion of the 15,000-plus were getting anxious and they displayed their impatience and displeasure with what was transpiring by yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!"
McCabe eventually got a shot off from the slot that was just wide of the net.
If people pay money to go to a game, they can pretty much act as they choose as long as it's not offensive or causing physical harm.
People yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!" at that point with the beauty that was the Sabres cycle seemed rather offensive to me. Nobody in the Sabres organization will say it, nor will anyone in the Buffalo media mention it, but it should be said. Having money to go to a game, or spending that money to go to the game doesn't make one an expert on what should be done in any given situation.
At-me all you want, but that just wasn't warranted.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Can the Sabres make it three in a row?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-11-2018
Phase-1: Win one game.
The Buffalo Sabres accomplished that in their second game of the season after dropping their season opener 4-0 at home.
Phase-2: Get above .500
The Sabres hadn't been over the .500 mark since January 2013 when Lindy Ruff was the head coach and Darcy Regier their GM. After 2083 days, 458 games, three GM's five coaches, two tank seasons and a partridge caught under an overturned nacho table, Buffalo was finally able to accomplish that feat with a matinee win over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. They're now 2-1.
Phase-3: Go for three in a row.
Last season the Sabres never won more than three games in a row and they did so only once. Buffalo was on a western Canada road trip from January 22-25 and proceeded to defeat the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, the latter two teams by a combined 9-0 score with Robin Lehner pitching back-to-back shutouts.
Buffalo heads into tonight's matchup with a very talented Colorado Avalanche team looking for the three-game winning streak but also looking to continued success at home. Three wins at home is over 25% more than the 11 home wins they had last season adding up to an incredibly inept 11-25-5 record and enough boos to last well into the next decade.
This edition of the Sabres looks like a different team with an up-tempo style, good defense and very, very good goaltending. Head coach Phil Housley has four lines he can roll and defensemen who can get the puck to the forwards. And, finally after years of hearing about five-men-as-a-unit defensive responsibilities, they've actually looked like they're taking it to heart.
With two wins in a row, Housley is changing very little. The top-six and the fourth line are the same with the "big" change coming at left wing on the second line. Forward Johan Larsson, who'd been out with an injury, will make his season debut as Casey Mittelstadt's left wing on the third line. Here's the probable line combos for tonight:
43 Conor Sheary - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 10 Patrik Berglund - 21 Kyle Okposo
22 Johan Larsson - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
Housley's blueline looks to be the same as well:
Marco Scandella-Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Dahlin
Nathan Beaulieu-Casey Nelson
And, the coach will be going with the hot hand in net as Carter Hutton and his 2.06 goals-against average and .943 save percentage will be manning the crease again.
Mittelstadt's left wing has been a bit of a revolving door as he's had Vladimir Sobotka, Zemgus Girgensons and, now Larsson over there. All three players can carry a heavy defensive load for that line as well as take defensive draws. Although Mittelstadt has yet to score a goal this season, Housley told the gathered media he likes what he sees from the rookie in the defensive zone.
"He's been terrific," said Housley of Mittelstadt's defensive play. "He's coming back, watching his shifts with the coaches. He's really worked on that part of his game. He's made some steps in that area, coming back and supporting down low in the defensive zone. His reads are really good."
Colorado also has a 2-1 record.
From Housley and team captain Jack Eichel on down, a quick start to the season was said to be an essential component to success. Tonight represents a good opportunity for the Sabres to get on a roll before they head out for a season-long five-game road trip out west.
Win this one and we can go on to Phase-4.
Phase-1: Win one game.
The Buffalo Sabres accomplished that in their second game of the season after dropping their season opener 4-0 at home.
Phase-2: Get above .500
The Sabres hadn't been over the .500 mark since January 2013 when Lindy Ruff was the head coach and Darcy Regier their GM. After 2083 days, 458 games, three GM's five coaches, two tank seasons and a partridge caught under an overturned nacho table, Buffalo was finally able to accomplish that feat with a matinee win over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. They're now 2-1.
Phase-3: Go for three in a row.
Last season the Sabres never won more than three games in a row and they did so only once. Buffalo was on a western Canada road trip from January 22-25 and proceeded to defeat the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, the latter two teams by a combined 9-0 score with Robin Lehner pitching back-to-back shutouts.
Buffalo heads into tonight's matchup with a very talented Colorado Avalanche team looking for the three-game winning streak but also looking to continued success at home. Three wins at home is over 25% more than the 11 home wins they had last season adding up to an incredibly inept 11-25-5 record and enough boos to last well into the next decade.
This edition of the Sabres looks like a different team with an up-tempo style, good defense and very, very good goaltending. Head coach Phil Housley has four lines he can roll and defensemen who can get the puck to the forwards. And, finally after years of hearing about five-men-as-a-unit defensive responsibilities, they've actually looked like they're taking it to heart.
With two wins in a row, Housley is changing very little. The top-six and the fourth line are the same with the "big" change coming at left wing on the second line. Forward Johan Larsson, who'd been out with an injury, will make his season debut as Casey Mittelstadt's left wing on the third line. Here's the probable line combos for tonight:
43 Conor Sheary - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 10 Patrik Berglund - 21 Kyle Okposo
22 Johan Larsson - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
Housley's blueline looks to be the same as well:
Marco Scandella-Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe-Rasmus Dahlin
Nathan Beaulieu-Casey Nelson
And, the coach will be going with the hot hand in net as Carter Hutton and his 2.06 goals-against average and .943 save percentage will be manning the crease again.
Mittelstadt's left wing has been a bit of a revolving door as he's had Vladimir Sobotka, Zemgus Girgensons and, now Larsson over there. All three players can carry a heavy defensive load for that line as well as take defensive draws. Although Mittelstadt has yet to score a goal this season, Housley told the gathered media he likes what he sees from the rookie in the defensive zone.
"He's been terrific," said Housley of Mittelstadt's defensive play. "He's coming back, watching his shifts with the coaches. He's really worked on that part of his game. He's made some steps in that area, coming back and supporting down low in the defensive zone. His reads are really good."
Colorado also has a 2-1 record.
From Housley and team captain Jack Eichel on down, a quick start to the season was said to be an essential component to success. Tonight represents a good opportunity for the Sabres to get on a roll before they head out for a season-long five-game road trip out west.
Win this one and we can go on to Phase-4.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
What a strange feeling after a winning weekend.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-9-2018
My notepad for yesterday's matinee between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Buffalo Sabres didn't have a lot written in it. Which is a good thing.
First off, the Sabres played a game that didn't warrant a lot of notes and the ones that did make it in are all of the positive variety. And when you look at their overall game, the passing and playmaking was so good that the highlights and the final score give a pretty good indication as to just how well Buffalo played yesterday.
The Sabres 4-2 win over Vegas featured leads of 2-0 and 4-1 for Buffalo before the Golden Knights made things a bit interesting with a goal midway through the third period. It also featured a solid transition game and team defense which made watching the game fun for a change. Add that onto a 35-save performance from goalie Carter Hutton and you have a lot of smiles emanating from the Sabres locker room afterwards.
For Sabres fans it was a fun game to watch. The crowd at KeyBank Center has been dying to roar for years and over the past two games the Sabres have given them something to roar about. From Conor Sheary's two goals on Saturday to captain Jack Eichel's two goals yesterday, the roar of excitement displaced years of booing at KeyBank Center.
Yesterday's win also put an end to a six-game winless streak of Kid's Day games under GM Jason Botterill and coach Phil Housley dating back to last year. Whereas last season parents had to cover their children's eyes while wondering why they'd ever submit them to the nightmare unfolding on the ice, this season's schedule of six Kid's Day games began with a good, solid win yesterday.
The win over Vegas came on One Buffalo Day, as designated by Mayor Byron Brown three years ago to celebrate the Pegula's purchase of the Buffalo Bills on October 8, 2015. Terry and Kim Pegula had owned the Sabres and their purchase of the Bills made for a nice One Buffalo package. On Sunday their Bills came back home after a tough, two-game road trip where they went 1-1 and proceeded to defeat the Tennessee Titans on a field goal as time expired.
That One Buffalo win came on the heels of a 3-1 win by the Sabres over the Rangers on Saturday and just for good measure, another Buffalo team, the Beauts of the NWHL, pitched an afternoon shutout on the road in their season-opening win.
Four games, four wins.
It's a strange feeling to come off of a holiday weekend and not go over what went wrong in losses although there's been plenty of back and forth arguing about how the Bills won. Sure, it wasn't a pretty football win as they won with a little old fashioned Ground Chuck offense backed by some strong and opportunistic play on defense. Yet from the end of the game until now, there've been yammerings as to a poor offensive showing and how that style isn't sustainable in today's NFL. The Bills are in the midst of a brutal opening to the season where they play five of their first seven games on the road and just came off of games at Minnesota and at Green Bay. I'm of the opinion that a win's a win, especially for both the Sabres and Bills at this stage of their team developments
As for the Sabres, they played a strong game yesterday in many facets and despite allowing 37 shots on goal they looked like they were in control for large chunks of the game. Their breakouts were particularly strong, they played with speed and got to the puck fast. There was puck support all over the ice and they buried their opportunities, most notably in the second period when they scored three goals on their first three shots and ended up with on only five shots the entire period. They also looked very calm with the puck yesterday, waiting for the play to unfold instead of forcing the issue.
After a horrid season-opening shutout loss at home against the Boston Bruins, the Sabres came back and won two in a row to put them over the .500 mark for the first time since January, 2013. The NHL was coming out of the lockout that year and into a shortenened 48-game season. Lindy Ruff was behind the bench in what would be his final days coaching the Sabres. Ruff and his charges got off to a 2-0 start then lost a home-and-home January 24-25 to the Carolina Hurricanes that would drop them to .500 hockey and they wouldn't surpass that mark until 2,083 days had passed with 458 games played.
This was the opening night lineup for Buffalo that season:
Thomas Vanek-Cody Hodgson-Jason Pominville
Marcus Foligno-Tyler Ennis-Drew Stafford
Jochen Hecht-Mikhail Grigorenko-Steve Ott
Patrick Kaleta-Matt Ellis-John Scott
Robyn Regehr-Tyler Myers
Jordan Leopold-Andrej Sekera
Christian Ehrhoff-Alexander Sulzer
Ryan Miller
The Sabres are now on their fifth coach since then and are on their third general manager. Since dropping to .500 that January, the Sabres have a 156-230-53 record finishing last in the league three of those five seasons.
So if things fell a little strange for you this fine Tuesday, know that you're not alone. The sense of optimism permeating Sabreland right now, isn't the norm at this time of year and when you have a winning weekend like Buffalonians just had, it's good to feel that way.
Just roll with it.
*****
Some notes on yesterday's game
--It was good to see Buffalo's fourth line come through with a goal. The trio of Evan Rodrigues flanked by Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pominville have been the Sabres most consistent line in these first three games. All the zone-time and cycling they'd done finally paid off as Pominville took a feed from Rodrigues and buried it (see below.) Housley loves this line as he can put them out in any situation, anywhere on the ice.
--Sometimes Eichel makes it look so easy. Eichel found himself all alone in front of Vegas goalie Mark Andre Fleury and roofed a backhand from in tight as shown here:
--Adding Sheary to the line of Eichel and Sam Reinhart looks pretty good so far. Sheary is a whirling dervish on the cycle in the offensive zone and so far Eichel and Reinhart have been able to play into that. They just missed scoring another goal yesterday when Reinhart hit the post on a feed from Eichel.
--Marco Scandella chalked one up for the defense last night in Buffalo's third game as he sent a change-up from the point that deflected before going in. Last season it was Jake McCabe scoring the first goal from a Buffalo defenseman. But he didn't do so until December 5, Buffalo's 29th game of the season.
--Speaking of McCabe, he's been solid for Buffalo on the back end as more of a stay-at-home d-man to Rasmus Dahlin's offensive-minded play. In looking at this duo, it's not a pure Bill Hajt/Phil Housley-type pairing as McCabe loves to find that that soft spot in the offensive zone and won't hesitate to jump in while Dahlin's anything but a cupcake on defense.
--Forwards Johan Larsson and Vladimir Sobotka look to be ready to return to the ice and should both be activated, someone will have to go. If Larsson fits into Buffalo's plans, the easiest thing for the Sabres to do would be to sent winger Tage Thompson to the Amerks. Thompson has had a decent three-game stint with the Sabres but really hasn't done nothing to stand out save for some nifty stickwork against Vegas. He's also waivers-exempt which makes it a no-brainer. That is if they want to keep Larsson with the big club.
--And, finally goalie Carter Hutton's stat-line through three games: 2-1-0 record, 2.06 goals-against average, .943 save percentage. That includes the 4-0 drubbing in the season opener when he allowed three goals on 25 shots.
Oh, and just for good measure, here's Eichel's, Alex Ovechkin-type one-timer from the circle to open the scoring:
All videos via Sabres.com
My notepad for yesterday's matinee between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Buffalo Sabres didn't have a lot written in it. Which is a good thing.
First off, the Sabres played a game that didn't warrant a lot of notes and the ones that did make it in are all of the positive variety. And when you look at their overall game, the passing and playmaking was so good that the highlights and the final score give a pretty good indication as to just how well Buffalo played yesterday.
The Sabres 4-2 win over Vegas featured leads of 2-0 and 4-1 for Buffalo before the Golden Knights made things a bit interesting with a goal midway through the third period. It also featured a solid transition game and team defense which made watching the game fun for a change. Add that onto a 35-save performance from goalie Carter Hutton and you have a lot of smiles emanating from the Sabres locker room afterwards.
For Sabres fans it was a fun game to watch. The crowd at KeyBank Center has been dying to roar for years and over the past two games the Sabres have given them something to roar about. From Conor Sheary's two goals on Saturday to captain Jack Eichel's two goals yesterday, the roar of excitement displaced years of booing at KeyBank Center.
Yesterday's win also put an end to a six-game winless streak of Kid's Day games under GM Jason Botterill and coach Phil Housley dating back to last year. Whereas last season parents had to cover their children's eyes while wondering why they'd ever submit them to the nightmare unfolding on the ice, this season's schedule of six Kid's Day games began with a good, solid win yesterday.
The win over Vegas came on One Buffalo Day, as designated by Mayor Byron Brown three years ago to celebrate the Pegula's purchase of the Buffalo Bills on October 8, 2015. Terry and Kim Pegula had owned the Sabres and their purchase of the Bills made for a nice One Buffalo package. On Sunday their Bills came back home after a tough, two-game road trip where they went 1-1 and proceeded to defeat the Tennessee Titans on a field goal as time expired.
That One Buffalo win came on the heels of a 3-1 win by the Sabres over the Rangers on Saturday and just for good measure, another Buffalo team, the Beauts of the NWHL, pitched an afternoon shutout on the road in their season-opening win.
Four games, four wins.
It's a strange feeling to come off of a holiday weekend and not go over what went wrong in losses although there's been plenty of back and forth arguing about how the Bills won. Sure, it wasn't a pretty football win as they won with a little old fashioned Ground Chuck offense backed by some strong and opportunistic play on defense. Yet from the end of the game until now, there've been yammerings as to a poor offensive showing and how that style isn't sustainable in today's NFL. The Bills are in the midst of a brutal opening to the season where they play five of their first seven games on the road and just came off of games at Minnesota and at Green Bay. I'm of the opinion that a win's a win, especially for both the Sabres and Bills at this stage of their team developments
As for the Sabres, they played a strong game yesterday in many facets and despite allowing 37 shots on goal they looked like they were in control for large chunks of the game. Their breakouts were particularly strong, they played with speed and got to the puck fast. There was puck support all over the ice and they buried their opportunities, most notably in the second period when they scored three goals on their first three shots and ended up with on only five shots the entire period. They also looked very calm with the puck yesterday, waiting for the play to unfold instead of forcing the issue.
After a horrid season-opening shutout loss at home against the Boston Bruins, the Sabres came back and won two in a row to put them over the .500 mark for the first time since January, 2013. The NHL was coming out of the lockout that year and into a shortenened 48-game season. Lindy Ruff was behind the bench in what would be his final days coaching the Sabres. Ruff and his charges got off to a 2-0 start then lost a home-and-home January 24-25 to the Carolina Hurricanes that would drop them to .500 hockey and they wouldn't surpass that mark until 2,083 days had passed with 458 games played.
This was the opening night lineup for Buffalo that season:
Thomas Vanek-Cody Hodgson-Jason Pominville
Marcus Foligno-Tyler Ennis-Drew Stafford
Jochen Hecht-Mikhail Grigorenko-Steve Ott
Patrick Kaleta-Matt Ellis-John Scott
Robyn Regehr-Tyler Myers
Jordan Leopold-Andrej Sekera
Christian Ehrhoff-Alexander Sulzer
Ryan Miller
The Sabres are now on their fifth coach since then and are on their third general manager. Since dropping to .500 that January, the Sabres have a 156-230-53 record finishing last in the league three of those five seasons.
So if things fell a little strange for you this fine Tuesday, know that you're not alone. The sense of optimism permeating Sabreland right now, isn't the norm at this time of year and when you have a winning weekend like Buffalonians just had, it's good to feel that way.
Just roll with it.
*****
Some notes on yesterday's game
--It was good to see Buffalo's fourth line come through with a goal. The trio of Evan Rodrigues flanked by Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pominville have been the Sabres most consistent line in these first three games. All the zone-time and cycling they'd done finally paid off as Pominville took a feed from Rodrigues and buried it (see below.) Housley loves this line as he can put them out in any situation, anywhere on the ice.
--Sometimes Eichel makes it look so easy. Eichel found himself all alone in front of Vegas goalie Mark Andre Fleury and roofed a backhand from in tight as shown here:
--Adding Sheary to the line of Eichel and Sam Reinhart looks pretty good so far. Sheary is a whirling dervish on the cycle in the offensive zone and so far Eichel and Reinhart have been able to play into that. They just missed scoring another goal yesterday when Reinhart hit the post on a feed from Eichel.
--Marco Scandella chalked one up for the defense last night in Buffalo's third game as he sent a change-up from the point that deflected before going in. Last season it was Jake McCabe scoring the first goal from a Buffalo defenseman. But he didn't do so until December 5, Buffalo's 29th game of the season.
--Speaking of McCabe, he's been solid for Buffalo on the back end as more of a stay-at-home d-man to Rasmus Dahlin's offensive-minded play. In looking at this duo, it's not a pure Bill Hajt/Phil Housley-type pairing as McCabe loves to find that that soft spot in the offensive zone and won't hesitate to jump in while Dahlin's anything but a cupcake on defense.
--Forwards Johan Larsson and Vladimir Sobotka look to be ready to return to the ice and should both be activated, someone will have to go. If Larsson fits into Buffalo's plans, the easiest thing for the Sabres to do would be to sent winger Tage Thompson to the Amerks. Thompson has had a decent three-game stint with the Sabres but really hasn't done nothing to stand out save for some nifty stickwork against Vegas. He's also waivers-exempt which makes it a no-brainer. That is if they want to keep Larsson with the big club.
--And, finally goalie Carter Hutton's stat-line through three games: 2-1-0 record, 2.06 goals-against average, .943 save percentage. That includes the 4-0 drubbing in the season opener when he allowed three goals on 25 shots.
Oh, and just for good measure, here's Eichel's, Alex Ovechkin-type one-timer from the circle to open the scoring:
All videos via Sabres.com
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Sabres trying to avoid nightmarish matinees seen last year on Kid's Days
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-8-2018
We've all heard about the "large thud" last February coming from the area of KeyBank Center where Buffalo GM Jason Botterill sits for home games . It turns out that was the sound of a taco bar taking the heat for yet another matinee clunker by his Sabres team. The Los Angeles Kings were in town during a Kid's Day promotion on February 17 and it seemed is if the hometown team was still asleep when they hit the ice. After 40 minutes of sleepwalking, Buffalo found themselves down 4-0 at the end of two periods and the game, for all intents and purposes, was over.
That was just one in a long line of Kid's Day clunkers by the 2017-18 edition of the Sabres. It started in October as they got crushed by the New Jersey Devils 6-2, although they came back later that month with a good performance, they lost to the San Jose Sharks 3-2. The Kid's Day game prior to LA Kings/taco bar incident saw the Sabres get thrashed 7-1 by the Dallas Stars.
In all the Sabres played six games during the Kid's Day promotion and went 0-5-1 losing by a combined score of 25-10. That is not the way you cultivate future fans of the Blue and Gold.
Buffalo headed into this season looking to bury the past (and keep the taco bar open.) Botterill got a lot accomplished this off season and it seems as if they're heading in the right direction. The acquisitions of left winger Conor Sheary (PIT) and Jeff Skinner (CAR) added speed and scoring to the lineup and with Lady Luck smiling on Buffalo (for a change,) the draft lottery was kind and Buffalo won the rights to select defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who's taking blueline skill and mobility to another level for the Sabres.
The good thing for Buffalo is that they've got their first win of the season under their belt and did so by playing a strong game after being embarrassed in the home opener. After getting booed off of he ice in a 4-0 shutout loss vs. the Boston Bruins in the opener, the Sabres came back and beat Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers 3-1 on Saturday. The win was punctuated by some play that hopefully is a harbinger of things to come.
Sheary scored Buffalo's first two goals of the season by burying two golden opportunities and did so against a top-notch goalie in Lundqvist. Its something that we haven't been able to say very often lately. The powerplay goals were great but equally important were the individual efforts leading up to them as centers Casey Mittelstadt and Jack Eichel set up the set-up.
On Sheary's first goal, Mittelstadt worked the wall at center ice and sent a deft backhand through traffic to a streaking Rasmus Ristolainen who was jumping in on the play. Ristolainen and Sheary went in on a clear 2-on-1 and Sheary beat Lundqvist for Buffalo's first goal of the season.
(via Sabres.com)
Early in the second period with the Sabres again on the powerplay, Eichel corralled the puck after his shot was blocked and proceeded to maneuver his way through a double-team on the half-wall before dishing to Sam Reinhart parked along the goal line. Reinhart fired a goal-mouth pass to Sheary who buried it past a sprawling Lundqvist.
*****
Housley's looks to be sticking with a winning combination as there are no changes from Saturday night's lineup.
43 Conor Sheary - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 10 Patrik Berglund - 21 Kyle Okposo
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
81 Remi Elie - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
We've all heard about the "large thud" last February coming from the area of KeyBank Center where Buffalo GM Jason Botterill sits for home games . It turns out that was the sound of a taco bar taking the heat for yet another matinee clunker by his Sabres team. The Los Angeles Kings were in town during a Kid's Day promotion on February 17 and it seemed is if the hometown team was still asleep when they hit the ice. After 40 minutes of sleepwalking, Buffalo found themselves down 4-0 at the end of two periods and the game, for all intents and purposes, was over.
That was just one in a long line of Kid's Day clunkers by the 2017-18 edition of the Sabres. It started in October as they got crushed by the New Jersey Devils 6-2, although they came back later that month with a good performance, they lost to the San Jose Sharks 3-2. The Kid's Day game prior to LA Kings/taco bar incident saw the Sabres get thrashed 7-1 by the Dallas Stars.
In all the Sabres played six games during the Kid's Day promotion and went 0-5-1 losing by a combined score of 25-10. That is not the way you cultivate future fans of the Blue and Gold.
Buffalo headed into this season looking to bury the past (and keep the taco bar open.) Botterill got a lot accomplished this off season and it seems as if they're heading in the right direction. The acquisitions of left winger Conor Sheary (PIT) and Jeff Skinner (CAR) added speed and scoring to the lineup and with Lady Luck smiling on Buffalo (for a change,) the draft lottery was kind and Buffalo won the rights to select defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who's taking blueline skill and mobility to another level for the Sabres.
The good thing for Buffalo is that they've got their first win of the season under their belt and did so by playing a strong game after being embarrassed in the home opener. After getting booed off of he ice in a 4-0 shutout loss vs. the Boston Bruins in the opener, the Sabres came back and beat Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers 3-1 on Saturday. The win was punctuated by some play that hopefully is a harbinger of things to come.
Sheary scored Buffalo's first two goals of the season by burying two golden opportunities and did so against a top-notch goalie in Lundqvist. Its something that we haven't been able to say very often lately. The powerplay goals were great but equally important were the individual efforts leading up to them as centers Casey Mittelstadt and Jack Eichel set up the set-up.
On Sheary's first goal, Mittelstadt worked the wall at center ice and sent a deft backhand through traffic to a streaking Rasmus Ristolainen who was jumping in on the play. Ristolainen and Sheary went in on a clear 2-on-1 and Sheary beat Lundqvist for Buffalo's first goal of the season.
Early in the second period with the Sabres again on the powerplay, Eichel corralled the puck after his shot was blocked and proceeded to maneuver his way through a double-team on the half-wall before dishing to Sam Reinhart parked along the goal line. Reinhart fired a goal-mouth pass to Sheary who buried it past a sprawling Lundqvist.
The Sabres are going to need all the speed and finish they can get today when they faceoff against the defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights at 3pm. Like the New Jersey Devils last season in Buffalo's first Kid's Day game, the Golden Knights possess a lot of speed and skill plus as well as a two-time Stanley Cup winner in goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
However, unlike last season when there was still a honeymoon phase with new head coach Phil Housley, they will be under no illusions. The Sabres definitely got faster as a team over the summer but they still have a long way to go to match wits with some of the best teams in the league. They were suffocated and left frustrated in the opener against Boston yet were able to rebound against a Rangers team that is in a transition phase just like they are.
This Vegas team that is just getting rolling after a magical 2017-18 season that saw them with the greatest (and probably never duplicated) inaugural season in hockey (if not sports) history. With that as a backdrop, they made two big off season moves to bolster the top-six when they landed Paul Stastny with a three-year free agent deal then trading for Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty whom they signed to a four-year contract extension.
A key cog is missing on their blueline as Nate Schmidt, who's serving a 20-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Schmidt lead Vegas in ice-time averaging 24:25 through 20 playoff games.
Today's game is the third of a season-opening four-game homestand, the longest in franchise history. With a win today, the Sabres will be above .500 for the first time since January 24, 2013. Yes, you read that correctly. Over the past three seasons beginning in 2014-15 the Sabres first three games of the season featured records of 1-2-0; 1-2-0; 1-1-1; 0-2-1, respectively, and they never recovered.
The Kid's Day matinee today represents an opportunity to halt that dubious streak while also halting the nightmare that was Kid's Day last season.
Some words for the team:
Wake up! There's a game today.
*****
Housley's looks to be sticking with a winning combination as there are no changes from Saturday night's lineup.
43 Conor Sheary - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 10 Patrik Berglund - 21 Kyle Okposo
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
81 Remi Elie - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
Monday, October 8, 2018
Sabres and Amerks looking for fresh start...in Game-2 of the season
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-6-2018
Perhaps Keith Wozniak of Let's Go Amerks said it best when he tweeted earlier today, "Happy Saturday morning!! A good day to relax, maybe get some errands done, eat a good dinner at home and pretend it's a new hockey season starting tonight in Rochester and Buffalo."
Opening night for both the Buffalo Sabres (Thursday) and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans (Friday,) wasn't too kind for Western New York hockey fans as the Sabres were shut out by the Boston Bruins 4-0 and the Amerks lost to the Charlotte Checkers (CAR) 6-2. Good news for the Amerks is that despite there being much higher expectations on them heading into this season, they apparently weren't booed off of the ice like the Sabres were.
One similar theme that has to be troubling for both teams is that after training camp, preseason and practices leading up to their openers, they weren't prepared for opening night. Buffalo's Conor Sheary was quoted by WGR550's Paul Hamilton as saying that they weren't ready for what the Bruins were going to bring. This despite the fact that the Bruins weren't in a very good mood after getting drubbed 7-0 the previous night on national TV. Rochester captain Kevin Porter told the local media after their loss that, "We were not ready to play."
And for all the talk of having great practices with speed and intensity? It didn't translate for either team when it was for real.
Not sure what was up with that but both the Sabres and the Amerks will have an opportunity for redemption tonight as they continue with their season-opening homestands. Over in Rochester the Amerks will once again host the Charlotte Checkers while some 70 miles west as the crow flies on I-90, the Sabres are hosting the NY Rangers.
As for Buffalo, they'll be facing a Rangers team that opened the season with a 3-2 loss at home to the Nashville Predators and although it's not like facing a decidedly better Bruins team coming off of an embarrassing loss, the Rangers still have goalie Henrik Lundqvist and a good cast of characters. Buffalo is 3-5-2 in their last 10 vs. the Rangers, 0-2-2 in their last four and haven't beaten NY since January 3, 2017 (4-1 win at Madison Square Garden.)
Perhaps the big question for the Sabres tonight is, "who's gonna step up?"
The 4-0 shutout at the hands of the Bruins left little to like although some players played well. Sam Reinhart had a strong game pushing it to the net while the Sabres fourth line of Evan Rodrigues, Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pomiville was the best and most consistent line for the club. Both Rodrigues and Pominville had golden opportunities but were denied by the quick left pad of Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak.
Both 18 yr. old Rasmus Dahlin and 19 yr. old Casey Mittelstadt had good games. Dahlin, the first pick in last year's draft had his skills on display but also had some rookie mistakes, which is to be expected. Mittelstadt came off of a middling preseason and started on the third line but looked good enough to get bumped to the second line when head coach Phil Housley did some line juggling in the third period.
Some of that juggling took hold as this might be what the top-six looks like tonight:
Conor Sheary-Jack Eichel-Reinhart
Jeff Skinner-Patrik Berglund-Tage Thompson
Mittelstadt once again is in a third-line role centering Girgensons on the left and veteran Kyle Okposo on the right. Girgensons played a solid north/south game and worked the walls well. He got bumped up after Vladimir Sobotka landed on the injured list with an upper body injury. He's listed as day to day.
Here's what Housley told the gathered media today about putting "Z", as he called him, up with Mittelstadt. "I thought in that (preseason) game against Toronto, a big environment with [John] Tavares playing, we had to make some tweaks and when I put "Z" up there with him I think [Mittelstadt] settled down."
Replacing Sobotka in the lineup is former Dallas Stars winger Remi Elie whom the Sabres claimed on waivers. He'll be on the left on the fourth line with Rodrigues and Pominville.
Word from the rink also has Housley sticking to his d-pairings of Marco Scandella/Rasmus Ristolainen; Jake McCabe/Dahlin; Nathan Beaulieu/Casey Nelson.
And, it looks as if starter Carter Hutton will once again be in net. Hutton looked very good in his first start for Buffalo but was the victim of defensive breakdowns, one of which lead to a wide open Zdeno Chara waltzing in and firing a superb shot that beat him on the short side.
The good thing for Buffalo is that they're playing a Rangers team that doesn't have the impenetrable lockdown capability of the Boston Bruins. However, they're a very fast team that has a good amount of skill. And they have Lundqvist. The Sabres have had difficulties beating any goalies--from starters to backups, from hot to average--over the past seven seasons and they're going to need to find a way to get on the board early to open up some ice.
Housley said his message yesterday to the team was that they did a lot of good things right, especially early on and that they need to keep building on that.
The Sabres were off today save for some meetings. Perhaps the best way to approach tonight's game was to let Thursday go and get a fresh start tonight as they don't want to start the season in an 0-2 hole.
*****
One quick note:
Amerks defenseman Lawrence Pilut had a goal and an assist in his North American debut and was named the game's third star. According to Wozniak, Pilut "improved as the game went on."
That's a good sign for the organization.
Perhaps Keith Wozniak of Let's Go Amerks said it best when he tweeted earlier today, "Happy Saturday morning!! A good day to relax, maybe get some errands done, eat a good dinner at home and pretend it's a new hockey season starting tonight in Rochester and Buffalo."
Opening night for both the Buffalo Sabres (Thursday) and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans (Friday,) wasn't too kind for Western New York hockey fans as the Sabres were shut out by the Boston Bruins 4-0 and the Amerks lost to the Charlotte Checkers (CAR) 6-2. Good news for the Amerks is that despite there being much higher expectations on them heading into this season, they apparently weren't booed off of the ice like the Sabres were.
One similar theme that has to be troubling for both teams is that after training camp, preseason and practices leading up to their openers, they weren't prepared for opening night. Buffalo's Conor Sheary was quoted by WGR550's Paul Hamilton as saying that they weren't ready for what the Bruins were going to bring. This despite the fact that the Bruins weren't in a very good mood after getting drubbed 7-0 the previous night on national TV. Rochester captain Kevin Porter told the local media after their loss that, "We were not ready to play."
And for all the talk of having great practices with speed and intensity? It didn't translate for either team when it was for real.
Not sure what was up with that but both the Sabres and the Amerks will have an opportunity for redemption tonight as they continue with their season-opening homestands. Over in Rochester the Amerks will once again host the Charlotte Checkers while some 70 miles west as the crow flies on I-90, the Sabres are hosting the NY Rangers.
As for Buffalo, they'll be facing a Rangers team that opened the season with a 3-2 loss at home to the Nashville Predators and although it's not like facing a decidedly better Bruins team coming off of an embarrassing loss, the Rangers still have goalie Henrik Lundqvist and a good cast of characters. Buffalo is 3-5-2 in their last 10 vs. the Rangers, 0-2-2 in their last four and haven't beaten NY since January 3, 2017 (4-1 win at Madison Square Garden.)
Perhaps the big question for the Sabres tonight is, "who's gonna step up?"
The 4-0 shutout at the hands of the Bruins left little to like although some players played well. Sam Reinhart had a strong game pushing it to the net while the Sabres fourth line of Evan Rodrigues, Zemgus Girgensons and Jason Pomiville was the best and most consistent line for the club. Both Rodrigues and Pominville had golden opportunities but were denied by the quick left pad of Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak.
Both 18 yr. old Rasmus Dahlin and 19 yr. old Casey Mittelstadt had good games. Dahlin, the first pick in last year's draft had his skills on display but also had some rookie mistakes, which is to be expected. Mittelstadt came off of a middling preseason and started on the third line but looked good enough to get bumped to the second line when head coach Phil Housley did some line juggling in the third period.
Some of that juggling took hold as this might be what the top-six looks like tonight:
Conor Sheary-Jack Eichel-Reinhart
Jeff Skinner-Patrik Berglund-Tage Thompson
Mittelstadt once again is in a third-line role centering Girgensons on the left and veteran Kyle Okposo on the right. Girgensons played a solid north/south game and worked the walls well. He got bumped up after Vladimir Sobotka landed on the injured list with an upper body injury. He's listed as day to day.
Here's what Housley told the gathered media today about putting "Z", as he called him, up with Mittelstadt. "I thought in that (preseason) game against Toronto, a big environment with [John] Tavares playing, we had to make some tweaks and when I put "Z" up there with him I think [Mittelstadt] settled down."
Replacing Sobotka in the lineup is former Dallas Stars winger Remi Elie whom the Sabres claimed on waivers. He'll be on the left on the fourth line with Rodrigues and Pominville.
Word from the rink also has Housley sticking to his d-pairings of Marco Scandella/Rasmus Ristolainen; Jake McCabe/Dahlin; Nathan Beaulieu/Casey Nelson.
And, it looks as if starter Carter Hutton will once again be in net. Hutton looked very good in his first start for Buffalo but was the victim of defensive breakdowns, one of which lead to a wide open Zdeno Chara waltzing in and firing a superb shot that beat him on the short side.
The good thing for Buffalo is that they're playing a Rangers team that doesn't have the impenetrable lockdown capability of the Boston Bruins. However, they're a very fast team that has a good amount of skill. And they have Lundqvist. The Sabres have had difficulties beating any goalies--from starters to backups, from hot to average--over the past seven seasons and they're going to need to find a way to get on the board early to open up some ice.
Housley said his message yesterday to the team was that they did a lot of good things right, especially early on and that they need to keep building on that.
The Sabres were off today save for some meetings. Perhaps the best way to approach tonight's game was to let Thursday go and get a fresh start tonight as they don't want to start the season in an 0-2 hole.
*****
One quick note:
Amerks defenseman Lawrence Pilut had a goal and an assist in his North American debut and was named the game's third star. According to Wozniak, Pilut "improved as the game went on."
That's a good sign for the organization.
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