Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-30-2019
So your the Buffalo Sabres heading into the second game of a home-and-home against a division rival while being outscored 22-10 on a very treacherous 1-4-1 slide with a weak forward group even weaker due to injury. The team you're playing is the Boston Bruins, who sit third in the NHL, have the NHL's best goal differential (+33,) the league's second best goals-against average (2.42,) are seventh in goals/game (3.40,) and have the third best powerplay (26.7%) and the third-best penalty kill (84.7%.) The keys to victory revolve around playing your game while limiting mistakes and keeping it close in a place where the home team has lost only once all season.
Such was the task at hand for the Sabres last night and props to them for playing their game. Buffalo took it to Boston much of the night but the Bruins did what most top teams do while facing weaker opponents--take advantage of miscues.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
December quick hits--the forwards
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-27-2019
A sense of normalcy returns to the Buffalo Sabres as they take on the Boston Bruins tonight. Buffalo says good bye to a rather rigorous opening 2 1/2 months to the season which saw them with compacted schedules before and after the 11 total days spent participating in the 2019 Global Series. The trip to Stockholm, Sweden had them play a back-to-back set with the Tampa Bay Lightning with a total of nine days surrounding their arrival and return from Sweden.
After a rough early November, consecutive losses to Tampa in Stockholm and a sluggish post-Global Series return, their poor record balanced out their hot start and when you add inconsistent play for the remainder of their 21 games in 39-day stretch, you have a team that is presently 17-14-7 coming out of the Christmas break. Those 41 points have them on a pace for 88 points which is at the higher end of the preseason general consensus.
A sense of normalcy returns to the Buffalo Sabres as they take on the Boston Bruins tonight. Buffalo says good bye to a rather rigorous opening 2 1/2 months to the season which saw them with compacted schedules before and after the 11 total days spent participating in the 2019 Global Series. The trip to Stockholm, Sweden had them play a back-to-back set with the Tampa Bay Lightning with a total of nine days surrounding their arrival and return from Sweden.
After a rough early November, consecutive losses to Tampa in Stockholm and a sluggish post-Global Series return, their poor record balanced out their hot start and when you add inconsistent play for the remainder of their 21 games in 39-day stretch, you have a team that is presently 17-14-7 coming out of the Christmas break. Those 41 points have them on a pace for 88 points which is at the higher end of the preseason general consensus.
Friday, December 27, 2019
December Quick hits--Goalies and Defensemen
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-26-2019
The Sabres just concluded a stretch of 21 games in 39 days with an 8-8-5 record and head into the NHL Christmas break having lost four of their last five games (1-3-1.) All of those losses came on the road and contributed to a 6-11-4 road record that places them near the bottom of the league which is in stark contrast to their 11-3-3 record at home.
For head coach Ralph Krueger and company, having the last change at home gives makes it very difficult for the opposition to matchup their best checking lines against Buffalo's potent top line. The Sabres know how to play a tight road game, and have done so on occasion, but having an inept middle-six up-front makes things extremely difficult and puts plenty of pressure on the defense and goaltending.
The Sabres just concluded a stretch of 21 games in 39 days with an 8-8-5 record and head into the NHL Christmas break having lost four of their last five games (1-3-1.) All of those losses came on the road and contributed to a 6-11-4 road record that places them near the bottom of the league which is in stark contrast to their 11-3-3 record at home.
For head coach Ralph Krueger and company, having the last change at home gives makes it very difficult for the opposition to matchup their best checking lines against Buffalo's potent top line. The Sabres know how to play a tight road game, and have done so on occasion, but having an inept middle-six up-front makes things extremely difficult and puts plenty of pressure on the defense and goaltending.
You know what many in WNY will be doing for some seven hours today?
Getting their fill of the professional sports scene featuring the Sabres and the Bills.
The driving force behind the excitement of a Buffalo doubleheader today really begins with the Buffalo Bills as they head to Foxborough, Massachusetts with the opportunity to tie the New England Patriots in the standings. Buffalo is 10-4 so far this season and has the swagger of a contender ready to knock down the champ and though it might not happen, BillsMafia has no fear as they know the vaunted Patriots era is coming to a close soon and their beloved Bills are on the upswing ready to take their place in the East.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
"21 games to Christmas" comes to a close tonight in Ottawa
Time flies.
It wasn't long ago that the Buffalo Sabres were returning home from Stockholm, Sweden after participating in the 2019 Global Series. Buffalo had just finished a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sweden and were struggling after losing both of those games which led to a four-game losing streak in tow. The Sabres had a travel day from Stockholm back to the States, two league-mandated days off then one practice before they hit the ice at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing in the Global Series meant a compact schedule both prior to and after those two games and after coming home they were looking at a stretch of 21 games in 39 days which head coach Ralph Krueger labeled, "21 games to Christmas."
"The reality is we have the 21 games 'til Christmas and we're breaking it up into little groups. We've got five games, two-day pause; six games, two-day pause; six games, two-day pause; four games."
It wasn't long ago that the Buffalo Sabres were returning home from Stockholm, Sweden after participating in the 2019 Global Series. Buffalo had just finished a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sweden and were struggling after losing both of those games which led to a four-game losing streak in tow. The Sabres had a travel day from Stockholm back to the States, two league-mandated days off then one practice before they hit the ice at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing in the Global Series meant a compact schedule both prior to and after those two games and after coming home they were looking at a stretch of 21 games in 39 days which head coach Ralph Krueger labeled, "21 games to Christmas."
"The reality is we have the 21 games 'til Christmas and we're breaking it up into little groups. We've got five games, two-day pause; six games, two-day pause; six games, two-day pause; four games."
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Life without Jack Eichel proved pretty ugly for the Sabres last night
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-20-2019
I had an interesting little twitter exchange with a Leafs fan the other day after the Buffalo Sabres lost 5-3 at Toronto. It started with this tweet from Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analysis:
"All I heard on the radio today was how Jack Eichel's better than Auston Matthews and he (Matthews) doesn't dominate games etc.
Two goals against a surging division rival (Buffalo) and (now) one point out of 2nd place. Huge win. Huge Performance.
You should try to give the kid some credit every now and again."
Friday, December 20, 2019
A crowded Eastern Conference pack, Sabres at Philly and a bit on Jeff Skinner
Seeing the Buffalo Sabres second in the Atlantic Division at this stage of the season is a good sight, especially with the rough patch they went through in November and considering they still have some glaring holes in the lineup. At 16-12-7 their 39 points is places them just barely in front of a group of teams at least 10 points behind the division leading Boston Bruins. The Montreal Canadians and Toronto Maple Leafs are one point behind Buffalo while the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers are two points behind.
However, as we look at points-percentage in terms of the standings, the Sabres .557 points/game is behind Tampa (.578,) Florida (.561) and Montreal (.559) and in front of Toronto's .543.
As of now this is the pack that will more than likely be battling for spots two and three in the division behind the Bruins. Tampa is the most complete team and despite their choppy start it's not too far of a reach to see them in one of those two spots while Toronto certainly has enough firepower up front to go along with solid goaltending to overcome any shortcomings on defense. The Lightning and Leafs were both considered favorites to be in the Atlantic's top-three prior to the season and they're both beginning to look the part right now.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
This Sabres team has proven itself worthy of a contribution by their GM
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-18-2019
With a 16-12-7 record, this edition of the Buffalo Sabres are on pace for about 91 points, which is above where many pundits thought they would be and far above where most Sabres cynics believed they could hope for. How Buffalo got to this point 35 games into the season is somewhat of a surprise as they started out hot, got ice cold and have been trudging and trending upward since he latter part of November. As of now they're second in the Atlantic Division with three games to go before the Christmas break and they're doing it with basically the same team they had last season when they finished 27th in the league. Unfortunately, Buffalo also carried over a glaring issue from last season, most notably an invisible middle-six forward group.
The top line is fine as long as they have Jack Eichel leading the way. To say he's taken his game to another level might be an understatement as the captain may have jumped two notches over the past month. Eichel is riding an impressive 17-game point-streak which is one game shy from tying a franchise record held by Sabres legend Gilbert Perreault. During his streak Eichel has tallied 16 goals and 15 assists and during this run he's not living off of the lone secondary assist to keep it going as he's had four multi-games and nine multi-point games. The last two games he scored the game-tying goal against the NY Islanders with less than two minutes remaining and last night in Toronto he scored to keep the game within reach.
With a 16-12-7 record, this edition of the Buffalo Sabres are on pace for about 91 points, which is above where many pundits thought they would be and far above where most Sabres cynics believed they could hope for. How Buffalo got to this point 35 games into the season is somewhat of a surprise as they started out hot, got ice cold and have been trudging and trending upward since he latter part of November. As of now they're second in the Atlantic Division with three games to go before the Christmas break and they're doing it with basically the same team they had last season when they finished 27th in the league. Unfortunately, Buffalo also carried over a glaring issue from last season, most notably an invisible middle-six forward group.
The top line is fine as long as they have Jack Eichel leading the way. To say he's taken his game to another level might be an understatement as the captain may have jumped two notches over the past month. Eichel is riding an impressive 17-game point-streak which is one game shy from tying a franchise record held by Sabres legend Gilbert Perreault. During his streak Eichel has tallied 16 goals and 15 assists and during this run he's not living off of the lone secondary assist to keep it going as he's had four multi-games and nine multi-point games. The last two games he scored the game-tying goal against the NY Islanders with less than two minutes remaining and last night in Toronto he scored to keep the game within reach.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Sabres are finding their stride, but they still need that piece
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-15-2019
Yesterday's matinee was a huge challenge for this edition of the Buffalo Sabres. They headed to Long Island, NY to face off against what might be the best defensive team in the National Hockey League. The NY Islanders are a disciplined, hard-working team that chokes off offense and jumps on opportunity when the opposition makes a mistake. Head coach Barry Trotz has his team playing exceptional hockey especially at home, whether it be Nassau Coliseum where they played the Sabres last night, or at Barclay Center in Brooklyn where they'll end up playing 20 of their home games.
The key is to success is getting the lead on the Islanders, something Buffalo failed to do yesterday. Just 5:11 into the game, New York's Michael Del Colle capitalized on an error in judgement by Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark and put the Islanders up 1-0. With a tired group of Buffalo skaters on the ice, Ullmark had an opportunity to cover the puck for a faceoff but decided to keep it in play. His attempted touch-pass to defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was picked off and in the blink of an eye it was behind him.
Yesterday's matinee was a huge challenge for this edition of the Buffalo Sabres. They headed to Long Island, NY to face off against what might be the best defensive team in the National Hockey League. The NY Islanders are a disciplined, hard-working team that chokes off offense and jumps on opportunity when the opposition makes a mistake. Head coach Barry Trotz has his team playing exceptional hockey especially at home, whether it be Nassau Coliseum where they played the Sabres last night, or at Barclay Center in Brooklyn where they'll end up playing 20 of their home games.
The key is to success is getting the lead on the Islanders, something Buffalo failed to do yesterday. Just 5:11 into the game, New York's Michael Del Colle capitalized on an error in judgement by Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark and put the Islanders up 1-0. With a tired group of Buffalo skaters on the ice, Ullmark had an opportunity to cover the puck for a faceoff but decided to keep it in play. His attempted touch-pass to defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was picked off and in the blink of an eye it was behind him.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Wake up ya sleepyheads, there's a 1 p.m. matinee today
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-14-2019
Three wins in a row. That's what the Buffalo Sabres have going for them as they resume play today with a 1 p.m. game against the NY Islanders. Those three wins came against the Western Conference (at Edmonton, vs. St. Louis and Nashville) and they'll be facing off against an Islanders team that shut them out 1-0 in Buffalo on November 2. The loss against the Isles was loss No. 2 in a particularly rough November slide where they went 1-7-1 through the first three weeks.
However, since pulling off a solid win in Florida against the Panthers, Buffalo has put together a nice little streak that includes a 6-2-3 record, the three-game winning streak (their first since October 17-22,) and a four-game points-streak.
Speaking of streaks, the man behind the Sabres resurgence is their, Jack Eichel. The 23 yr. old Buffalo captain is riding a career-best 15-game points streak (14+13) and has scored two-goals in back-to-back games. During that span, beginning November 17, Eichel's 14 goals, 27 points and plus-18 rating leads the league. Through 33 game this season, Eichel has 22 goals (which is second in the league) and 46 points T-fifth.)
Three wins in a row. That's what the Buffalo Sabres have going for them as they resume play today with a 1 p.m. game against the NY Islanders. Those three wins came against the Western Conference (at Edmonton, vs. St. Louis and Nashville) and they'll be facing off against an Islanders team that shut them out 1-0 in Buffalo on November 2. The loss against the Isles was loss No. 2 in a particularly rough November slide where they went 1-7-1 through the first three weeks.
However, since pulling off a solid win in Florida against the Panthers, Buffalo has put together a nice little streak that includes a 6-2-3 record, the three-game winning streak (their first since October 17-22,) and a four-game points-streak.
Speaking of streaks, the man behind the Sabres resurgence is their, Jack Eichel. The 23 yr. old Buffalo captain is riding a career-best 15-game points streak (14+13) and has scored two-goals in back-to-back games. During that span, beginning November 17, Eichel's 14 goals, 27 points and plus-18 rating leads the league. Through 33 game this season, Eichel has 22 goals (which is second in the league) and 46 points T-fifth.)
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Only one blemish on an otherwise great Aud Night.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-13-2019
For those of us who remember the old Memorial Auditorium, seeing the old gold, red, blue and orange section motif brought back some fond memories. Props to the marketing department for draping color T-shirts over the seats to rekindle those memories.
My first memory came via my sister who took me to my first-ever game back in the early 70's. We had standing room only tickets and there was a wall up to that you had to get to fast so that you could see the ice. So up we ran on those ramps all the way to the top and we got ourselves parked on that wall next to the men's rest room. Included in that memory of basically looking straight down on the ice was the smell of cigarettes, stale beer and urine. For those of you looking for a Hallmark memory moment, sorry, that's the way it was and they lost to Vancouver that night as well. There were other memories, mostly of concerts and the treacherous stairs in the orange section during concerts where altered states was the norm from the mid-70's through the early 80's but last night was about hockey and it was Aud Night, a tribute to that grand old building's legacy.
About the only thing better for this particular night would have been for the Sabres to be squaring off against the Boston Bruins as nothing reminds me more of the old Aud than The Buffalo/Boston matchups featuring the French Connection going up against the Big, Bad Bruins. However, it the Sabres organization put on a good show and their hockey team followed it up with a solid 4-3 win in front of a very appreciative crowd at KeyBank Center.
For those of us who remember the old Memorial Auditorium, seeing the old gold, red, blue and orange section motif brought back some fond memories. Props to the marketing department for draping color T-shirts over the seats to rekindle those memories.
My first memory came via my sister who took me to my first-ever game back in the early 70's. We had standing room only tickets and there was a wall up to that you had to get to fast so that you could see the ice. So up we ran on those ramps all the way to the top and we got ourselves parked on that wall next to the men's rest room. Included in that memory of basically looking straight down on the ice was the smell of cigarettes, stale beer and urine. For those of you looking for a Hallmark memory moment, sorry, that's the way it was and they lost to Vancouver that night as well. There were other memories, mostly of concerts and the treacherous stairs in the orange section during concerts where altered states was the norm from the mid-70's through the early 80's but last night was about hockey and it was Aud Night, a tribute to that grand old building's legacy.
About the only thing better for this particular night would have been for the Sabres to be squaring off against the Boston Bruins as nothing reminds me more of the old Aud than The Buffalo/Boston matchups featuring the French Connection going up against the Big, Bad Bruins. However, it the Sabres organization put on a good show and their hockey team followed it up with a solid 4-3 win in front of a very appreciative crowd at KeyBank Center.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Sabres get timely saves/goals and some puck-luck in win over STL
Published by hockeybuz.com, 12-11-2019
There was a string of games in November where nothing seemed to be going right for the Buffalo Sabres. It seemed as if the hockey gods were unhappy with them and in addition to struggles with head coach Ralph Krueger's designs, the Sabres seemed to be hitting an inordinate number of posts while pucks from the opposition were bouncing in from everywhere. Add it all up and you had a Sabres team that followed a 9-2-2 October with a 1-7-1 start to November.
Credit to the Buffalo players for straightening things out and taking care of what they could with Krueger's systems. Beginning with a 3-2 loss in Boston against the Bruins, they began to play the type of game that made them successful in October and they slowly began pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. Buffalo was still struggling in the win column but they were playing a consistent brand of hockey that eventually would lead to last night's 5-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues.
There was a string of games in November where nothing seemed to be going right for the Buffalo Sabres. It seemed as if the hockey gods were unhappy with them and in addition to struggles with head coach Ralph Krueger's designs, the Sabres seemed to be hitting an inordinate number of posts while pucks from the opposition were bouncing in from everywhere. Add it all up and you had a Sabres team that followed a 9-2-2 October with a 1-7-1 start to November.
Credit to the Buffalo players for straightening things out and taking care of what they could with Krueger's systems. Beginning with a 3-2 loss in Boston against the Bruins, they began to play the type of game that made them successful in October and they slowly began pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. Buffalo was still struggling in the win column but they were playing a consistent brand of hockey that eventually would lead to last night's 5-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Sabres salvage a Buffalo sports Sunday and their road trip
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-9-2019
Late Sunday morning one of the posters on here referred to the upcoming slate of events for both the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills as "brutal." The take was warranted considering the Bills were about an hour away from taking on the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens and the Sabres were set to finish up a three-game Western Canada road swing against the second-best team in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers, later that night.
Western New York football fans knew what their team was up against as the Bills faced a nightmare in multi-faceted and uber-talented Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as well as a blitz-crazy Baltimore defense that had given offenses fits all season. Winning that game would be a tall order for the Bills and though they came out on the losing end, they walked out of New Era field with a lot of league-wide respect for the game they played against the Super Bowl favorite.
A few hours later the Sabres hit the ice at Roger's Center to minimal expectations as they were in the second game of a back-to-back finishing off their three-games-in-four-night swing. They'd lost the first game in Calgary 4-3 on Thursday, lost 6-5 in overtime the night before in Vancouver and were up against an Oilers team that boasted the top two scorers in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. They came through with a 3-2 win in overtime.
Late Sunday morning one of the posters on here referred to the upcoming slate of events for both the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills as "brutal." The take was warranted considering the Bills were about an hour away from taking on the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens and the Sabres were set to finish up a three-game Western Canada road swing against the second-best team in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers, later that night.
Western New York football fans knew what their team was up against as the Bills faced a nightmare in multi-faceted and uber-talented Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as well as a blitz-crazy Baltimore defense that had given offenses fits all season. Winning that game would be a tall order for the Bills and though they came out on the losing end, they walked out of New Era field with a lot of league-wide respect for the game they played against the Super Bowl favorite.
A few hours later the Sabres hit the ice at Roger's Center to minimal expectations as they were in the second game of a back-to-back finishing off their three-games-in-four-night swing. They'd lost the first game in Calgary 4-3 on Thursday, lost 6-5 in overtime the night before in Vancouver and were up against an Oilers team that boasted the top two scorers in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. They came through with a 3-2 win in overtime.
Monday, December 9, 2019
That's one helluva hump the Sabres are trying to get over
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-8-2019
Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was at a loss for words last night after their 6-5 overtime loss last night against the Vancouver Canucks, but one of the words he kept circling back to was "frustrating." Last night was the first time in six games the Sabres lost when scoring five or more goals and Hutton was in net for only one (last night) of the last four times Buffalo lit the lamp that much. "It's seems right now it's a little bit here/there now changes the game," he told the gathered media last night as me he manned-up post game and faced questions, "and the nights I'm playing well we don't find the back of the net."
True, to a point. Hutton is 0-5-4 since his last win on October 22 and during this woeful stretch the team scored two or less in six of them which includes being shut out once and being held to one goal on two other occasions. However, the burn actually comes when two of his losses came on overtime when his team scored four goals at home against the Carolina Panthers and five goals yesterday evening at Vancouver.
Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was at a loss for words last night after their 6-5 overtime loss last night against the Vancouver Canucks, but one of the words he kept circling back to was "frustrating." Last night was the first time in six games the Sabres lost when scoring five or more goals and Hutton was in net for only one (last night) of the last four times Buffalo lit the lamp that much. "It's seems right now it's a little bit here/there now changes the game," he told the gathered media last night as me he manned-up post game and faced questions, "and the nights I'm playing well we don't find the back of the net."
True, to a point. Hutton is 0-5-4 since his last win on October 22 and during this woeful stretch the team scored two or less in six of them which includes being shut out once and being held to one goal on two other occasions. However, the burn actually comes when two of his losses came on overtime when his team scored four goals at home against the Carolina Panthers and five goals yesterday evening at Vancouver.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
The powerplay is killing the Sabres
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-6-2019
Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger has a problem on his hands and although it's no time to panic, his team has been losing valuable points the last month or so because of special teams, most notably an incredibly inept powerplay.
After their 1/8 performance with the man advantage last night in their loss to the Calgary Flames, which includes giving up a shorthanded goal in the second period, the Sabres are now 3/47 (6.38%) on the powerplay through November and into the first two games in December. Of those three goals, only Rasmus Ristolainen's was of significance as opened the scoring in an eventual 3-2 loss at the Boston Bruins. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju's third period powerplay tallyl was goal No. 7 in a 7-1 romp over the New Jersey Devils and Jack Eichel's powerplay goal last night came with :48 seconds left in the third period and the goalie pulled to make the final score 4-3 Calgary.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger has a problem on his hands and although it's no time to panic, his team has been losing valuable points the last month or so because of special teams, most notably an incredibly inept powerplay.
After their 1/8 performance with the man advantage last night in their loss to the Calgary Flames, which includes giving up a shorthanded goal in the second period, the Sabres are now 3/47 (6.38%) on the powerplay through November and into the first two games in December. Of those three goals, only Rasmus Ristolainen's was of significance as opened the scoring in an eventual 3-2 loss at the Boston Bruins. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju's third period powerplay tallyl was goal No. 7 in a 7-1 romp over the New Jersey Devils and Jack Eichel's powerplay goal last night came with :48 seconds left in the third period and the goalie pulled to make the final score 4-3 Calgary.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Quick notes in light of the Sabres 7-1 win over New Jersey
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-3-2019
Notes after Buffalo's 7-1 win last night:
--Jack Eichel remains in beast-mode as he extended his point-streak to 10 games just 2:46 into the game as he snuck one through while camping on Louis Domingue's doorstep. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen pinched in along the boards and sent a quick pass to Eichel who was left all alone in the crease. It was Eichel's ninth goal and 19th point during the streak which is just one shy of his career long from February 14-March 7, 2017. During that run Eichel potted five goals and 11 assists.
--Ristolainen has been playing very well lately and he extended his point-streak to three games with that assist. For years coaches have been saying that they'd like to cut down on Ristolainen's minutes and Sabres bench-boss Ralph Krueger finally began doing so. From 2015-16 up until the start of this season, "The Angry Finn" averaged 25:30 of ice-time/game which was sixth in the NHL during that span. Krueger began cutting into that this season with Ristolainen getting 23:54 ATOI (22nd in the NHL) up until a November 24 game in Florida where he, out of necessity, used 11 forwards and seven defenseman in a 5-2 win against the Panthers. Krueger hasn't deviated from that set-up since and with seven defensemen rotating in, Ristolainen's average time-on ice is 19:24/game which is less than Eichel (21:25) and Sam Reinhart (20:04) on the Sabres. In those six games the Sabres are 3-1-2 and Ristolainen's plus-5 rating is tied for third on the team behind Eichel (plus-9) and Jimmy Vesey (plus-7.)
Notes after Buffalo's 7-1 win last night:
--Jack Eichel remains in beast-mode as he extended his point-streak to 10 games just 2:46 into the game as he snuck one through while camping on Louis Domingue's doorstep. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen pinched in along the boards and sent a quick pass to Eichel who was left all alone in the crease. It was Eichel's ninth goal and 19th point during the streak which is just one shy of his career long from February 14-March 7, 2017. During that run Eichel potted five goals and 11 assists.
--Ristolainen has been playing very well lately and he extended his point-streak to three games with that assist. For years coaches have been saying that they'd like to cut down on Ristolainen's minutes and Sabres bench-boss Ralph Krueger finally began doing so. From 2015-16 up until the start of this season, "The Angry Finn" averaged 25:30 of ice-time/game which was sixth in the NHL during that span. Krueger began cutting into that this season with Ristolainen getting 23:54 ATOI (22nd in the NHL) up until a November 24 game in Florida where he, out of necessity, used 11 forwards and seven defenseman in a 5-2 win against the Panthers. Krueger hasn't deviated from that set-up since and with seven defensemen rotating in, Ristolainen's average time-on ice is 19:24/game which is less than Eichel (21:25) and Sam Reinhart (20:04) on the Sabres. In those six games the Sabres are 3-1-2 and Ristolainen's plus-5 rating is tied for third on the team behind Eichel (plus-9) and Jimmy Vesey (plus-7.)
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Buffalo Sabres 2019-20 Team Stats--November
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-1-2019
Lookout below!!!
That's the shout that accompanied the Buffalo Sabres tumble down the standings and when you look at their team stats, there's no question that they were worthy of their 3-8-3 record in the month of November and a drop from 3rd overall in the NHL standings to 20th.
Luckily there's plenty of time left in the season to correct some things and special teams need the most attention. The Sabres powerplay was one goal shy of being completely powerless through November as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen scored the lone goal on Buffalo's 37 opportunities. At one point very early in the season the Sabres couldn't be stopped and had the league's best powerplay but since then it took a dive to 17th as their conversion rate went from 29.8% at the end of October to 17.8% as of now. And their penalty kill, which wasn't anything to write home about to begin with, was pretty bad as well. Buffalo went from a 79.5% kill-rate, good for 20th in the league, to 74.7 which dropped them to 29th.
Lookout below!!!
That's the shout that accompanied the Buffalo Sabres tumble down the standings and when you look at their team stats, there's no question that they were worthy of their 3-8-3 record in the month of November and a drop from 3rd overall in the NHL standings to 20th.
Luckily there's plenty of time left in the season to correct some things and special teams need the most attention. The Sabres powerplay was one goal shy of being completely powerless through November as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen scored the lone goal on Buffalo's 37 opportunities. At one point very early in the season the Sabres couldn't be stopped and had the league's best powerplay but since then it took a dive to 17th as their conversion rate went from 29.8% at the end of October to 17.8% as of now. And their penalty kill, which wasn't anything to write home about to begin with, was pretty bad as well. Buffalo went from a 79.5% kill-rate, good for 20th in the league, to 74.7 which dropped them to 29th.
Monday, December 2, 2019
A gutsy point + Sabres 2019-20 Individual Stats Leaders--November
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-1-2019
I was "Bruhed!" last night by a Sabres beat writer I respect for suggesting that the first goal let in by Buffalo Sabres netminder Carter Hutton against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a softie. Perhaps it was a matter of frustration on my part with the Sabres 2-1 loss that was decided by a definite softie let in by Carter in overtime. Or perhaps the first goal was indeed a goal that should have been stopped. Regardless, whatever way you cut it, the outcome was an extremely disappointing one.
Toronto's William Nylander opened the scoring at the 5:30 mark of the second period when he drove from the red line to the front of the net and his shot was deflected by Hutton over his shoulder as the Buffalo goalie tried to poke-check the puck in the blue paint. The score would remain 1-0 until Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen took the same route on a pinch-in from the point and slid one far-side past Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen 6:58 into the third period.
I was "Bruhed!" last night by a Sabres beat writer I respect for suggesting that the first goal let in by Buffalo Sabres netminder Carter Hutton against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a softie. Perhaps it was a matter of frustration on my part with the Sabres 2-1 loss that was decided by a definite softie let in by Carter in overtime. Or perhaps the first goal was indeed a goal that should have been stopped. Regardless, whatever way you cut it, the outcome was an extremely disappointing one.
Toronto's William Nylander opened the scoring at the 5:30 mark of the second period when he drove from the red line to the front of the net and his shot was deflected by Hutton over his shoulder as the Buffalo goalie tried to poke-check the puck in the blue paint. The score would remain 1-0 until Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen took the same route on a pinch-in from the point and slid one far-side past Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen 6:58 into the third period.
It's time to ride Linus Ullmark, more. Plus...
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-30-2019
Prior to the Buffalo Sabres road trip in Florida, some of what we'd like to see out of this team to help them turn it around centered around little steps. The Sabres had just come off what might have been their best game of the season in Boston but lost to the Bruins 3-2. Both Buffalo goals were scored by defensemen that game and it continued a bad trend that has been haunting the Sabres all month as secondary scoring from forwards through nine November games had almost dried up. Only three Sabres forwards outside the top line had goals (Jeff Skinner, Johan Larsson and Curtis Lazar, all with one each) in that span.
That has slowly begun to change as Zemgus Girgensons (two goals vs. Florida,) Jimmy Vesey (goals in now three consecutive games beginning in Tampa,) and Casey Mittelstadt (first goal in 17 games last night vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs) have joined the usual suspects of Jack Eichel, Skinner, Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart in scoring goals. After beating the Leafs last night, the Sabres are 2-1-1 in their last four games and have lit the lamp 15 times, all by the forwards and all at even strength.
Even though the powerplay has been all but non-existent with only one goal all month (by Rasmus Ristolainen vs. Boston) in 35 opportunities (3.5%,) it is a good sign that the Sabres have been able to tally at even strength these past four games.
Prior to the Buffalo Sabres road trip in Florida, some of what we'd like to see out of this team to help them turn it around centered around little steps. The Sabres had just come off what might have been their best game of the season in Boston but lost to the Bruins 3-2. Both Buffalo goals were scored by defensemen that game and it continued a bad trend that has been haunting the Sabres all month as secondary scoring from forwards through nine November games had almost dried up. Only three Sabres forwards outside the top line had goals (Jeff Skinner, Johan Larsson and Curtis Lazar, all with one each) in that span.
That has slowly begun to change as Zemgus Girgensons (two goals vs. Florida,) Jimmy Vesey (goals in now three consecutive games beginning in Tampa,) and Casey Mittelstadt (first goal in 17 games last night vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs) have joined the usual suspects of Jack Eichel, Skinner, Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart in scoring goals. After beating the Leafs last night, the Sabres are 2-1-1 in their last four games and have lit the lamp 15 times, all by the forwards and all at even strength.
Even though the powerplay has been all but non-existent with only one goal all month (by Rasmus Ristolainen vs. Boston) in 35 opportunities (3.5%,) it is a good sign that the Sabres have been able to tally at even strength these past four games.
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