Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-2-2018
The Buffalo Sabres had a pretty hectic final preseason schedule featuring five games in eight nights with three of them on the road. Head coach Phil Housley noted the busy schedule last week and kept a pretty full roster because of it. The Sabres also opted to skip practice today while they finalize their 23-man roster by 5 pm EST.
Buffalo made a number of moves over the weekend which included waiving wingers Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste on Saturday. The duo had been with the organization for a few years and ended up clearing waivers on Sunday. Baptiste was traded to the Nashville Predators on Monday for 22 yr. old defenseman Jack Dougherty, who has spent his pro career in the minors with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Yesterday the Sabres sent three players to Rochester--winger Alexander Nylander along with defensemen Brandon Hickey and Brendan Guhle.
While Hickey was almost guaranteed to be sent down and Guhle was highly probable, the Nylander demotion was a bit of a surprise. Nylander came into camp with something to prove, and looked like he did, but seems to have lost out to winger Tage Thompson for a spot in Buffalo's top-nine forward group. It should be interesting to note that when Thompson was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the Ryan O'Reilly trade, Sabres GM Jason Botterill said that the big winger would get a shot in Buffalo's top-six. Botterill remained true to his word, at the expense of Nylander.
A spot did open up on the Sabres fourth line, however, as winger Scott Wilson got tangled up late at practice on Sunday and broke his ankle. He'll be out 8-10 weeks and rather than put a scorer in a grinder's role, Buffalo opted to hit the waiver wire and pick up winger Remi Elie from the Dallas Stars.
Elie was a 2103 second round pick (40th overall) who scored just over a point/game in the OHL prior to being traded to the Erie Otters. While in Erie riding shotgun on Connor McDavid's line, the big left-winger upped his per-game totals and had particularly strong run in the playoffs scoring 24 points, second only to McDavid.
As his pro career progressed 6'1" 210 lb. Elie went from a potential top-six powerforward to a bottom-six grinder who could pitch in offensively. In two seasons with the Texas Stars, Dallas' AHL affiliate, Elie managed 15 goals and 45 points in 117 games. He played all of last season with Dallas scoring 14 points (6+8) in 72 games.
Elie got caught up in a bit of a numbers crunch at the Stars' training camp this year and was the odd man out. Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News quoted Stars GM Jim Nill as saying about the decision to waive Elie. "In the end, maybe a little bit of the flexibility of the position," Nill said. "We got some guys that can play different positions which helps. Remi probably doesn't have that quite as much. In the end, the other guys based off of the camp, just earned it ahead of him. That's part of the competition."
There's no need for Elie to be versatile in Buffalo as they have a glut of centers, nor will he be looked at as anything but a fourth-line grinder as the Sabres have some scoring on the left side. Buffalo GM Jason Botterill had a hole on the fourth line after Wilson went down and filled it with Elie and one would think, barring other injuries he'll be waived or in the press box once Wilson returns.
These are the line Housley rolled out yesterday at practice:
Jeff Skinner -Jack Eichel -Sam Reinhart
Conor Sheary -Patrik Berglund -Tage Thompson
Vladimir Sobotka -Casey Mittelstadt -Kyle Okposo
Zemgus Girgensons -Evan Rodrigues -Jason Pominville
Sunday's practice had the same lineup with Wilson/Girgensons at left wing on the fourth line so if we sub Elie for Wilson, this looks like what the Sabres will be opening up on Thursday with one of the two in the press box.
Showing posts with label 2018 preseason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2018 preseason. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Injuries open up spots on the Sabres roster
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-1-2018
Sabres forward Johan Larsson is a 26 yr. old young veteran who's played in 258 NHL games in a bottom-six role for Buffalo. Last year, much like the team in general, Larsson had a terrible season and coming into camp he was anything but a lock to make the roster.
Last month as training camp was beginning to roll, head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media he liked what he'd seen from Larsson in camp to that point. "I think he’s had three really good days (of training camp),” Housley said (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times) after the Sabres scrimmaged Sunday morning inside HarborCenter. “He’s come into camp in really good shape, probably the best shape that he’s been in. So it’s good to say he took the words in the right way at the end of the year. But he’s been really, really good so far in camp.”
Larsson's performance on the ice during the preseason was good and he showed flashes of his better self but really wasn't standing out from amongst the many players vying for a roster spot. The acquisitions of Conor Sheary added top-nine depth and when the Sabres traded Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues they brought back two veterans forwards in Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka who pretty much passed Larsson on the depth chart upon arrival. In August the Sabres traded for top-six forward Jeff Skinner and he pushed another player down the depth chart probably pushing Larsson out, unless the latter had a helluva camp.
That really didn't happen and this past Wednesday Larsson suffered a foot injury. He's listed as day-to-day right now and prior to yesterday, many expected that when he came off of the injured list he'd be waived. However, what looks to be a serious injury to Scott Wilson yesterday during practice may have given Larsson a brief reprieve.
Wilson, whom the Sabres traded for in December and re-signed to a two-year contract extension, looked to be slated for fourth line duties on the wing before getting tangled up with Rasmus Ristolainen yesterday. Word from the rink had him being helped off the ice and not being able to put any pressure on his right foot. It might be safe to say that he won't be ready for the season opener on Thursday and might be out for an extended period of time.
Oddly enough, Sheary had just returned to practice yesterday after suffering an injury on the first day of training camp.
Another forward who was making a strong push for the opening night roster was rookie Sean Malone who suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener against Columbus. The center is expected to be out six weeks and is expected to got to Rochester when he's cleared to play.
The injuries to Malone, Larsson and now Wilson, in addition to the waiving of winger Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste have combined to allow for winger Tage Thompson and Alexander Nylander to remain with the club. As of now there are 16 forwards listed on Buffalo's roster and only 13 when you take out the injured Malone, Larsson and Wilson.
Buffalo's defense-corps is crowded right now, at least on paper. The Sabres roster on defense stands at 11 players, but three of them are injured and another, Matt Tennyson, was waived on Saturday, cleared, and is presently practicing with the team. Defenseman Matt Hunwick was acquired in the Sheary trade but has been sidelined with a neck injury that caused him to miss all of training camp, Brandon Hickey is also sideline with an undisclosed injury and, as usual, Zach Bogosian is also out with an injury.
That leaves a group of four players that were pegged as starters to begin with--Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin--plus two from last year, Nathan Beauleu and Casey Nelson, also in the mix for the top-six. Twenty-one year old defenseman Brendan Guhle, who's had a good but not spectacular camp, is still with the club and may have an opportunity to get into the top six should Bogosian not be ready for Thursday's opener.
Nylander, Thompson and Guhle are all waiver's exempt and when the injured start returning any of those three can be sent down without them having to pass through waivers. And, since Bailey and Baptiste cleared, they can be brought up and sent down if the Sabres want to bring either of them up for the opener.
NHL teams well need to pare their roster to 23 players tomorrow and when six of your 27 skaters are injured, that won't be much of a problem for Buffalo. Plus they can even keep Tennyson around as an extra defenseman, if they so desire.
There will be a lot to watch come opening night including individual players like Jack Eichel, newcomer Skinner and rookie defenseman Dahlin but we'll also be keeping an eye on young players like Nylander, Thompson and Guhle. Injuries have given them opportunities but their performances will dictate where the roster stands when the injured return.
Sabres forward Johan Larsson is a 26 yr. old young veteran who's played in 258 NHL games in a bottom-six role for Buffalo. Last year, much like the team in general, Larsson had a terrible season and coming into camp he was anything but a lock to make the roster.
Last month as training camp was beginning to roll, head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media he liked what he'd seen from Larsson in camp to that point. "I think he’s had three really good days (of training camp),” Housley said (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times) after the Sabres scrimmaged Sunday morning inside HarborCenter. “He’s come into camp in really good shape, probably the best shape that he’s been in. So it’s good to say he took the words in the right way at the end of the year. But he’s been really, really good so far in camp.”
Larsson's performance on the ice during the preseason was good and he showed flashes of his better self but really wasn't standing out from amongst the many players vying for a roster spot. The acquisitions of Conor Sheary added top-nine depth and when the Sabres traded Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues they brought back two veterans forwards in Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka who pretty much passed Larsson on the depth chart upon arrival. In August the Sabres traded for top-six forward Jeff Skinner and he pushed another player down the depth chart probably pushing Larsson out, unless the latter had a helluva camp.
That really didn't happen and this past Wednesday Larsson suffered a foot injury. He's listed as day-to-day right now and prior to yesterday, many expected that when he came off of the injured list he'd be waived. However, what looks to be a serious injury to Scott Wilson yesterday during practice may have given Larsson a brief reprieve.
Wilson, whom the Sabres traded for in December and re-signed to a two-year contract extension, looked to be slated for fourth line duties on the wing before getting tangled up with Rasmus Ristolainen yesterday. Word from the rink had him being helped off the ice and not being able to put any pressure on his right foot. It might be safe to say that he won't be ready for the season opener on Thursday and might be out for an extended period of time.
Oddly enough, Sheary had just returned to practice yesterday after suffering an injury on the first day of training camp.
Another forward who was making a strong push for the opening night roster was rookie Sean Malone who suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener against Columbus. The center is expected to be out six weeks and is expected to got to Rochester when he's cleared to play.
The injuries to Malone, Larsson and now Wilson, in addition to the waiving of winger Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste have combined to allow for winger Tage Thompson and Alexander Nylander to remain with the club. As of now there are 16 forwards listed on Buffalo's roster and only 13 when you take out the injured Malone, Larsson and Wilson.
Buffalo's defense-corps is crowded right now, at least on paper. The Sabres roster on defense stands at 11 players, but three of them are injured and another, Matt Tennyson, was waived on Saturday, cleared, and is presently practicing with the team. Defenseman Matt Hunwick was acquired in the Sheary trade but has been sidelined with a neck injury that caused him to miss all of training camp, Brandon Hickey is also sideline with an undisclosed injury and, as usual, Zach Bogosian is also out with an injury.
That leaves a group of four players that were pegged as starters to begin with--Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin--plus two from last year, Nathan Beauleu and Casey Nelson, also in the mix for the top-six. Twenty-one year old defenseman Brendan Guhle, who's had a good but not spectacular camp, is still with the club and may have an opportunity to get into the top six should Bogosian not be ready for Thursday's opener.
Nylander, Thompson and Guhle are all waiver's exempt and when the injured start returning any of those three can be sent down without them having to pass through waivers. And, since Bailey and Baptiste cleared, they can be brought up and sent down if the Sabres want to bring either of them up for the opener.
NHL teams well need to pare their roster to 23 players tomorrow and when six of your 27 skaters are injured, that won't be much of a problem for Buffalo. Plus they can even keep Tennyson around as an extra defenseman, if they so desire.
There will be a lot to watch come opening night including individual players like Jack Eichel, newcomer Skinner and rookie defenseman Dahlin but we'll also be keeping an eye on young players like Nylander, Thompson and Guhle. Injuries have given them opportunities but their performances will dictate where the roster stands when the injured return.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Report: Justin Bailey, Nicholas Baptiste, Matt Tennyson waived by BUF
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-29-2018
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reported three Buffalo Sabres on his list of NHL players waived by NHL teams. According to Lavoie, forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste, along with defenseman Matt Tennyson were waived by the team. No official announcement has been made.
With those moves the Sabres now have 16 forwards on the roster including injured players Johan Larsson and Sean Malone. The forward lineup has:
Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville, Patrik Berglund, Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary (who was injured but has begun skating,) Zemgus Girgensons, Scott Wilson, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Evan Rodrigues, and Alexander Nylander.
The Tennyson move allow for rookie free agent Lawrence Pilut to stay with the club as Buffalo's d-corps has Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian (injured,) Marco Scandella, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Hunwick (injured,) Jake McCabe, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Nelson.
Bailey and Baptiste both were drafted in 2013 (2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively) and had similar roads to this point. Both finished junior and skated for the Rochester Americans (Bailey 159 games, Baptiste 157) and had ample time to make an impression with the big club (Bailey 52 games for Buffalo, Baptiste 47.)
The duo were supposed to put Buffalo in a very difficult situation during training camp and neither would be waiver-exempt and it was thought that the Sabres might want to keep one or both and send down a waiver-exempt player or two. Unfortunately neither made an impresson this season despite their speed. Buffalo decided to keep Nylander, who had an excellent camp and Thompson, who looked real good for stretches. They also kept young vet Girgensons over both Bailey and Baptiste.
The probability factor that each player might get claimed leans more towards yes, but with a long list of players being waived as teams get ready to finalize their rosters one or both might slip through.
As for Tennyson, he's been through this movie before. Although Sabres head coach Phil Housley said he like a lot of what Tennyson brought to the table, Pilut, who is waivers-exempt, had too good a camp to deny.
The Sabres are off today and will resume practice tomorrow.
*****
For those of us who weren't in Oshawa, Ontario for last nigh
t's Sabres/NY Islanders game, Buffalo defeated NY 5-4 to finish preseason with a win.
Highlights from the game have been very slow to surface but Sabres.com finally released them. Girgensons, Nelson, Dahlin and Skinner (2) all scored for Buffalo, which you can view here:
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reported three Buffalo Sabres on his list of NHL players waived by NHL teams. According to Lavoie, forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste, along with defenseman Matt Tennyson were waived by the team. No official announcement has been made.
With those moves the Sabres now have 16 forwards on the roster including injured players Johan Larsson and Sean Malone. The forward lineup has:
Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville, Patrik Berglund, Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary (who was injured but has begun skating,) Zemgus Girgensons, Scott Wilson, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Evan Rodrigues, and Alexander Nylander.
The Tennyson move allow for rookie free agent Lawrence Pilut to stay with the club as Buffalo's d-corps has Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian (injured,) Marco Scandella, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Hunwick (injured,) Jake McCabe, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Nelson.
Bailey and Baptiste both were drafted in 2013 (2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively) and had similar roads to this point. Both finished junior and skated for the Rochester Americans (Bailey 159 games, Baptiste 157) and had ample time to make an impression with the big club (Bailey 52 games for Buffalo, Baptiste 47.)
The duo were supposed to put Buffalo in a very difficult situation during training camp and neither would be waiver-exempt and it was thought that the Sabres might want to keep one or both and send down a waiver-exempt player or two. Unfortunately neither made an impresson this season despite their speed. Buffalo decided to keep Nylander, who had an excellent camp and Thompson, who looked real good for stretches. They also kept young vet Girgensons over both Bailey and Baptiste.
The probability factor that each player might get claimed leans more towards yes, but with a long list of players being waived as teams get ready to finalize their rosters one or both might slip through.
As for Tennyson, he's been through this movie before. Although Sabres head coach Phil Housley said he like a lot of what Tennyson brought to the table, Pilut, who is waivers-exempt, had too good a camp to deny.
The Sabres are off today and will resume practice tomorrow.
*****
For those of us who weren't in Oshawa, Ontario for last nigh
t's Sabres/NY Islanders game, Buffalo defeated NY 5-4 to finish preseason with a win.
Highlights from the game have been very slow to surface but Sabres.com finally released them. Girgensons, Nelson, Dahlin and Skinner (2) all scored for Buffalo, which you can view here:
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--The field
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-28-2018
The Buffalo Sabers head up to Oshawa, Ontario to take on the NY Islanders in their final preseason game.
Yes, you read that right, Oshawa, Ontario.
The city of about 160,000 is home to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL which boasts a long lineage of great players that have played for the club including Bobby Orr, Alex Delvecchio, Dave Andreychuk and Eric Lindros. Another big name, and more recent, is that of John Tavares, who was a member of the Islanders up until this off season when he signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Other Generals alum who were with the Islanders but have moved on are defenseman Calvin de Haan, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and prospect Michael del Colle, who was sent to Bridgeport (AHL.) Such was the impetus behind the 2017 planning of the game, but fans looking to see a Generals/Islanders connections will have to settle for Cal Clutterbuck.
It's and awkward situation overall but for the Sabres it's just another preseason game on the road in a different venue. The Sabres were tabbed for the Kraft Hockeyville USA game earlier this week in Clinton, NY which has a population of roughly 1,900. Buffalo played the Columbus Blue Jackets at Clinton Arena which is akin to playing a preseason game at HarborCenter save for the shorter ice and corners that were more square than an NHL rink. It might be safe to say that it was a great experience as the Sabres and Jackets brought the NHL to an intimate setting while also tapping into their early hockey roots playing in a "barn" like that.
The atmosphere should be similar at Tribute Communities Center in Oshawa tonight. Although the Center holds just over 6,000 when standing room is included, it's still a much smaller venue for an NHL team and the smaller city should make for an event similar to what took place in Clinton.
Regardless of the venue, there are 32 players that remain with the Sabers and only a few roster spots up for grabs. All but one player that is on the projected roster we began building in August are still either entrenched in the lineup or are in the mix for a couple of openings. Center Rasmus Asplund was sent to Rochester in a move that wasn't too surprising as the rookie played solid hockey but really didn't do much to separate himself from the crowd. Injuries to projected top-nine winger Conor Sheary and defenseman Zach Bogosian have opened up a couple more spots all of which will be filled by players from this group, with those just outside the top-three looking at reserve roles.
LW, Alexander Nylander
When Nylander was drafted with the eight-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, his skating and skills were never in doubt as most felt that he had possibly the best skill-set of any player in his draft class. The knock on him has always been compete and that followed him into the pros as he made the jump directly to AHL as an 18 yr. old.
That same profile followed him into camp this year although Buffalo GM Jason Botterill reminded everyone that Nylander was still only 20 yrs. old and that most players are just hitting the pro ranks at his age. We were also reminded that a preseason injury pretty much scuttled much of his 2017-18 season and heard that he was determined to make an impact at camp this year.
That he did.
He's been one of Buffalo's best forwards this preseason and with Sheary sidelinded, as of right now Nylander looks to have a spot in the top-six to lose for Thursday's opener against the Boston Bruins. Even if Sheary were healthy, Nylander looks to have had the type of camp that would put him on the roster opening night. Good for him and good for the Sabres.
F, Evan Rodrigues
Rodrigues is entering his fourth pro season after leaving Boston University and signing with the Sabres as a free agent. The versatile forward has worked his way up the pro ranks and has showed definitive year-over-year progress in both Rochester and Buffalo.
Last season was yet another step forward for Rodrigues. After suffering an injury in camp which derailed his NHL plans, Rodrigues hit Rochester for an eight-game stint and scored 10 points (5+5.) He was with Buffalo for 48 games scoring seven goals and adding 18 assists.
Sabres coach Phil Housley has a player in Rodrigues that he can play up and down the lineup at either left wing or center and will be consistent game-in, game-out. The demotion of Asplund means that Rodrigues might find himself in a two-way winger role on the third-line. Although he's played better at center, right now Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and veteran Patrik Berglund look to be locks there which means Rodrigues could start out on the wing. And we're pretty sure he doesn't care as long as he plays.
D, Lawrence Pilut
The 22 yr. old Swedish defenseman has been making some waves at camp and has caught the eye of Housley. "I think it's just his calmness and poise with the puck," Housley told the media at practice the other day. "He attacks the game the right way. He gets into the play, he'll make those moves on the blue line. It shows the confidence he has in his abilities."
Pilut has never seen a play he wasn't ready to jump into which is the way Housley played the game. However, it looks as if Pilut may have a little more going for him on the defensive side of the equation.
The injury to Bogosian is a huge opportunity for one of the remaining defensemen still with the club and Pilut may have had the best camp thus far amongst a group that includes Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey.
D, Nathan Beaulieu
Beaulieu has all the skating and puck-moving abilities that Housley and Co. love from their defenseman. The 17th-ovearll pick in 2011 came to Buffalo last year in a trade with the Montreal Canadians and Sabres fans were curious as to why he fell from a top-pairing spot with Shea Weber all the way to the pressbox. Last season they got a pretty good look as to why that happened.
For all the great skills and qualities Beaulieu has, he has a brain fart on the ice seemingly almost every game and it's why the 25 yr, old young vet of 284 NHL games sees himself in a battle with an undrafted rookie like Pilut who is making his North American debut this year.
F, Justin Bailey
Bailey is one of two players drafted in 2013 who hit Rochester in 2015-16. The 23 yr. old has played in 159 games AHL games and 52 NHL games making some solid progress along the way.
Drafted as a powerforward with a good scoring touch, Bailey has yet to have offensive skills translate to the NHL-level and it looks as if his ceiling is that of a bottom-six role player. He still has great size (6'4" 214 lbs) and has tremendous speed which has been on display all camp. Bailey is no longer waiver-exempt which could have put the Sabres in a very difficult position. However, a foot injury to Johan Larsson, who's considered day-to-day looks to have put that decision on hold.
F, Nicholas Baptiste
Is the second of the 2013 draft picks who was with the Amerks beginning in 2015-16. Like Bailey, Baptiste has spent the majority of his time with Rochester (157 games) while also getting a good taste of the NHL game with Buffalo (47 games.)
Baptiste also has speed and size but seems to have little more offensive acumen a higher ceiling than Bailey. However, he's yet to stand out this camp and it will be an interesting decision for Buffalo as Baptiste has also lost his waiver-exempt status.
RW, Tage Thompson
When you see a young guy like Thompson pull off a play like he did against Leafs a week ago, the wow-factor of a 6'5" 205 lb. forward who can create separation like that and finish with a wicked shot whets your appetite to see him skating in a Sabres uniform this year.
Thompson was a 2016 first-rounder (26th-overall) of the St. Louis Blues and has spent nearly the same number of games (41) in the NHL as he has in the AHL (46.) As it stands right now, Thompson is behind at least two right wingers on the club--Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo--and because of Jason Pominville's status both contractually and as a vet on the team, Thompson might only see fourth-line duty with the Sabres at this juncture.
Although it doesn't mean he's worse than a player like Pominville, it wouldn't seem as if Housley will want too many question marks heading into the season as he wants to get off to a fast start. Thompson still has waiver-exempt status and could use more seasoning in the AHL to develop consistency to his game. He's got top-six talent but right now for Buffalo there's really no need to rush him.
D, Brendan Guhle
Might be the most disappointing Sabre at camp this year. That said, perhaps expectations were a little too high for the 21 yr. old second-rounder (51st overall, 2015) entering camp as he's wowed us ever since his first camp three years ago. Guhle's skating and athleticism are top-notch, he has some excellent on-ice vision and can lay the body on people. Although he was never touted as a scorer, Guhle has been able to put up solid point totals in the AHL.
Consistency is the big issue with him at this point in his very young career. With an organization that's steadfast in proper development, the emergence of Pilut as a roster possibility to start the season and Guhle's waiver-exempt status, he could be due for another year of seasoning in the AHL with intermittent call-ups as needed.
F, Johan Larsson
Prior to his foot injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, Larsson seemed like a bubble player. He had a rough season last year and despite coming to camp with a different attitude and a sharper focus, Larsson hasn't had an impact in a bottom-six role. Add to that his lack of speed, which most other bubble forwards have, and it looked as if he was on the way out prior to his injury.
D, Brandon Hickey
Hickey was acquired in the Hudson Fasching trade with Arizona. The Boston University product who signed with the Sabres after the trade has had a solid camp in a steady, stay-at-home defenseman role for the club. Although still raw for the pro ranks, Hickey plays the game with a lot of poise. He was a very long shot to make the club but should be a strong addition to an already strong Amerks blueline.
D, Matt Tennyson
Last year Tennyson was the beneficiary of a rash of blueline injuries in Buffalo and ended up playing in 15 games for the Sabres. Unfortunately things didn't go well for him or the team last season in Buffalo and he was sent to Rochester. This year he's behind quite a few players in the pecking order.
F, Sean Malone
It's a shame that Malone was injured as he was having an eye-brow raising camp. The 2013 sixth-rounder (159th overall) relishes his role as a checking line center that does all the dirty work and he was performing every bit the part until suffering a knee injury a week-and-a-half ago. The West Seneca, NY native will have a six week recovery time before heading to Rochester once deemed healthy.
D, Matt Hunwick
Acquired from the Penguins along with Sheary, Hunwick suffered a neck injury in camp that have some thinking that it might be career threatening for the 33 yr. old.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues, Justin Bailey
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
Lawrence Pilut, Nathan Beaulieu
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
The Buffalo Sabers head up to Oshawa, Ontario to take on the NY Islanders in their final preseason game.
Yes, you read that right, Oshawa, Ontario.
The city of about 160,000 is home to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL which boasts a long lineage of great players that have played for the club including Bobby Orr, Alex Delvecchio, Dave Andreychuk and Eric Lindros. Another big name, and more recent, is that of John Tavares, who was a member of the Islanders up until this off season when he signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Other Generals alum who were with the Islanders but have moved on are defenseman Calvin de Haan, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and prospect Michael del Colle, who was sent to Bridgeport (AHL.) Such was the impetus behind the 2017 planning of the game, but fans looking to see a Generals/Islanders connections will have to settle for Cal Clutterbuck.
It's and awkward situation overall but for the Sabres it's just another preseason game on the road in a different venue. The Sabres were tabbed for the Kraft Hockeyville USA game earlier this week in Clinton, NY which has a population of roughly 1,900. Buffalo played the Columbus Blue Jackets at Clinton Arena which is akin to playing a preseason game at HarborCenter save for the shorter ice and corners that were more square than an NHL rink. It might be safe to say that it was a great experience as the Sabres and Jackets brought the NHL to an intimate setting while also tapping into their early hockey roots playing in a "barn" like that.
The atmosphere should be similar at Tribute Communities Center in Oshawa tonight. Although the Center holds just over 6,000 when standing room is included, it's still a much smaller venue for an NHL team and the smaller city should make for an event similar to what took place in Clinton.
Regardless of the venue, there are 32 players that remain with the Sabers and only a few roster spots up for grabs. All but one player that is on the projected roster we began building in August are still either entrenched in the lineup or are in the mix for a couple of openings. Center Rasmus Asplund was sent to Rochester in a move that wasn't too surprising as the rookie played solid hockey but really didn't do much to separate himself from the crowd. Injuries to projected top-nine winger Conor Sheary and defenseman Zach Bogosian have opened up a couple more spots all of which will be filled by players from this group, with those just outside the top-three looking at reserve roles.
LW, Alexander Nylander
When Nylander was drafted with the eight-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, his skating and skills were never in doubt as most felt that he had possibly the best skill-set of any player in his draft class. The knock on him has always been compete and that followed him into the pros as he made the jump directly to AHL as an 18 yr. old.
That same profile followed him into camp this year although Buffalo GM Jason Botterill reminded everyone that Nylander was still only 20 yrs. old and that most players are just hitting the pro ranks at his age. We were also reminded that a preseason injury pretty much scuttled much of his 2017-18 season and heard that he was determined to make an impact at camp this year.
That he did.
He's been one of Buffalo's best forwards this preseason and with Sheary sidelinded, as of right now Nylander looks to have a spot in the top-six to lose for Thursday's opener against the Boston Bruins. Even if Sheary were healthy, Nylander looks to have had the type of camp that would put him on the roster opening night. Good for him and good for the Sabres.
F, Evan Rodrigues
Rodrigues is entering his fourth pro season after leaving Boston University and signing with the Sabres as a free agent. The versatile forward has worked his way up the pro ranks and has showed definitive year-over-year progress in both Rochester and Buffalo.
Last season was yet another step forward for Rodrigues. After suffering an injury in camp which derailed his NHL plans, Rodrigues hit Rochester for an eight-game stint and scored 10 points (5+5.) He was with Buffalo for 48 games scoring seven goals and adding 18 assists.
Sabres coach Phil Housley has a player in Rodrigues that he can play up and down the lineup at either left wing or center and will be consistent game-in, game-out. The demotion of Asplund means that Rodrigues might find himself in a two-way winger role on the third-line. Although he's played better at center, right now Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and veteran Patrik Berglund look to be locks there which means Rodrigues could start out on the wing. And we're pretty sure he doesn't care as long as he plays.
D, Lawrence Pilut
The 22 yr. old Swedish defenseman has been making some waves at camp and has caught the eye of Housley. "I think it's just his calmness and poise with the puck," Housley told the media at practice the other day. "He attacks the game the right way. He gets into the play, he'll make those moves on the blue line. It shows the confidence he has in his abilities."
Pilut has never seen a play he wasn't ready to jump into which is the way Housley played the game. However, it looks as if Pilut may have a little more going for him on the defensive side of the equation.
The injury to Bogosian is a huge opportunity for one of the remaining defensemen still with the club and Pilut may have had the best camp thus far amongst a group that includes Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey.
D, Nathan Beaulieu
Beaulieu has all the skating and puck-moving abilities that Housley and Co. love from their defenseman. The 17th-ovearll pick in 2011 came to Buffalo last year in a trade with the Montreal Canadians and Sabres fans were curious as to why he fell from a top-pairing spot with Shea Weber all the way to the pressbox. Last season they got a pretty good look as to why that happened.
For all the great skills and qualities Beaulieu has, he has a brain fart on the ice seemingly almost every game and it's why the 25 yr, old young vet of 284 NHL games sees himself in a battle with an undrafted rookie like Pilut who is making his North American debut this year.
F, Justin Bailey
Bailey is one of two players drafted in 2013 who hit Rochester in 2015-16. The 23 yr. old has played in 159 games AHL games and 52 NHL games making some solid progress along the way.
Drafted as a powerforward with a good scoring touch, Bailey has yet to have offensive skills translate to the NHL-level and it looks as if his ceiling is that of a bottom-six role player. He still has great size (6'4" 214 lbs) and has tremendous speed which has been on display all camp. Bailey is no longer waiver-exempt which could have put the Sabres in a very difficult position. However, a foot injury to Johan Larsson, who's considered day-to-day looks to have put that decision on hold.
F, Nicholas Baptiste
Is the second of the 2013 draft picks who was with the Amerks beginning in 2015-16. Like Bailey, Baptiste has spent the majority of his time with Rochester (157 games) while also getting a good taste of the NHL game with Buffalo (47 games.)
Baptiste also has speed and size but seems to have little more offensive acumen a higher ceiling than Bailey. However, he's yet to stand out this camp and it will be an interesting decision for Buffalo as Baptiste has also lost his waiver-exempt status.
RW, Tage Thompson
When you see a young guy like Thompson pull off a play like he did against Leafs a week ago, the wow-factor of a 6'5" 205 lb. forward who can create separation like that and finish with a wicked shot whets your appetite to see him skating in a Sabres uniform this year.
Thompson was a 2016 first-rounder (26th-overall) of the St. Louis Blues and has spent nearly the same number of games (41) in the NHL as he has in the AHL (46.) As it stands right now, Thompson is behind at least two right wingers on the club--Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo--and because of Jason Pominville's status both contractually and as a vet on the team, Thompson might only see fourth-line duty with the Sabres at this juncture.
Although it doesn't mean he's worse than a player like Pominville, it wouldn't seem as if Housley will want too many question marks heading into the season as he wants to get off to a fast start. Thompson still has waiver-exempt status and could use more seasoning in the AHL to develop consistency to his game. He's got top-six talent but right now for Buffalo there's really no need to rush him.
D, Brendan Guhle
Might be the most disappointing Sabre at camp this year. That said, perhaps expectations were a little too high for the 21 yr. old second-rounder (51st overall, 2015) entering camp as he's wowed us ever since his first camp three years ago. Guhle's skating and athleticism are top-notch, he has some excellent on-ice vision and can lay the body on people. Although he was never touted as a scorer, Guhle has been able to put up solid point totals in the AHL.
Consistency is the big issue with him at this point in his very young career. With an organization that's steadfast in proper development, the emergence of Pilut as a roster possibility to start the season and Guhle's waiver-exempt status, he could be due for another year of seasoning in the AHL with intermittent call-ups as needed.
F, Johan Larsson
Prior to his foot injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, Larsson seemed like a bubble player. He had a rough season last year and despite coming to camp with a different attitude and a sharper focus, Larsson hasn't had an impact in a bottom-six role. Add to that his lack of speed, which most other bubble forwards have, and it looked as if he was on the way out prior to his injury.
D, Brandon Hickey
Hickey was acquired in the Hudson Fasching trade with Arizona. The Boston University product who signed with the Sabres after the trade has had a solid camp in a steady, stay-at-home defenseman role for the club. Although still raw for the pro ranks, Hickey plays the game with a lot of poise. He was a very long shot to make the club but should be a strong addition to an already strong Amerks blueline.
D, Matt Tennyson
Last year Tennyson was the beneficiary of a rash of blueline injuries in Buffalo and ended up playing in 15 games for the Sabres. Unfortunately things didn't go well for him or the team last season in Buffalo and he was sent to Rochester. This year he's behind quite a few players in the pecking order.
F, Sean Malone
It's a shame that Malone was injured as he was having an eye-brow raising camp. The 2013 sixth-rounder (159th overall) relishes his role as a checking line center that does all the dirty work and he was performing every bit the part until suffering a knee injury a week-and-a-half ago. The West Seneca, NY native will have a six week recovery time before heading to Rochester once deemed healthy.
D, Matt Hunwick
Acquired from the Penguins along with Sheary, Hunwick suffered a neck injury in camp that have some thinking that it might be career threatening for the 33 yr. old.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues, Justin Bailey
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
Lawrence Pilut, Nathan Beaulieu
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
Friday, September 28, 2018
From Clinton to Pittsburgh, Sabres preseason rolls on
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-26-2018
Those in attendance last night for the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville USA preseason game between Buffalo and Columbus may have left the rest of the hockey world a little envious. Clinton arena in the sleepy village of Clinton, NY, just outside of Utica, hosted the game and there was ample star power on the ice for the roughly 2,000 in attendance who won the opportunity for a seat via the lottery. For Sabres fans it would be akin to a preseason game being held at HarborCenter which seats about 1,800.
Among those skating for the Sabres in their fifth preseason game were forwards Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart, which will probably be Buffalo's top line for the season opener on October 4. Also skating up front were young guns Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander while 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin was working some magic from the Sabres blueline. The Blue Jackets had some star power of their own as forward Artemi Panarin and defensemen Seth Jones were part of a group that downed the Sabres 4-2.
Some notes on the game:
--Dahlin is one slick son-of-a-gun. Because of his incredibly fast and fluid skating ability, the 18 yr. old just seems to appear near the puck and he did so last night. He also showed some nice "bat-control" as he took a puck off the boards in mid-air and bunted it to himself to escape the forecheck. And then there was that pass where he whirled in his own zone and hit Eichel at center ice who then entered the Columbus zone with speed. Eichel beat the defender and found Reinhart for the layup.
--Once again, Eichel's speed was jaw-dropping. He hit the blueline with some speed then hit the after-burners and in three strides he was around the defenseman before sending a perfect pass to a streaking Reinhart.
--Speaking of Reinhart, he's off to a very fast start this preseason after holding out in a contract dispute. One would think that he and his agent weren't 100% pleased with the 2yr./$7.3 million contract he signed last week and it looks as if he wants to make the Sabres pay later. Good for him and good for the team if he can do that.
--Casey Nelson was Dahlin's d-partner most of the night and he had a real good game. He got Buffalo on the board early with a nice shot from a pretty tough angle. He finished the night a plus-1 and logged substantial minutes.
--Nylander got the primary assist on Nelson's goal and generally had another strong game although he did have some gaffe's, especially on the penalty kill. No worries, Sabres fans, if he does make the roster, he probably won't see any PK time.
--After some fairly lackluster efforts so far this preseason, Mittelstadt put together a real nice game and was as engaged as we've seen him all preseason. He's a tenacious player when he's on his game and when you add in his skill and smarts, he can make things extremely difficult on the opposition.
In general the defense looks much better as they're using their mobility to jump into the play and head deep into the zone. Although they still have some trouble in their own zone, they're getting better at that, especially because the forwards seem to be supporting them more. In fact, if the forwards aren't in attack mode they're doing a much better job of supporting their team mates all over the ice.
Head coach Phil Housley has said that he expects mistakes and that his team shouldn't be afraid to make them. And there have been plenty of them but that's why there's preseason. But perhaps he should modify it just a tad and force any player to the bench who makes a blind, back-hand pass to the slot in their own end. It's Hockey-101, don't send blind passes to the slot in your own end (or anywhere, for that matter.) There's such a thing as getting too fancy and using the "I'm allowed to make mistakes" alibi.
The Sabres lost by two goals last night, the exact number of goals they were outscored on the powerplay. Buffalo went 1/1 while the Jackets went 3/3.
Tonight the Sabres "B-squad" is in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins who loaded up on their forward ranks. Early indications have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Patrik Hornqvist and Phil Kessel, among others, skating against Buffalo tonight.
The Sabres might be countering with a preliminary lineup like this (via sabres.com):
Forwards
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 29 Jason Pominville
20 Scott Wilson - 22 Johan Larsson - 95 Justin Bailey
41 Victor Olofsson - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
13 Nicholas Baptiste
Defensemen
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Lawrence Pilut - 5 Matt Tennyson
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 27 Taylor Fedun
Goaltenders
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
Of note, they originally had F, Kyle Criscuolo in the lineup on the fourth line but according to reports, he's been waived. With him out they'll also need a couple of bodies from last night to fill in.
Game time is 7 pm.
Those in attendance last night for the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville USA preseason game between Buffalo and Columbus may have left the rest of the hockey world a little envious. Clinton arena in the sleepy village of Clinton, NY, just outside of Utica, hosted the game and there was ample star power on the ice for the roughly 2,000 in attendance who won the opportunity for a seat via the lottery. For Sabres fans it would be akin to a preseason game being held at HarborCenter which seats about 1,800.
Among those skating for the Sabres in their fifth preseason game were forwards Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart, which will probably be Buffalo's top line for the season opener on October 4. Also skating up front were young guns Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander while 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin was working some magic from the Sabres blueline. The Blue Jackets had some star power of their own as forward Artemi Panarin and defensemen Seth Jones were part of a group that downed the Sabres 4-2.
Some notes on the game:
--Dahlin is one slick son-of-a-gun. Because of his incredibly fast and fluid skating ability, the 18 yr. old just seems to appear near the puck and he did so last night. He also showed some nice "bat-control" as he took a puck off the boards in mid-air and bunted it to himself to escape the forecheck. And then there was that pass where he whirled in his own zone and hit Eichel at center ice who then entered the Columbus zone with speed. Eichel beat the defender and found Reinhart for the layup.
--Once again, Eichel's speed was jaw-dropping. He hit the blueline with some speed then hit the after-burners and in three strides he was around the defenseman before sending a perfect pass to a streaking Reinhart.
--Speaking of Reinhart, he's off to a very fast start this preseason after holding out in a contract dispute. One would think that he and his agent weren't 100% pleased with the 2yr./$7.3 million contract he signed last week and it looks as if he wants to make the Sabres pay later. Good for him and good for the team if he can do that.
--Casey Nelson was Dahlin's d-partner most of the night and he had a real good game. He got Buffalo on the board early with a nice shot from a pretty tough angle. He finished the night a plus-1 and logged substantial minutes.
--Nylander got the primary assist on Nelson's goal and generally had another strong game although he did have some gaffe's, especially on the penalty kill. No worries, Sabres fans, if he does make the roster, he probably won't see any PK time.
--After some fairly lackluster efforts so far this preseason, Mittelstadt put together a real nice game and was as engaged as we've seen him all preseason. He's a tenacious player when he's on his game and when you add in his skill and smarts, he can make things extremely difficult on the opposition.
In general the defense looks much better as they're using their mobility to jump into the play and head deep into the zone. Although they still have some trouble in their own zone, they're getting better at that, especially because the forwards seem to be supporting them more. In fact, if the forwards aren't in attack mode they're doing a much better job of supporting their team mates all over the ice.
Head coach Phil Housley has said that he expects mistakes and that his team shouldn't be afraid to make them. And there have been plenty of them but that's why there's preseason. But perhaps he should modify it just a tad and force any player to the bench who makes a blind, back-hand pass to the slot in their own end. It's Hockey-101, don't send blind passes to the slot in your own end (or anywhere, for that matter.) There's such a thing as getting too fancy and using the "I'm allowed to make mistakes" alibi.
The Sabres lost by two goals last night, the exact number of goals they were outscored on the powerplay. Buffalo went 1/1 while the Jackets went 3/3.
Tonight the Sabres "B-squad" is in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins who loaded up on their forward ranks. Early indications have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Patrik Hornqvist and Phil Kessel, among others, skating against Buffalo tonight.
The Sabres might be countering with a preliminary lineup like this (via sabres.com):
Forwards
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 29 Jason Pominville
20 Scott Wilson - 22 Johan Larsson - 95 Justin Bailey
41 Victor Olofsson - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
13 Nicholas Baptiste
Defensemen
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Lawrence Pilut - 5 Matt Tennyson
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 27 Taylor Fedun
Goaltenders
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
Of note, they originally had F, Kyle Criscuolo in the lineup on the fourth line but according to reports, he's been waived. With him out they'll also need a couple of bodies from last night to fill in.
Game time is 7 pm.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--The Fourth Line
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-24-2018
An injury to left winger Conor Sheary may end up affecting the opening night roster as will play from rookies up-front like Alexander Nylander, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund. The roster built here thus far has a couple of rookies down the middle flanked by seasoned veterans and if that were to occur, the Sabres would have to make a difficult choices on players they'd need to expose to waivers after filling out the roster. Should Sheary miss the opener on October 4, that would open up a spot as would the probability of a waiver-exempt Asplund being sent to Rochester, which opens up another spot.
However, since the roster here has been built as such, we're going to continue to build it and lay out the fourth line.
C, Zemgus Girgensons
24 yrs. old
6'2" 211 lbs.
2012, 14th-overall (Trade-up with Calgary)
Career stats: 348 games | 44 goals | 57 assists | 101 points | -41
It's the type of move that many in Sabreland will hate simply because Girgensons has gone from a hard-working, fan-favorite who looked promising in a top-nine role to the guy who's often seen falling on the ice and missing what few opportunities he and his linemates generate. Add in that he was the guy who got tangled up with Jack Eichel the day before the 2016-17 opener which sent the superstar to IR and also that "Gus," as he's known, is the longest continuously-tenured Sabres player and has known more losing than any other player and you can understand why many want to move on from him.
Girgensons started as an 18 yr. old in the AHL, hit the Sabres the following year and was with Buffalo for both tank years. As the Sabres added talent, his stock dropped and he was found mostly in the bottom-six the past three seasons. Yet during those three years both coaches--Dan Bylsma and, now, Phil Housley--moved him around from line to line, position to position. What we've learned from it all is that Girgensons right now is best suited in a fourth line energy role with the way the team is constructed now. And he should succeed in that role while also being a part of Buffalo's penalty kill.
After being benched for two games last season, Girgensons came back and earned a promotion to the top-six, according to Housley with the coach saying, "He was just tenacious on the forecheck, really physical, demanding the puck, making the right decisions in the neutral zone and just brought a really good energy to our team,” This preseason has been a continuation of that and there's no reason to believe that he won't continue that in a fourth-line role.
Of note: Since 2013-14, the Sabres have had 16 players score shorthanded goals and only six have scored multiple. Girgensons leads them with six shorties.
LW, Scott Wilson
26 yrs. old
5'11" 186 lbs
2011 seventh round (207th overall,) PIT
Acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings, December 4, 2017
Career stats: 172 games | 19 goals | 27 assists | 46 points | -20
The Sabres were really struggling last season and despite a 6-15-4 record through the first two months, GM Jason Botterill did nothing. After watching his team look like Bantams against the Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back games to start December, Botterill pulled the trigger on a trade for Wilson sending a fifth round pick to the Wings for a player he knew well.
Botterill had been with Pittsburgh when they selected Wilson in 2011 out of UMASS-Lowell and watched him turn into a point/game player at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2015-16, his second AHL season. Wilson got the call to Pittsburgh that year and responded with five goals and an assist in 24 games. He played three games for the Pens in the playoffs and got his name on the Stanley Cup. The following year he played in 78 regular season games for the Pens and 20 in the playoffs and had his name etched on the Cup again.
Botterill said of Wilson when acquiring him, "Scott is a hard-working, young player that will be a great fit for our club. As a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, his experience will be an asset both on and off the ice."
Wilson signed a two-year contract extension with the Sabres and is yet another player that can move up and down the lineup. He's in Buffalo for a reason and one would have to believe he'll be in the starting lineup come October 4.
Vladimir Sobotka
31 yrs. old
5'11" 189 lbs.
2005 fifth round (106th overall,) BOS
Acquired from the St. Louis Blues, July 1, 2018
Career stats: 463 games | 47 goals | 108 assists | 155 points | -4
It's been a long journey for the 31 yr. old Sobotka, one that includes now three NHL teams and professional contracts that had him play on two different continents in the middle of his career as he bolted to the KHL after becoming a restricted free agent in 2014.
Sobotka was drafted as an excellent skating, high-energy player that could play sound defense, was proficient on the dot and could get physical. He could also score a bit and he was as advertised his first few seasons in St. Louis. When he went to the KHL, he played more of a scorer's role and upon returning to the Blues, he felt that's how he'd fit in. His versatility had him playing up and down the lineup last season and he responded with a career-high 11 goals.
After a workout this summer Sobotka, who can play all forward spots, stopped and chatted with Viktor Maudr about the trade to Buffalo and where he expects to play. He told Maudr, "I think I don't care. I'm more involved in the game when I play center. I'm on faceoffs and also play more with the puck. On the other hand, when I play wing, I have more time and space with the puck. I don't prefer one more than the other." The discussion continued about where he'd play in the lineup and he responded, "I've come back from the KHL to confirm that I'm a guy for the second or third line. I definitely won't play on the fourth line."
Sobotka has shown well in the preseason playing in all situations, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his first outing against Pittsburgh then playing over 21 minutes at Toronto, which was tops amongst forwards that game. Buffalo could easily switch around Jason Pominville and Sobotka on the right side of the bottom-six and dependent upon how the rest of the preseason plays out (with injuries and such,) Sobotka could end up playing center. He said in the Maudr interview that he prefers the right side, but the bigger question might be how he envisions himself within this lineup and if he can accept a role that might not be to his liking.
All-in-all, no matter how the bottom-six shakes out, the three player mentioned here give the Sabres plenty of versatility at forward as they can play center or wing and/or can move up and down the lineup.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
An injury to left winger Conor Sheary may end up affecting the opening night roster as will play from rookies up-front like Alexander Nylander, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund. The roster built here thus far has a couple of rookies down the middle flanked by seasoned veterans and if that were to occur, the Sabres would have to make a difficult choices on players they'd need to expose to waivers after filling out the roster. Should Sheary miss the opener on October 4, that would open up a spot as would the probability of a waiver-exempt Asplund being sent to Rochester, which opens up another spot.
However, since the roster here has been built as such, we're going to continue to build it and lay out the fourth line.
C, Zemgus Girgensons
24 yrs. old
6'2" 211 lbs.
2012, 14th-overall (Trade-up with Calgary)
Career stats: 348 games | 44 goals | 57 assists | 101 points | -41
It's the type of move that many in Sabreland will hate simply because Girgensons has gone from a hard-working, fan-favorite who looked promising in a top-nine role to the guy who's often seen falling on the ice and missing what few opportunities he and his linemates generate. Add in that he was the guy who got tangled up with Jack Eichel the day before the 2016-17 opener which sent the superstar to IR and also that "Gus," as he's known, is the longest continuously-tenured Sabres player and has known more losing than any other player and you can understand why many want to move on from him.
Girgensons started as an 18 yr. old in the AHL, hit the Sabres the following year and was with Buffalo for both tank years. As the Sabres added talent, his stock dropped and he was found mostly in the bottom-six the past three seasons. Yet during those three years both coaches--Dan Bylsma and, now, Phil Housley--moved him around from line to line, position to position. What we've learned from it all is that Girgensons right now is best suited in a fourth line energy role with the way the team is constructed now. And he should succeed in that role while also being a part of Buffalo's penalty kill.
After being benched for two games last season, Girgensons came back and earned a promotion to the top-six, according to Housley with the coach saying, "He was just tenacious on the forecheck, really physical, demanding the puck, making the right decisions in the neutral zone and just brought a really good energy to our team,” This preseason has been a continuation of that and there's no reason to believe that he won't continue that in a fourth-line role.
Of note: Since 2013-14, the Sabres have had 16 players score shorthanded goals and only six have scored multiple. Girgensons leads them with six shorties.
LW, Scott Wilson
26 yrs. old
5'11" 186 lbs
2011 seventh round (207th overall,) PIT
Acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings, December 4, 2017
Career stats: 172 games | 19 goals | 27 assists | 46 points | -20
The Sabres were really struggling last season and despite a 6-15-4 record through the first two months, GM Jason Botterill did nothing. After watching his team look like Bantams against the Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back games to start December, Botterill pulled the trigger on a trade for Wilson sending a fifth round pick to the Wings for a player he knew well.
Botterill had been with Pittsburgh when they selected Wilson in 2011 out of UMASS-Lowell and watched him turn into a point/game player at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2015-16, his second AHL season. Wilson got the call to Pittsburgh that year and responded with five goals and an assist in 24 games. He played three games for the Pens in the playoffs and got his name on the Stanley Cup. The following year he played in 78 regular season games for the Pens and 20 in the playoffs and had his name etched on the Cup again.
Botterill said of Wilson when acquiring him, "Scott is a hard-working, young player that will be a great fit for our club. As a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, his experience will be an asset both on and off the ice."
Wilson signed a two-year contract extension with the Sabres and is yet another player that can move up and down the lineup. He's in Buffalo for a reason and one would have to believe he'll be in the starting lineup come October 4.
Vladimir Sobotka
31 yrs. old
5'11" 189 lbs.
2005 fifth round (106th overall,) BOS
Acquired from the St. Louis Blues, July 1, 2018
Career stats: 463 games | 47 goals | 108 assists | 155 points | -4
It's been a long journey for the 31 yr. old Sobotka, one that includes now three NHL teams and professional contracts that had him play on two different continents in the middle of his career as he bolted to the KHL after becoming a restricted free agent in 2014.
Sobotka was drafted as an excellent skating, high-energy player that could play sound defense, was proficient on the dot and could get physical. He could also score a bit and he was as advertised his first few seasons in St. Louis. When he went to the KHL, he played more of a scorer's role and upon returning to the Blues, he felt that's how he'd fit in. His versatility had him playing up and down the lineup last season and he responded with a career-high 11 goals.
After a workout this summer Sobotka, who can play all forward spots, stopped and chatted with Viktor Maudr about the trade to Buffalo and where he expects to play. He told Maudr, "I think I don't care. I'm more involved in the game when I play center. I'm on faceoffs and also play more with the puck. On the other hand, when I play wing, I have more time and space with the puck. I don't prefer one more than the other." The discussion continued about where he'd play in the lineup and he responded, "I've come back from the KHL to confirm that I'm a guy for the second or third line. I definitely won't play on the fourth line."
Sobotka has shown well in the preseason playing in all situations, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his first outing against Pittsburgh then playing over 21 minutes at Toronto, which was tops amongst forwards that game. Buffalo could easily switch around Jason Pominville and Sobotka on the right side of the bottom-six and dependent upon how the rest of the preseason plays out (with injuries and such,) Sobotka could end up playing center. He said in the Maudr interview that he prefers the right side, but the bigger question might be how he envisions himself within this lineup and if he can accept a role that might not be to his liking.
All-in-all, no matter how the bottom-six shakes out, the three player mentioned here give the Sabres plenty of versatility at forward as they can play center or wing and/or can move up and down the lineup.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
Columbus vs. Buffalo for 2018 Kraft Hockeyville in Clinton, NY
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-25-2018
Quick. Raise your hand if you know where Clinton, NY is?
Good for you if you knew and good for the roughly 1,900 residents of the Oneida County village just outside of Utica, NY who will be hosting the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville preseason game featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets versus the Buffalo Sabres. Not only is Clinton hosting the event but they've also secured $150,000 for upgrades to their arena.
For posterity sake, Clinton beat out Brandon, SD, third place Shreveport, LA and fourth place finisher Middlebury, VT for the win.
Buffalo is just under 200 miles from Clinton, as the crow flies east on I-90. The Sabres are the home team today and according to reports from the 2,000 seat arena, fans started were chanting 'Let's Go Buffalo!' as they took the ice for the morning skate. Clinton rolled out the red carpet for the event with players signing autographs on the way in.
Also from the rink, Paul Hamilton tweeted out these lines for the Sabres:
Jeff Skinner-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Alexander Nylander-Patrik Berglund-Kyle Okposo
C.J. Smith-Casey Mittelstadt-Andrew Oglevie
Justin Bailey-Evan Rodrigues-Danny O'Regan
Some quick notes:
--Reinhart picks up where he left off after the Toronto game on Saturday. The 22 yr. old signed a contract extension last Wednesday and started out on Buffalo's second line before replacing Tage Thompson on Eichel's line vs. the Leafs. It wouldn't be surprising to see this trio start the season opener on October 4.
--Nylander is having an excellent training camp and gets a premier spot on the second line with veterans Berglund at center and Okposo on the other wing. With LW, Conor Sheary out, Nylander has a prime opportunity to not only land on the opening night roster, but also skate in a top-six role. So far Nylander looks as if he's taken that opportunity to heart.
--Props to Okposo who has looked much better so far this camp. We had vague ideas as to how serious his bout with concussion treatment went but Tim Graham of The Athletic took us into the deep, dark recesses of just how bad it was for Okposo. He looks as if he's back to where he was prior to the problems he suffered through in the Spring of 2017.
--The third line is interesting in that Mittelstadt has been meh so far this camp while Smith and Oglevie have been excellent. It's a line featuring three college players--Mittelstadt who was selected eighth overall (2017) before attending the University of Minnesota and college free agent signees Smith (UMASS-Lowell, 2017) and Oglevie (Notre Dame, 2018.) This might be the line to watch tonight.
--Rodrigues has been on the wing all camp and has floundered. Last season he played much better at center than he did on the wing yet head coach Phil Housley put him on the wing in camp. We'll see if the change back to center can get Rodrigues going.
--O'Regan will probably be dropped off in Rochester on the way back to Buffalo as the waivers-exempt forward will continue his development with the Amerks. As for Bailey, he's been pretty good but has yet to do anything to set him apart from the rest of the Sabres bottom-six forwards. Unlike O'Regan, Bailey is not waivers-exempt and if his so-so camp continues, Buffalo will have a tough decision to make when they pare their roster to 23.
Clintonians are in for a treat as not only will they see the likes of Eichel, Skinner and Reinhart up front, but they'll also get a close up view of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin who, according to Sabres.com, will be on the top-pairing with Casey Nelson. The other d-pairings are Jake McCabe/Zach Bogosian, a duo that played very well together when both were healthy, and Brendan Guhle/Will Borgen.
The Guhle/Borgen pair is interesting. Guhle has been struggling all camp while Borgen and his stay-at-home style seems to provide a solid anchor for anyone who's paired with him. Borgen's almost assured of starting out in Rochester while Guhle was considered a possibility for the big club before camp. As of now, both could end up with the Amerks.
The goaltenders are Jonas Johansson and Scott Wedgewood.
Game time is 7 pm on NBCSN.
Quick. Raise your hand if you know where Clinton, NY is?
Good for you if you knew and good for the roughly 1,900 residents of the Oneida County village just outside of Utica, NY who will be hosting the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville preseason game featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets versus the Buffalo Sabres. Not only is Clinton hosting the event but they've also secured $150,000 for upgrades to their arena.
For posterity sake, Clinton beat out Brandon, SD, third place Shreveport, LA and fourth place finisher Middlebury, VT for the win.
Buffalo is just under 200 miles from Clinton, as the crow flies east on I-90. The Sabres are the home team today and according to reports from the 2,000 seat arena, fans started were chanting 'Let's Go Buffalo!' as they took the ice for the morning skate. Clinton rolled out the red carpet for the event with players signing autographs on the way in.
Also from the rink, Paul Hamilton tweeted out these lines for the Sabres:
Jeff Skinner-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Alexander Nylander-Patrik Berglund-Kyle Okposo
C.J. Smith-Casey Mittelstadt-Andrew Oglevie
Justin Bailey-Evan Rodrigues-Danny O'Regan
Some quick notes:
--Reinhart picks up where he left off after the Toronto game on Saturday. The 22 yr. old signed a contract extension last Wednesday and started out on Buffalo's second line before replacing Tage Thompson on Eichel's line vs. the Leafs. It wouldn't be surprising to see this trio start the season opener on October 4.
--Nylander is having an excellent training camp and gets a premier spot on the second line with veterans Berglund at center and Okposo on the other wing. With LW, Conor Sheary out, Nylander has a prime opportunity to not only land on the opening night roster, but also skate in a top-six role. So far Nylander looks as if he's taken that opportunity to heart.
--Props to Okposo who has looked much better so far this camp. We had vague ideas as to how serious his bout with concussion treatment went but Tim Graham of The Athletic took us into the deep, dark recesses of just how bad it was for Okposo. He looks as if he's back to where he was prior to the problems he suffered through in the Spring of 2017.
--The third line is interesting in that Mittelstadt has been meh so far this camp while Smith and Oglevie have been excellent. It's a line featuring three college players--Mittelstadt who was selected eighth overall (2017) before attending the University of Minnesota and college free agent signees Smith (UMASS-Lowell, 2017) and Oglevie (Notre Dame, 2018.) This might be the line to watch tonight.
--Rodrigues has been on the wing all camp and has floundered. Last season he played much better at center than he did on the wing yet head coach Phil Housley put him on the wing in camp. We'll see if the change back to center can get Rodrigues going.
--O'Regan will probably be dropped off in Rochester on the way back to Buffalo as the waivers-exempt forward will continue his development with the Amerks. As for Bailey, he's been pretty good but has yet to do anything to set him apart from the rest of the Sabres bottom-six forwards. Unlike O'Regan, Bailey is not waivers-exempt and if his so-so camp continues, Buffalo will have a tough decision to make when they pare their roster to 23.
Clintonians are in for a treat as not only will they see the likes of Eichel, Skinner and Reinhart up front, but they'll also get a close up view of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin who, according to Sabres.com, will be on the top-pairing with Casey Nelson. The other d-pairings are Jake McCabe/Zach Bogosian, a duo that played very well together when both were healthy, and Brendan Guhle/Will Borgen.
The Guhle/Borgen pair is interesting. Guhle has been struggling all camp while Borgen and his stay-at-home style seems to provide a solid anchor for anyone who's paired with him. Borgen's almost assured of starting out in Rochester while Guhle was considered a possibility for the big club before camp. As of now, both could end up with the Amerks.
The goaltenders are Jonas Johansson and Scott Wedgewood.
Game time is 7 pm on NBCSN.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Thoughts on the loss last night
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-23-2018
First things first. This Buffalo Sabres team looks a lot better right now when it comes to their passing, breakouts and the speed with which they play the game then they have in recent memory. But there's still a ton of work to be done.
The Sabres saved their big guns for the second of a home-and-home with the Toronto Maple Leafs and lost last night at KeyBank Center by a 3-2 score. Losing is disappointing whether it's preseason or not and doing it with the likes of Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart, Patrik Berglund, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Rasmus Dahlin, Marco Scandella, and Jake McCabe--a group of players who are in the top half for Buffalo--made last night a little tough to take. However it is what it is.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been in Toronto for three full seasons and has his systems in place. The Leafs front office, lead by team president Brendan Shanahan the past four years, has been loading the organization up with quality depth that reach down to the bottom lines and pairings of the reining Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies. They know the system and play it well.
So when the Sabres faced off against a Leafs team that was missing some star power up front in John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri along with Ron Hainsey and Morgan Reilly on the blueline, the talent-needle leaned a tad Buffalo's way. However, in a tribute to the quality depth the Leafs have developed and coaching Toronto enjoys with Babcock, the Sabres just couldn't get the job done.
The loss drops Buffalo to 2-2 on the preseason with three games to go. Both of those losses came at the hands of their QEW rival Maple Leafs.
Prior to the game last night the Sabres sent forwards Eric Cornel, Vasily Glotov and Kevin Porter, defensemen Zach Redmond and Devante Stephens and goaltenders Michael Houser and Adam Wilcox to Rochester. They have 43 players still on the roster and head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media post game last night that he doesn't "see too many more roster cuts" pointing to three games this week to close out the preseason.
Players up and down the lineup have been trying to gain the attention of the Sabres brass through four games. On Friday night in Toronto, forward Tage Thompson turned some heads as he showed off some deft stickwork and sniping ability on his goal. Thompson, who was acquired by the Sabres in the Ryan O'Reilly trade with St. Louis, was promised by Buffalo GM Jason Botterill a shot in the top-six and he got it last night when he was placed on a line with Eichel and Skinner.
For as much skill as he has, Thompson's defense needs some work. He was on the ice for both of Toronto's early second period goals and didn't see the top line again as Reinhart moved up to Eichel's right wing. Thompson finished with 13:08 of ice time, had five shots on goal (two on the top line) and was a minus-2. He's a minus-5 for the Toronto home-and-home including Tavares' empty-netter on Friday night.
Reinhart taking Thompson's place on the top line worked pretty well as he played extremely well in his first game back after ending a holdout by signing a two-year contract extension. "I thought he was one of our best forwards," Housley said last night. "He looked comfortable, fit right in, was on the puck. He was making plays." Sure enough. Buffalo first goal he got the puck to Eichel after a powerplay draw and headed towards his spot in front of the net. Eichel passed it to Okposo in the circle and he buried it with Reinhart providing a screen.
Reinhart also drove the net and sent a shot on net that was kicked to the stick of a Skinner who was also crashing the net. Skinner pounced on the rebound from in tight and put it home to tie the score 2-2.
Skinner looked real good again and seems to be developing some chemistry with Eichel. He had a goal while Eichel had two assists.
Dahlin had a couple of hair-raising moments last night, most notably when he had his pocket picked by 39 yr. old veteran Patrick Marleau who went the other way for a breakaway. Housley said afterwards that the 18 yr. old Dahlin will need to learn who's on the ice and that he expects the rookie to make mistakes. To his credit Dahlin motored on through the game with a short memory.
Marleau was stopped on his breakaway by Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton which was good to see for Sabres fans. For the past couple of seasons, opposition breakaways had the tendency to end up in the goal. Not so last night as Hutton closed the door. The former St. Louis Blue who signed a three-year free agent contract with Buffalo this summer looks like he's hell bent on solidifying his spot as the Sabres No. 1 goalie.
Hutton has a lot of good qualities and one of his best ones is how he handles the puck. He's very good with his stick and isn't afraid to wing it up-ice to a skater like he did on many occasions last night. For a team that had trouble moving the puck up ice last season, having a goalie who can move it like that is a huge weapon for this club.
It was good to see Zach Bogosian back on the ice. He looked pretty solid considering he hasn't played since January after undergoing back surgery. He was on Buffalo's third pairing with Nathan Beaulieu and came away with a plus-1 rating in over 18 minutes of ice-time.
The Sabres have a day off before preparing for Tuesday's Kraft Hockeyville USA game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Clinton, NY just outside of Utica.
First things first. This Buffalo Sabres team looks a lot better right now when it comes to their passing, breakouts and the speed with which they play the game then they have in recent memory. But there's still a ton of work to be done.
The Sabres saved their big guns for the second of a home-and-home with the Toronto Maple Leafs and lost last night at KeyBank Center by a 3-2 score. Losing is disappointing whether it's preseason or not and doing it with the likes of Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart, Patrik Berglund, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Rasmus Dahlin, Marco Scandella, and Jake McCabe--a group of players who are in the top half for Buffalo--made last night a little tough to take. However it is what it is.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been in Toronto for three full seasons and has his systems in place. The Leafs front office, lead by team president Brendan Shanahan the past four years, has been loading the organization up with quality depth that reach down to the bottom lines and pairings of the reining Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies. They know the system and play it well.
So when the Sabres faced off against a Leafs team that was missing some star power up front in John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri along with Ron Hainsey and Morgan Reilly on the blueline, the talent-needle leaned a tad Buffalo's way. However, in a tribute to the quality depth the Leafs have developed and coaching Toronto enjoys with Babcock, the Sabres just couldn't get the job done.
The loss drops Buffalo to 2-2 on the preseason with three games to go. Both of those losses came at the hands of their QEW rival Maple Leafs.
Prior to the game last night the Sabres sent forwards Eric Cornel, Vasily Glotov and Kevin Porter, defensemen Zach Redmond and Devante Stephens and goaltenders Michael Houser and Adam Wilcox to Rochester. They have 43 players still on the roster and head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media post game last night that he doesn't "see too many more roster cuts" pointing to three games this week to close out the preseason.
Players up and down the lineup have been trying to gain the attention of the Sabres brass through four games. On Friday night in Toronto, forward Tage Thompson turned some heads as he showed off some deft stickwork and sniping ability on his goal. Thompson, who was acquired by the Sabres in the Ryan O'Reilly trade with St. Louis, was promised by Buffalo GM Jason Botterill a shot in the top-six and he got it last night when he was placed on a line with Eichel and Skinner.
For as much skill as he has, Thompson's defense needs some work. He was on the ice for both of Toronto's early second period goals and didn't see the top line again as Reinhart moved up to Eichel's right wing. Thompson finished with 13:08 of ice time, had five shots on goal (two on the top line) and was a minus-2. He's a minus-5 for the Toronto home-and-home including Tavares' empty-netter on Friday night.
Reinhart taking Thompson's place on the top line worked pretty well as he played extremely well in his first game back after ending a holdout by signing a two-year contract extension. "I thought he was one of our best forwards," Housley said last night. "He looked comfortable, fit right in, was on the puck. He was making plays." Sure enough. Buffalo first goal he got the puck to Eichel after a powerplay draw and headed towards his spot in front of the net. Eichel passed it to Okposo in the circle and he buried it with Reinhart providing a screen.
Reinhart also drove the net and sent a shot on net that was kicked to the stick of a Skinner who was also crashing the net. Skinner pounced on the rebound from in tight and put it home to tie the score 2-2.
Skinner looked real good again and seems to be developing some chemistry with Eichel. He had a goal while Eichel had two assists.
Dahlin had a couple of hair-raising moments last night, most notably when he had his pocket picked by 39 yr. old veteran Patrick Marleau who went the other way for a breakaway. Housley said afterwards that the 18 yr. old Dahlin will need to learn who's on the ice and that he expects the rookie to make mistakes. To his credit Dahlin motored on through the game with a short memory.
Marleau was stopped on his breakaway by Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton which was good to see for Sabres fans. For the past couple of seasons, opposition breakaways had the tendency to end up in the goal. Not so last night as Hutton closed the door. The former St. Louis Blue who signed a three-year free agent contract with Buffalo this summer looks like he's hell bent on solidifying his spot as the Sabres No. 1 goalie.
Hutton has a lot of good qualities and one of his best ones is how he handles the puck. He's very good with his stick and isn't afraid to wing it up-ice to a skater like he did on many occasions last night. For a team that had trouble moving the puck up ice last season, having a goalie who can move it like that is a huge weapon for this club.
It was good to see Zach Bogosian back on the ice. He looked pretty solid considering he hasn't played since January after undergoing back surgery. He was on Buffalo's third pairing with Nathan Beaulieu and came away with a plus-1 rating in over 18 minutes of ice-time.
The Sabres have a day off before preparing for Tuesday's Kraft Hockeyville USA game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Clinton, NY just outside of Utica.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Sabres "B-squad" hold it's own at TOR. Leafs in BUF tonight
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-22-2018
If you were in the process of getting yourself a snack and/or a frosty adult beverage to take in the first game of a preseason home-and-home between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs you missed something pretty rare. Buffalo's Andrew Oglevie pounced on a rebound off of a Casey Nelson shot to make the score 1-0 only :30 seconds into the game last night. In 82 regular season games last season the Sabres scored a minute or less into a game only twice--Justin Bailey did it exactly 1:00 into a game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 20 while Ryan O'Reilly scored :30 into a game vs. the Ottawa Senators on April 4.
Buffalo lost both of those games by the same 4-2 score.
In fact it was pretty rare for Buffalo to score an opening goal in the first period last season. They did so once in six preseason games and only 26 times in 82 regular season games.
What a jolt. What a treat. Right?
Not really. Buffalo was blitzkrieged last night after that opening marker as the Leafs slapped three quickies on the Sabres beginning :18 seconds later. Toronto's Ron Hainsey, Pierre Engvall and John Tavares all scored in a 2:54 span to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead before Buffalo gathered their senses.
Toronto did what a lot of teams did to the Sabres last season--attack with speed and pressure while Buffalo was on it's heels. The Sabres top line of Casey Mittelstadt, Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson were victimized on the latter two goals while Toronto's top two lines were responsible for two of the three goals.
For comparison's sake, these where the team's top two lines:
Toronto
Tavares, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman
Nazem Kadri, Connor Brown, Josh Leivo
Buffalo
Mittelstadt, Nylander, Thompson
Vladimir Sobotka, Oglevie, Zemgus Girgensons
Much to their credit, the Sabres bounced back and pulled to within one goal as Smith charged the net off the half-wall and waited patiently before depositing it past a sprawling Garrett Sparks and into a gaping Toronto net to make it 3-2.
The Sabres would eventually tie it on a beautifully wicked toe-drag/snapshot from Thompson but the Leafs answered and would tack on an empty-netter for the 5-3 win.
There's a lot to be said about this Sabres team last night as the "B-squad" group of players held their own pretty well, especially after being down. Most of the players who struggled during Toronto's 3-goal outburst settled down and played well the rest of the way, beginning with goalie Linus Ullmark.
The 25 yr. old Ullmark who's slated for backup duty in Buffalo looked shaky as the Leafs buzzed the zone. He couldn't bail out his skaters on the first two goals as turnovers in their own zone caused some Keystone Cops moments, especially amongst the defensemen. On the third goal, Ullmark kicked out a rebound that went to an unchecked Tavares who was trailing on the play. He buried it into a gaping net.
Mittelstadt lost coverage on that one and perhaps Buffalo head coach Phil Housley had seen enough as he demoted the 19 yr. old his next shift. Without singling him out, Housley told the gathered media post game, "It wasn't working. So you try to make some changes."
Housley said that his team "got some momentum" off of those changes and that they scraped their way back into the first period.
Thompson's toe drag was nasty, as shown here from Sabres.com:
If you were in the process of getting yourself a snack and/or a frosty adult beverage to take in the first game of a preseason home-and-home between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs you missed something pretty rare. Buffalo's Andrew Oglevie pounced on a rebound off of a Casey Nelson shot to make the score 1-0 only :30 seconds into the game last night. In 82 regular season games last season the Sabres scored a minute or less into a game only twice--Justin Bailey did it exactly 1:00 into a game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 20 while Ryan O'Reilly scored :30 into a game vs. the Ottawa Senators on April 4.
Buffalo lost both of those games by the same 4-2 score.
In fact it was pretty rare for Buffalo to score an opening goal in the first period last season. They did so once in six preseason games and only 26 times in 82 regular season games.
What a jolt. What a treat. Right?
Not really. Buffalo was blitzkrieged last night after that opening marker as the Leafs slapped three quickies on the Sabres beginning :18 seconds later. Toronto's Ron Hainsey, Pierre Engvall and John Tavares all scored in a 2:54 span to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead before Buffalo gathered their senses.
Toronto did what a lot of teams did to the Sabres last season--attack with speed and pressure while Buffalo was on it's heels. The Sabres top line of Casey Mittelstadt, Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson were victimized on the latter two goals while Toronto's top two lines were responsible for two of the three goals.
For comparison's sake, these where the team's top two lines:
Toronto
Tavares, Mitch Marner, Zach Hyman
Nazem Kadri, Connor Brown, Josh Leivo
Buffalo
Mittelstadt, Nylander, Thompson
Vladimir Sobotka, Oglevie, Zemgus Girgensons
Much to their credit, the Sabres bounced back and pulled to within one goal as Smith charged the net off the half-wall and waited patiently before depositing it past a sprawling Garrett Sparks and into a gaping Toronto net to make it 3-2.
The Sabres would eventually tie it on a beautifully wicked toe-drag/snapshot from Thompson but the Leafs answered and would tack on an empty-netter for the 5-3 win.
There's a lot to be said about this Sabres team last night as the "B-squad" group of players held their own pretty well, especially after being down. Most of the players who struggled during Toronto's 3-goal outburst settled down and played well the rest of the way, beginning with goalie Linus Ullmark.
The 25 yr. old Ullmark who's slated for backup duty in Buffalo looked shaky as the Leafs buzzed the zone. He couldn't bail out his skaters on the first two goals as turnovers in their own zone caused some Keystone Cops moments, especially amongst the defensemen. On the third goal, Ullmark kicked out a rebound that went to an unchecked Tavares who was trailing on the play. He buried it into a gaping net.
Mittelstadt lost coverage on that one and perhaps Buffalo head coach Phil Housley had seen enough as he demoted the 19 yr. old his next shift. Without singling him out, Housley told the gathered media post game, "It wasn't working. So you try to make some changes."
Housley said that his team "got some momentum" off of those changes and that they scraped their way back into the first period.
Thompson's toe drag was nasty, as shown here from Sabres.com:
The tall (6'6") but slender (205 lb.) Thompson has a long reach and the way he controls his stick is a wonder. He was another one that got off to a slow start, looked slow and was playing slow but he managed to turn things around. He had another toe drag later in the game but shot it high and wide.
Housley loved defenseman Lawrence Pilut's game and had him on the ice for a game-high 25:31 while Sobotka lead Buffalo's forwards with 21:14 of ice-time. Nylander and Thompson both topped 19 minutes and Mittelstadt played 13:20 with the wingers going a minus-3 each while Mittelstadt was a minus-2.
Smith raised some eyebrows with his goal and some real good play, Nelson was solid and did what he usually does--get his shot through. Rasmus Asplund played his two-way game and was almost always in the right place while Brendan Guhle's sketchy night was the best of the d-corps after Pilut and Nelson.
For many of these players, last night's game against Toronto will represent the last time they'll don the Blue and Gold this preseason. Buffalo has three more preseason games after tonight where they'll whittle down the roster and get ready for the opener less than two weeks away.
*****
Sabres/Leafs Part Deux continues tonight with a matchup of American phenoms Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews, respectively, and some guy named Rasmus Dahlin who will patrol the blueline for Buffalo. In addition, former contract holdout Sam Reinhart will be making his 2018 preseason debut for the Sabres as well. Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, who had hip surgery in January, is scheduled to make his preseason debut tonight.
What the Leafs did last night featuring a large group of it's stars, Buffalo will do tonight. The Sabres' "Group A" played the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and held on for a 3-2 win after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Sobotka, Jake McCabe and Eichel tallied for Buffalo with Eichel's shorthanded breakaway goal showcasing his speed and deft stickwork:
(via Sabres.com)
Tonight's probable lineup from Chris Ryndak of Sabres.com:
53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
71 Evan Rodrigues - 10 Patrik Berglund - 23 Sam Reinhart
95 Justin Bailey - 22 Johan Larsson - 21 Kyle Okposo
20 Scott Wilson -51 Kyle Criscuolo - 65 Danny O'Regan
64 Tyler Randell
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 19 Jake McCabe
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 4 Zach Bogosian
33 William Borgen
53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
71 Evan Rodrigues - 10 Patrik Berglund - 23 Sam Reinhart
95 Justin Bailey - 22 Johan Larsson - 21 Kyle Okposo
20 Scott Wilson -51 Kyle Criscuolo - 65 Danny O'Regan
64 Tyler Randell
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 19 Jake McCabe
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 4 Zach Bogosian
33 William Borgen
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Nylander impresses vs. Blue Jax. Dahlin and Sabres' "A-squad" at home tonight
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-18-2018
No, there's not really an 'A' squad and 'B' squad for the Buffalo Sabres right now but when you look at some of the players that will be playing for Buffalo at home tonight vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, it sure looks that way. Although we're not sure who the headliner should be, the double-bill of Jack Eichel and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will top this group of Sabres with Dahlin getting most of the attention because of his rookie status.
Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft, is widely regarded as the best prospect in hockey right now while the Sabres also have the fourth best prospect, according to The Athletic's Corey Pronman, in center Casey Mittelstadt who is also scheduled to be on the ice tonight. Joining that trio is recently acquired, three-time 30-goal scorer Jeff Skinner, Buffalo's probable top-pairing on defense to start the season--Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella--as well as veteran forwards Kyle Okposo and Jason Pominville plus a host of rookies looking to make their mark amidst this group of Buffalo's high end players.
With close to 50 players in training camp hockey, like baseball, does split-squad games. As we move through the preseason the roster will be whittled down until the final opening night lineup begins practicing for the Sabres October 4 season opener at home against the Boston Bruins. In a nod to capturing the moment, Buffalo's brass decided to wait until tonight's home game for Dahlin to make his debut while it seems as if the coaching staff, based on the lineup tonight, wants to leave the fans with a huge first impression of their 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres.
The process began last night with the 'B-squad' in Columbus taking on the Blue Jackets and one player who needed to catch the attention of the Sabres certainly did.
Winger Alexander Nylander has been dogged by a number of issues since the Sabres drafted him eighth-overall at the 2016 NHL Draft. The very fact that he was taken instead of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who's already completed a full season and played a meaningful role in 17 playoff games for the Tampa Bay Lightning. There was the stigma of disappearing for large chunks of games, and the injury that he suffered last off season that put him behind the 8-ball in 2017-18.
Throughout it all we saw glimpses of his high-end skills and were constantly reminded that he was still young during his two pro seasons, to the point where Sabres GM Jason Botterill noted this off season that most players his age are just turning pro.
Nylander is healthy this year and he bulked up in preparation for camp. He had a strong Prospects Challenge and was fully engaged last night at Columbus. The 20 yr. old was on a line with veteran forward Patrik Berglund at center and 2016, 26th-overall pick Tage Thompson in what was the clearly the best line on the ice. The stat sheet is solid as Nylander had two assists in 19:28 of ice-time with 1:29 on the powerplay and 2:03 on the penalty kill included. Buffalo beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 with Nylander notching the primary assists on the Sabres first two goals.
But stats are nothing more than numbers to be manipulated without context and in the case of Nylander, those numbers may not have done justice to the game he had. He was making the smart plays, chipping in the puck, working the corners and the wall behind the net and on Buffalo's first goal by Berglund he made a pass that not many players can make.
"If I was Nylander," Berglund told the gathered media post-game,"I would never try to pass that puck because I could never make that play. It was a great play by him." The 30 yr. old veteran of nearly 700 NHL games also said of Nylander, "from what I saw today and at practice, I think he's been taking big steps [towards] playing the game the right way."
For Nylander it's progression and if he continues to play engaged hockey while displaying a skill-set that was considered one of the best, if not the best, of his draft class, some great things could be on the horizon for him and the Sabres.
Now for a bucket of cold water.
The Jackets, like the Sabres, did not offer up their A-team either. Although captain Nick Foligno, top-six center Pierre-Luc Dubois and forward Oliver Bjorkstrand did play, they did not have the likes of forwards Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner play nor did they have their top defensive pairing of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski on the ice for this one.
Jackets head coach John Tortorella expressed some concern heading into the tilt as he alluded to a tough training camp thus far for his charges. "I'm a little concerned about these two games for us, because they have skated and skated, and it's been really hard for them," he told the Columbus media. "You've got to be really careful, as far as how you evaluate [these guys], because I think we're going to have some tired players out there tonight."
Brad Shaw, who ran the Jackets bench while Tortorella watched from above, echoed that sentiment saying that his club wasn't as sharp in the defensive zone as they could have been but despite those shortcomings, Columbus still took it to Buffalo in the offensive zone outshooting the Sabres by a 37-20 margin.
Which leads us to Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark who played extremely well while stopping 20 of 21 shots in 40 minutes of ice-time. The 25 yr. old who's been steadily working his way up the ranks ever since the Sabres drafted him in the sixth round (163rd overall) of the 2012 draft, showed excellent form and a quick glove to stymie the Jackets and help Buffalo to a 3-1 lead heading into the final period. Although he still has some kinks to work out he looks to be a solid 1B for Buffalo in the crease this season.
Perhaps the second best skater on the ice for Buffalo last night was Sean Malone, albeit in a different role. Malone is a local boy (West Seneca, NY) who was taken in the sixth round (159th) of the 2013 draft and had been making great progress as he was pressing for a checking line role with the Sabres up until he came up injured last night. Malone got tangled up and left the game with what's being reported as a knee injury that will keep him out an estimated six weeks.
For those heading to tonight's game, or watching it on MSG, have a good time. The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons (2016-17) and depleted their organizational depth in the process. Buffalo defeated Pittsburgh at the Prospects Challenge by a score of 10-2 as they faced a team without any first or third round picks and only one second rounder playing in that game. A couple of those players will be in the lineup tonight, yet the Pens will be missing their big guns in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Olli Maatta and goalie Matt Murray.
So enjoy, Sabreland as it should be a good time tonight. There's a lot to look forward to this season and most of that will be on display tonight.
Buffalo's lineup for today from Paul Hamilton of WGR550 Radio:
53 Skinner - 9 Eichel - 21 Okposo
71 Rodrigues - 37 Mittelstadt - 29 Pominville
49 Smith - 17 Sobotka - 95 Bailey
28 Girgensons - 74 Asplund - 13 Baptiste
26 Dahlin - 19 McCabe
6 Scandella - 55 Ristolainen
24 Pilut - 33 Borgen
40 Hutton
31 Wedgewood
No, there's not really an 'A' squad and 'B' squad for the Buffalo Sabres right now but when you look at some of the players that will be playing for Buffalo at home tonight vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, it sure looks that way. Although we're not sure who the headliner should be, the double-bill of Jack Eichel and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will top this group of Sabres with Dahlin getting most of the attention because of his rookie status.
Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft, is widely regarded as the best prospect in hockey right now while the Sabres also have the fourth best prospect, according to The Athletic's Corey Pronman, in center Casey Mittelstadt who is also scheduled to be on the ice tonight. Joining that trio is recently acquired, three-time 30-goal scorer Jeff Skinner, Buffalo's probable top-pairing on defense to start the season--Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella--as well as veteran forwards Kyle Okposo and Jason Pominville plus a host of rookies looking to make their mark amidst this group of Buffalo's high end players.
With close to 50 players in training camp hockey, like baseball, does split-squad games. As we move through the preseason the roster will be whittled down until the final opening night lineup begins practicing for the Sabres October 4 season opener at home against the Boston Bruins. In a nod to capturing the moment, Buffalo's brass decided to wait until tonight's home game for Dahlin to make his debut while it seems as if the coaching staff, based on the lineup tonight, wants to leave the fans with a huge first impression of their 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres.
The process began last night with the 'B-squad' in Columbus taking on the Blue Jackets and one player who needed to catch the attention of the Sabres certainly did.
Winger Alexander Nylander has been dogged by a number of issues since the Sabres drafted him eighth-overall at the 2016 NHL Draft. The very fact that he was taken instead of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who's already completed a full season and played a meaningful role in 17 playoff games for the Tampa Bay Lightning. There was the stigma of disappearing for large chunks of games, and the injury that he suffered last off season that put him behind the 8-ball in 2017-18.
Throughout it all we saw glimpses of his high-end skills and were constantly reminded that he was still young during his two pro seasons, to the point where Sabres GM Jason Botterill noted this off season that most players his age are just turning pro.
Nylander is healthy this year and he bulked up in preparation for camp. He had a strong Prospects Challenge and was fully engaged last night at Columbus. The 20 yr. old was on a line with veteran forward Patrik Berglund at center and 2016, 26th-overall pick Tage Thompson in what was the clearly the best line on the ice. The stat sheet is solid as Nylander had two assists in 19:28 of ice-time with 1:29 on the powerplay and 2:03 on the penalty kill included. Buffalo beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 with Nylander notching the primary assists on the Sabres first two goals.
But stats are nothing more than numbers to be manipulated without context and in the case of Nylander, those numbers may not have done justice to the game he had. He was making the smart plays, chipping in the puck, working the corners and the wall behind the net and on Buffalo's first goal by Berglund he made a pass that not many players can make.
"If I was Nylander," Berglund told the gathered media post-game,"I would never try to pass that puck because I could never make that play. It was a great play by him." The 30 yr. old veteran of nearly 700 NHL games also said of Nylander, "from what I saw today and at practice, I think he's been taking big steps [towards] playing the game the right way."
For Nylander it's progression and if he continues to play engaged hockey while displaying a skill-set that was considered one of the best, if not the best, of his draft class, some great things could be on the horizon for him and the Sabres.
Now for a bucket of cold water.
The Jackets, like the Sabres, did not offer up their A-team either. Although captain Nick Foligno, top-six center Pierre-Luc Dubois and forward Oliver Bjorkstrand did play, they did not have the likes of forwards Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner play nor did they have their top defensive pairing of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski on the ice for this one.
Jackets head coach John Tortorella expressed some concern heading into the tilt as he alluded to a tough training camp thus far for his charges. "I'm a little concerned about these two games for us, because they have skated and skated, and it's been really hard for them," he told the Columbus media. "You've got to be really careful, as far as how you evaluate [these guys], because I think we're going to have some tired players out there tonight."
Brad Shaw, who ran the Jackets bench while Tortorella watched from above, echoed that sentiment saying that his club wasn't as sharp in the defensive zone as they could have been but despite those shortcomings, Columbus still took it to Buffalo in the offensive zone outshooting the Sabres by a 37-20 margin.
Which leads us to Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark who played extremely well while stopping 20 of 21 shots in 40 minutes of ice-time. The 25 yr. old who's been steadily working his way up the ranks ever since the Sabres drafted him in the sixth round (163rd overall) of the 2012 draft, showed excellent form and a quick glove to stymie the Jackets and help Buffalo to a 3-1 lead heading into the final period. Although he still has some kinks to work out he looks to be a solid 1B for Buffalo in the crease this season.
Perhaps the second best skater on the ice for Buffalo last night was Sean Malone, albeit in a different role. Malone is a local boy (West Seneca, NY) who was taken in the sixth round (159th) of the 2013 draft and had been making great progress as he was pressing for a checking line role with the Sabres up until he came up injured last night. Malone got tangled up and left the game with what's being reported as a knee injury that will keep him out an estimated six weeks.
For those heading to tonight's game, or watching it on MSG, have a good time. The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons (2016-17) and depleted their organizational depth in the process. Buffalo defeated Pittsburgh at the Prospects Challenge by a score of 10-2 as they faced a team without any first or third round picks and only one second rounder playing in that game. A couple of those players will be in the lineup tonight, yet the Pens will be missing their big guns in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Olli Maatta and goalie Matt Murray.
So enjoy, Sabreland as it should be a good time tonight. There's a lot to look forward to this season and most of that will be on display tonight.
Buffalo's lineup for today from Paul Hamilton of WGR550 Radio:
53 Skinner - 9 Eichel - 21 Okposo
71 Rodrigues - 37 Mittelstadt - 29 Pominville
49 Smith - 17 Sobotka - 95 Bailey
28 Girgensons - 74 Asplund - 13 Baptiste
26 Dahlin - 19 McCabe
6 Scandella - 55 Ristolainen
24 Pilut - 33 Borgen
40 Hutton
31 Wedgewood
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Sabres open preseason tonight, saving Rasmus Dahlin debut for tomorrow.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-17-2018
It's hockey (pre)season, Sabreland. Summer's great if you love the outdoors, cookouts and warming up your bones from a long, dismal winter. And I love all those things, but the sports fan in me is left with very little during the summer months. There's baseball, which is great at the ballpark, soccer, tennis and golf and then there are three days in July when none of the big-four North American sports are on and we have to sit through the drudge that is the ESPY's.
Football has started and is great, even with the Bills bumbling out of the gate, but hockey is back.
The kid in me said summer was too short but the hockey fan in me says the wait was too long, especially with what has gone on since that dreadful 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season ended. GM Jason Botterill has been making moves to fill holes on the roster with quality players and has added a ton of depth that allows for meaningful competition for open roster spots. He has wave of young players from previous drafts turning pro and has augmented the organization with free agent signees.
Oh, and there's that guy named Rasmus Dahlin whom the Sabres selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Sabres development camp whetted our whistle for things to come as Dahlin wowed the fan base in attendance at HarborCenter and he continued that when 1,800+ fans were at that rink for the Prospects Challenge. The next phase of his drive to the NHL is the preseason.
The Buffalo Sabres are in Columbus, OH tonight to kick off the preseason against the Blue Jackets and since they're at home tomorrow night, the Sabres brass is saving Dahlin's preseason debut until tomorrow. As they should. Unlike the previous regime (head coach) that couldn't grasp the significance of Jack Eichel being on the ice for the opening faceoff against Connor McDavid in their first ever head-to-head matchup, this regime knows what Dahlin means to the fans and will wait one game for his debut.
It took a while, but the Sabres finally released their roster for tonight:
Forwards
10 Patrick Berglund, 20 Scott Wilson, 22 Johan Larsson, 41 Victor Olofsson, 42 Sean Malone, 51 Kyle Criscuolo, 52 Andrew Oglevie, 64 Tyler Randell, 65 Danny O'Regan, 71 Evan Rodrigues, 72 Tage Thompson, 92 Alexander Nylander
Defensemen
5 Matt Tennyson, 8 Casey Nelson, 27 Taylor Fedun, 44 Brandon Hickey, 45 Brendan Guhle, 82 Nathan Beaulieu
Goalies
34 Jonas Johansson, 35 Linus Ullmark
Although both Eichel and Dahlin, along with Rasmus Ristolainen, Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary, among others, won't be in Columbus tonight, there are a number of players who will get the opportunity to make a great first impression for the upcoming season:
Alexander Nylander--needs to get off on the right foot and be engaged from the get-go. There's a top-six opening and if his desire could ever match his skill level, he'd probably be back in Buffalo waiting until tomorrow night.
Patrick Berglund--Acquired from the St. Louis Blues, Berglund will be expected to bring his two-way game to Buffalo this year and help transition this team from doormat to at least respectability. He'll be rusty when he hits the ice tonight, but should help guide the youngins.
Brandon Hickey--Another acquisition via trade. The former Calgary Flames pick was part of the Hudson Fasching to Arizona Coyotes deal and will be getting his first taste of pro action.
Johan Larsson--It's been said that Larsson came to camp a little leaner and with a whole lot of gumption. He's excellent in the defensive pest role but got away from it last season. Here's an opportunity for him to show he's back to his old self.
Brendan Guhle--Has the skill, skating and athleticism to make the Sabres this year despite the log-jam. Getting off to a good start tonight will help him get closer to that goal.
Nathan Beaulieu--Last year wasn't the greatest for him. He has all the skills and the skating but had way too many brain cramps. Hopefully he won't have an egregious giveaway that leads to a goal or golden opportunity which he did so many times last season.
Tage Thompson--Had a great Prospects Challenge but needs to further that with a strong preseasons. He's big, can move, has skills and was almost promised an opportunity in the top-six. That opportunity begins tonight.
Victor Olofsson--We saw his shot at the Prospects Challenge and it's wicked. That was on the powerplay, a spot where he scored a league-leading 27 goals in the SHL last season. Can he get that shot off 5v5?
Sean Malone--He progressed nicely in the AHL last season and is poised to take that next step. A role as a checking center is there and the West Seneca, NY native will be all in. A good showing tonight could lead to an extended preseason run and possibly a spot on the roster.
Although there's little importance in this game from a fan's perspective, it means a lot to those playing in it. Head coach Phil Housley has said that there's been a lot of competitive spunk at camp and we'll see who carries this into the preseason tonight beginning at 7pm.
It's hockey (pre)season, Sabreland. Summer's great if you love the outdoors, cookouts and warming up your bones from a long, dismal winter. And I love all those things, but the sports fan in me is left with very little during the summer months. There's baseball, which is great at the ballpark, soccer, tennis and golf and then there are three days in July when none of the big-four North American sports are on and we have to sit through the drudge that is the ESPY's.
Football has started and is great, even with the Bills bumbling out of the gate, but hockey is back.
The kid in me said summer was too short but the hockey fan in me says the wait was too long, especially with what has gone on since that dreadful 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season ended. GM Jason Botterill has been making moves to fill holes on the roster with quality players and has added a ton of depth that allows for meaningful competition for open roster spots. He has wave of young players from previous drafts turning pro and has augmented the organization with free agent signees.
Oh, and there's that guy named Rasmus Dahlin whom the Sabres selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Sabres development camp whetted our whistle for things to come as Dahlin wowed the fan base in attendance at HarborCenter and he continued that when 1,800+ fans were at that rink for the Prospects Challenge. The next phase of his drive to the NHL is the preseason.
The Buffalo Sabres are in Columbus, OH tonight to kick off the preseason against the Blue Jackets and since they're at home tomorrow night, the Sabres brass is saving Dahlin's preseason debut until tomorrow. As they should. Unlike the previous regime (head coach) that couldn't grasp the significance of Jack Eichel being on the ice for the opening faceoff against Connor McDavid in their first ever head-to-head matchup, this regime knows what Dahlin means to the fans and will wait one game for his debut.
It took a while, but the Sabres finally released their roster for tonight:
Forwards
10 Patrick Berglund, 20 Scott Wilson, 22 Johan Larsson, 41 Victor Olofsson, 42 Sean Malone, 51 Kyle Criscuolo, 52 Andrew Oglevie, 64 Tyler Randell, 65 Danny O'Regan, 71 Evan Rodrigues, 72 Tage Thompson, 92 Alexander Nylander
Defensemen
5 Matt Tennyson, 8 Casey Nelson, 27 Taylor Fedun, 44 Brandon Hickey, 45 Brendan Guhle, 82 Nathan Beaulieu
Goalies
34 Jonas Johansson, 35 Linus Ullmark
Although both Eichel and Dahlin, along with Rasmus Ristolainen, Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary, among others, won't be in Columbus tonight, there are a number of players who will get the opportunity to make a great first impression for the upcoming season:
Alexander Nylander--needs to get off on the right foot and be engaged from the get-go. There's a top-six opening and if his desire could ever match his skill level, he'd probably be back in Buffalo waiting until tomorrow night.
Patrick Berglund--Acquired from the St. Louis Blues, Berglund will be expected to bring his two-way game to Buffalo this year and help transition this team from doormat to at least respectability. He'll be rusty when he hits the ice tonight, but should help guide the youngins.
Brandon Hickey--Another acquisition via trade. The former Calgary Flames pick was part of the Hudson Fasching to Arizona Coyotes deal and will be getting his first taste of pro action.
Johan Larsson--It's been said that Larsson came to camp a little leaner and with a whole lot of gumption. He's excellent in the defensive pest role but got away from it last season. Here's an opportunity for him to show he's back to his old self.
Brendan Guhle--Has the skill, skating and athleticism to make the Sabres this year despite the log-jam. Getting off to a good start tonight will help him get closer to that goal.
Nathan Beaulieu--Last year wasn't the greatest for him. He has all the skills and the skating but had way too many brain cramps. Hopefully he won't have an egregious giveaway that leads to a goal or golden opportunity which he did so many times last season.
Tage Thompson--Had a great Prospects Challenge but needs to further that with a strong preseasons. He's big, can move, has skills and was almost promised an opportunity in the top-six. That opportunity begins tonight.
Victor Olofsson--We saw his shot at the Prospects Challenge and it's wicked. That was on the powerplay, a spot where he scored a league-leading 27 goals in the SHL last season. Can he get that shot off 5v5?
Sean Malone--He progressed nicely in the AHL last season and is poised to take that next step. A role as a checking center is there and the West Seneca, NY native will be all in. A good showing tonight could lead to an extended preseason run and possibly a spot on the roster.
Although there's little importance in this game from a fan's perspective, it means a lot to those playing in it. Head coach Phil Housley has said that there's been a lot of competitive spunk at camp and we'll see who carries this into the preseason tonight beginning at 7pm.
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