When we look at those three games below Sabres fans can't help but think, damn you Ottawa! Or should we really say, damn you Buffalo!
The Sabres rode a three-game winning streak into Ottawa and hit Canada's Capital after smoking Toronto 5-2. This would be great, right? Except for one thing. Buffalo was already 1-2 against the Senators and when they left Ottawa they finished the season 1-3 against a division foe who will end up near the bottom of the conference.
DOH!!!
Buffalo's win last night coupled with the Leafs embarrassing 6-3 loss at home against the Carolina Hurricanes has the Sabres eight points back with two games in hand. They'll make up one of those games this afternoon as Buffalo hosts the Winnipeg Jets in their final game before tomorrow's trade deadline.
Showing posts with label Carter Hutton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carter Hutton. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Friday, February 14, 2020
Should Sabres fans get excited about this recent stretch enough to get our hopes up?
Buffalo Sabres fans have been through this movie before. A team left for dead just past the midway point of the season makes a valiant run for the playoffs only to fall just short. It's nothing new. In fact this trend dates back to at least the Lindy Ruff years from 2007-2013. Ruff's Sabres generally struggled through the first half of the year only to make that run save for the 2009-10 season when they took the Northeast Division crown after being at near the top of the division the entire season. In the other years during that span Buffalo was in the middle to back of the pack and ended up finishing third in the division three times and fourth on one occasion. They closed out that span with a pre-tank fifth-place finish in 2012-13. In those six years they made the playoffs twice getting bounced in the first round both times.
We're now well into the 2020 portion of the season and once again the Sabres are in a position where they'll need to make a near miraculous run to get into the playoffs. Coming into the new year Buffalo found themselves in a tough position being five points out of third place in the Atlantic Division, eight points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. A 5-3-0 record prior to their "bye-week" and the All-Star break gave fans hope for the team as they would be coming out of the break with nine of 10 games at home.
We're now well into the 2020 portion of the season and once again the Sabres are in a position where they'll need to make a near miraculous run to get into the playoffs. Coming into the new year Buffalo found themselves in a tough position being five points out of third place in the Atlantic Division, eight points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. A 5-3-0 record prior to their "bye-week" and the All-Star break gave fans hope for the team as they would be coming out of the break with nine of 10 games at home.
Monday, December 9, 2019
That's one helluva hump the Sabres are trying to get over
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-8-2019
Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was at a loss for words last night after their 6-5 overtime loss last night against the Vancouver Canucks, but one of the words he kept circling back to was "frustrating." Last night was the first time in six games the Sabres lost when scoring five or more goals and Hutton was in net for only one (last night) of the last four times Buffalo lit the lamp that much. "It's seems right now it's a little bit here/there now changes the game," he told the gathered media last night as me he manned-up post game and faced questions, "and the nights I'm playing well we don't find the back of the net."
True, to a point. Hutton is 0-5-4 since his last win on October 22 and during this woeful stretch the team scored two or less in six of them which includes being shut out once and being held to one goal on two other occasions. However, the burn actually comes when two of his losses came on overtime when his team scored four goals at home against the Carolina Panthers and five goals yesterday evening at Vancouver.
Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was at a loss for words last night after their 6-5 overtime loss last night against the Vancouver Canucks, but one of the words he kept circling back to was "frustrating." Last night was the first time in six games the Sabres lost when scoring five or more goals and Hutton was in net for only one (last night) of the last four times Buffalo lit the lamp that much. "It's seems right now it's a little bit here/there now changes the game," he told the gathered media last night as me he manned-up post game and faced questions, "and the nights I'm playing well we don't find the back of the net."
True, to a point. Hutton is 0-5-4 since his last win on October 22 and during this woeful stretch the team scored two or less in six of them which includes being shut out once and being held to one goal on two other occasions. However, the burn actually comes when two of his losses came on overtime when his team scored four goals at home against the Carolina Panthers and five goals yesterday evening at Vancouver.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Down goes Buffalo. Detroit up next tonight.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-25-2019
For as good as the Buffalo Sabres have been this season, their Achilles heel has been their performances on the road. They're most definitely getting it right at home as a the Sabres are sporting a rather robust 5-0-0 record (which includes two wins in overtime and one in the shootout) while outscoring their opponents 22-11, their play on the road has been suspect.
After getting shellacked by the NY Rangers last night 6-2 their road record is a pedestrian 3-2-1 and they've played their three worst games this season away from KeyBank Center. They were outplayed in Columbus but pulled out a point against the Blue Jackets, were manhandled by the Anaheim Ducks, and outplayed by an opportunistic Rangers team last night. They were outscored by a combined 15-7 in those three losses.
The most noticeable shortcoming in those three games is from Buffalo's top line as Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson have combined for one goal and zero assists at even strength with a minus-12 total rating. Teams are taking advantage of having the last change at home and are able to match up their best checking lines against the Sabres top line and so far Buffalo has had no answer.
For as good as the Buffalo Sabres have been this season, their Achilles heel has been their performances on the road. They're most definitely getting it right at home as a the Sabres are sporting a rather robust 5-0-0 record (which includes two wins in overtime and one in the shootout) while outscoring their opponents 22-11, their play on the road has been suspect.
After getting shellacked by the NY Rangers last night 6-2 their road record is a pedestrian 3-2-1 and they've played their three worst games this season away from KeyBank Center. They were outplayed in Columbus but pulled out a point against the Blue Jackets, were manhandled by the Anaheim Ducks, and outplayed by an opportunistic Rangers team last night. They were outscored by a combined 15-7 in those three losses.
The most noticeable shortcoming in those three games is from Buffalo's top line as Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson have combined for one goal and zero assists at even strength with a minus-12 total rating. Teams are taking advantage of having the last change at home and are able to match up their best checking lines against the Sabres top line and so far Buffalo has had no answer.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
On Krueger's goalie rotation and line stability plus tonight vs. SJS
Normally when a goalie pitches a shutout he gets the next start and chances are the head coach will ride him until he cools off. Exceptions to that rule may include playing back-to-back nights or having the No. 1 goalie back in net no matter what the back up does but "riding the hot hand" is usually what a head coach does especially if a team is in a 1A/1B situation with their netminders.
The Buffalo Sabres do have a No. 1 goalie in Carter Hutton but he and Linus Ullmark seem to be more of a 1A/1B than a 65/17 starter/backup tandem. Neither had a great 2018-19 season, especially in the second half when the team collapsed, and coming into camp new head coach Ralph Krueger stressed competition. Hutton got the start in the season opener, which isn't all that unremarkable considering the respect he garners on and off the ice, and after a 29-save, 3-1 win in Pittsburgh he got the start in the home-opener as well. The Sabres won that game 7-2 before a home rollicking crowd celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the franchise.
Krueger gave Ullmark the next start in Columbus and the 26 yr. old managed to salvage a point for Buffalo with a 40-save performance in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets and the duo have been rotating ever since. Which is rather curious considering Hutton blanked the Dallas Stars before the team embarked on their just completed three-game California road trip.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Proper response by the Sabres in 3-0 shutout of Kings
For the first 20 minutes of yesterday's 3-0 shutout win at Los Angeles, the Buffalo Sabres looked as if they'd shrugged off their loss the prior night. While in Anaheim on Wednesday, the Sabres got off to a great start but got thrown off of their game as a big and fast Ducks team got uber-physical and laid 200' pressure on Buffalo from late in the second period onward. The result was a 5-2 Sabres loss as their once potent powerplay went a meager 1/7 with the man advantage and their frustrations had them playing Anaheim's game instead of their own.
The Sabres goal heading into Staples Center against the Kings for the second game of a back-to-back, was to stick to their game regardless of what Los Angeles threw at them and for the first period, they did were able to play Sabres hockey. Buffalo scored two goals in the first 5:20 of the game and kept their foot on the gas as much as they could the rest of the period. In the second period they took advantage of an early powerplay by upping their lead to 3-0 before Los Angeles turned the tide.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Building the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster--G, Carter Hutton
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-28-2019
In this series we build the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster one by one leading up to the season opener on October 3.
G--Carter Hutton
33 yrs. old
6'0" 198 lbs.
Undrafted FA (PHI)
Career stats: 188 games | 81-64-22 record | 2.58 GAA | .913 Sv% | 11 shutouts
The Buffalo Sabres organization knew quite a bit about goalie Carter Hutton when they signed him to a 3yr./$8.250 million free agent deal last July. Jerry Forton, director of college scouting, former goalie coach Andrew Allen and former head coach Phil Housley all had a first hand look at Hutton from his time at UMASS-Lowell (Forton) to the Chicago Blackhawks (Allen) to the Nashville Predators (Housley.) All could vouch for the character he brought to the dressing room and his performance on the ice, which was in a backup role at the NHL level.
However, what none of them knew, including Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, was how he would perform as first-time starter for a Buffalo team that was coming off of it's third last place finish in five years and had the NHL's third-worst goals-against average (3.39) in 2017-18.
"There was a real comfort level with him," Botterill told the gathered media at the time of the signing. "He was a guy our scouts had focused in on, our analytics department certainly liked him a lot, and then you get the character check. It allowed us to have a lot of confidence in making the decision to bring Carter into our group."
In this series we build the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster one by one leading up to the season opener on October 3.
G--Carter Hutton
33 yrs. old
6'0" 198 lbs.
Undrafted FA (PHI)
Career stats: 188 games | 81-64-22 record | 2.58 GAA | .913 Sv% | 11 shutouts
The Buffalo Sabres organization knew quite a bit about goalie Carter Hutton when they signed him to a 3yr./$8.250 million free agent deal last July. Jerry Forton, director of college scouting, former goalie coach Andrew Allen and former head coach Phil Housley all had a first hand look at Hutton from his time at UMASS-Lowell (Forton) to the Chicago Blackhawks (Allen) to the Nashville Predators (Housley.) All could vouch for the character he brought to the dressing room and his performance on the ice, which was in a backup role at the NHL level.
However, what none of them knew, including Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, was how he would perform as first-time starter for a Buffalo team that was coming off of it's third last place finish in five years and had the NHL's third-worst goals-against average (3.39) in 2017-18.
"There was a real comfort level with him," Botterill told the gathered media at the time of the signing. "He was a guy our scouts had focused in on, our analytics department certainly liked him a lot, and then you get the character check. It allowed us to have a lot of confidence in making the decision to bring Carter into our group."
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Impressions of, and questions concerning--G, Carter Hutton
Goaltender--Carter Hutton
DOB: December 19, 1985 (age, 34)
Draft: Undrafted free agent (SJS, April 26, 2010)
How acquired: Signed by Buffalo (UFA, 2018)
Last contract signed: July 1, 2018 3yr./$8.25 million
Final year of contract: 2020-21
2018-19 Stats: 50 games played |18-25-5 record | 3.00 GAA | .908 SV% | 0 shutouts
Career Stats: 188 games played | 81-64-22 record | 2.58 GAA | .913 SV% | 11 shutouts
What we wrote preseason: If the Buffalo Sabres want to make the playoffs this season a lot will be riding on the shoulders of their goalkeepers. Although their roles will be figured out through camp and into the season, it's hard to think that Hutton will be that 60-game workhorse starter in Buffalo when his 34 starts in 2013-14 represents his career-high. In fact the Thunder Bay, Ontario native has a grand total of only 80 starts in the four seasons since, but with Botterill in a bit of a bind this off season a Hutton/[Linus] Ullmark 1A/1B goaltending tandem is what Buffalo enters training camp with
When you look at Hutton's excellent numbers in St. Louis it's best to remember that the Blues were a veteran club with a very strong d-corps that was also supported by their forward group. They had the sixth-best goals-against last average season, have the third-best cumulative GAA (2.49) over the past five seasons and their system has helped have changed the narrative from back-up to potential starter when talking about goalies like Hutton and Brian Elliot. As a premier two-way team, St. Louis was also 14th in the league in cumulative goals-for over the last five seasons averaging 2.81 goals/game.
With all the question marks concerning Hutton as a starter (or 1A) for a franchise that has the worst record in the NHL over the last seven seasons, character doesn't seem be one of them. He'll have the chance to be the No. 1 goalie in Buffalo but he also is being tasked with mentoring Ullmark, who's saying goodbye to the AHL after being the No. 1 goalie in Rochester the last two seasons. “What we’ve learned about Carter," said [GM Jason] Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies. We think it’s a great fit."
What we wrote mid-season: Sabres GM Jason Botterill made a number of off season moves that have paid dividends for this club and stabilizing the goalie situation with the signing of free agent Hutton was one of them. Although his 2.58 goals-against average and .917 save percentage aren't gaudy by any stretch of the imagination, Hutton has been very solid and has given his team a chance to win nearly every time he's in net. This is the 33 yr. old's first gig as a starting goalie and there are a lot of positives which include his stickhandling ability and the way he's mentoring his backup, although he's had some clunkers and an egregious error or two along the way. Word on the street is that this year Hutton will be carrying a huge weight in net while next season could be more of a 50/50 split. The following season, his last under contract with Buffalo, could end up being more of a backup role.
Impressions on his play this year: After a tepid start to the season Hutton, like the team, was really locked in through November and it looked as if Botterill found a steal of a No. 1 goalie at $2.75 million per season. The crash back down to earth was particularly rough for the team but Hutton's crash left a crater that he still needs to climb out of. But having said that, it isn't fair to place Buffalo's bottom-feeding performance post-November squarely on goaltending.
“Checking has got to be tighter, but the play with the puck has got to be the thing that we really work on here,” captain Jack Eichel said back in February with the Sabres downward spiral picking up steam. “It was a staple of our game when we were winning, and it’s been costing us lately." True enough, their play was so loosey-goosey that goals against were coming off of odd-man rushes and players left all alone by the bushels. That said, Buffalo's goaltending tandem didn't help the situation all that much as they were unable to come up with the big save early in the game. In fact, they were hard-pressed to come up with any save and the Sabres found themselves in holes during games they never could get out of.
It was a disappointing season for Hutton as he couldn't seem to do much right after November and there were times that he admittedly tried to do to much. In St. Louis (as well as Nashville) Hutton played a simple game as the skaters in front of him displayed a strong two-way game. What we saw in Buffalo is that he's no Dominik Hasek and isn't even Ryan Miller, but if the team can get their act together, he can do some very fine work in net. And he remains a strong locker room presence and excellent mentor to Ullmark.
Questions moving forward: How much defensive structure will the new head coach instill in this club? Will the players embrace it? What will Ullmark look like at camp and early into the season? Will there be more of a 50/50 split? Or will Hutton be a 50-plus game, 1A type of goalie? Can he and his skaters find the mutual trust they had when they went on that 10-game winning streak?
Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.
Monday, February 25, 2019
In all, Sabres still in a playoff race heading towards the NHL Trade Deadline
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-24-2019
At the conclusion of yesterday's matinee with the Washington Capitals, Sabres fans couldn't help but wonder where this type of team had been the past two-plus months. Granted, the Caps were at the end of a six-game road trip and a 1pm start probably didn't help matters, but Washington did awaken from their sleepwalk as the game went on and the defending Stanley Cup champions twice left those at KeyBank Center with a feeling of angst.
Quite often this season, as well as during their recent four-game losing streak (0-3-1,) the Buffalo Sabres would look strong early only to be overtaken in the mid-to-latter portions of the game and it looked as if this one was headed in that direction. Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and saw Washington cut the lead by one early in the second period but a very late Sabres powerplay goal restored their two-goal cushion heading into the second intermission. The Capitals cut the lead again just 4:16 into the final frame but Sam Reinhart's beautiful tip just 83 seconds later to made it a 4-2 game before the Sabres locked it down the rest of the way. Reinhart, who had scored Buffalo's second goal, would add a 185-foot empty-netter for the third hat trick of his career.
The second period was crucial for the Sabres yesterday and it could have ended up a disaster. Buffalo ended the prior stanza with a 1:58 powerplay but nothing came of it and they couldn't extend their 2-0 lead. Washington came to life with Alexander Ovechkin scoring his 44th of the season just 2:28 into the frame and it set off a flurry of action directed at Buffalo netminder Carter Hutton. But other than the Ovechkin's laser of a goal-scorer's goal, Hutton came up big. The 33 yr. old netminder came up with two more big saves over the next seven minutes to keep the game 2-1. It was the type of goaltending performance that bolstered the team during their 10-game winning streak but was mostly missing since.
At the conclusion of yesterday's matinee with the Washington Capitals, Sabres fans couldn't help but wonder where this type of team had been the past two-plus months. Granted, the Caps were at the end of a six-game road trip and a 1pm start probably didn't help matters, but Washington did awaken from their sleepwalk as the game went on and the defending Stanley Cup champions twice left those at KeyBank Center with a feeling of angst.
Quite often this season, as well as during their recent four-game losing streak (0-3-1,) the Buffalo Sabres would look strong early only to be overtaken in the mid-to-latter portions of the game and it looked as if this one was headed in that direction. Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and saw Washington cut the lead by one early in the second period but a very late Sabres powerplay goal restored their two-goal cushion heading into the second intermission. The Capitals cut the lead again just 4:16 into the final frame but Sam Reinhart's beautiful tip just 83 seconds later to made it a 4-2 game before the Sabres locked it down the rest of the way. Reinhart, who had scored Buffalo's second goal, would add a 185-foot empty-netter for the third hat trick of his career.
The second period was crucial for the Sabres yesterday and it could have ended up a disaster. Buffalo ended the prior stanza with a 1:58 powerplay but nothing came of it and they couldn't extend their 2-0 lead. Washington came to life with Alexander Ovechkin scoring his 44th of the season just 2:28 into the frame and it set off a flurry of action directed at Buffalo netminder Carter Hutton. But other than the Ovechkin's laser of a goal-scorer's goal, Hutton came up big. The 33 yr. old netminder came up with two more big saves over the next seven minutes to keep the game 2-1. It was the type of goaltending performance that bolstered the team during their 10-game winning streak but was mostly missing since.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Shrug off the tryptophan and pecan pumpkin pie, it's game day
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-23-2018
Grab your plate of Thanksgiving leftovers and settle in this afternoon as the Buffalo Sabres are hosting the Montreal Canadiens for a 4pm start at KeyBank Center. The two teams met just over two weeks ago in Montreal with the Sabres coming out on top of a 6-5 overtime thriller which kicked off their present, league-high seven-game winning streak.
The goal-fest at Bell Centre featured Buffalo goals from Vladimir Sobotka (2,) Conor Sheary, Jeff Skinner (2) and an overtime blast from gassed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Four times the Sabres took a one-goal lead only to see it matched before the Canadiens took a 5-4 lead on a shorthanded goal by Nicolas Deslauriers, who was traded by Buffalo to Montreal last October, late in the second period. Sabres backup goalie Linus Ullmark was in net for the first two periods before being pulled in favor of Carter Hutton to start the third period.
Neither Ullmark nor Habs starter Carey Price had a particularly good night as Ullmark only stopped 27 of 32 shots on goal (.843 save percentage) while Price was worse stopping only 25 of 31 (.806 Sv%.) Hutton only faced five shots in the third period and none 1:38 of overtime for the win.
Grab your plate of Thanksgiving leftovers and settle in this afternoon as the Buffalo Sabres are hosting the Montreal Canadiens for a 4pm start at KeyBank Center. The two teams met just over two weeks ago in Montreal with the Sabres coming out on top of a 6-5 overtime thriller which kicked off their present, league-high seven-game winning streak.
The goal-fest at Bell Centre featured Buffalo goals from Vladimir Sobotka (2,) Conor Sheary, Jeff Skinner (2) and an overtime blast from gassed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Four times the Sabres took a one-goal lead only to see it matched before the Canadiens took a 5-4 lead on a shorthanded goal by Nicolas Deslauriers, who was traded by Buffalo to Montreal last October, late in the second period. Sabres backup goalie Linus Ullmark was in net for the first two periods before being pulled in favor of Carter Hutton to start the third period.
Neither Ullmark nor Habs starter Carey Price had a particularly good night as Ullmark only stopped 27 of 32 shots on goal (.843 save percentage) while Price was worse stopping only 25 of 31 (.806 Sv%.) Hutton only faced five shots in the third period and none 1:38 of overtime for the win.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Sabres head to MIN on a four-game winning streak with some wind at their back
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-17-2018
Last night was a battle of two teams, both of whom were on three-game winning streaks. The Winnipeg Jets, widely considered Stanley Cup contenders were hosting a possible playoff-bubble team in the Buffalo Sabres. And for the first period and well into the second, both teams were playing their respective parts. A very fast and extremely talented Jets team jumped all over Buffalo through the first 30+ minutes of the game and the Sabres were very lucky to be down only 1-0, thanks to goalie Carter Hutton.
One could almost see the steam coming out from Hutton's mask as mistake after Sabres mistake led to golden opportunities for the Jets and he vented his frustration during a TV timeout seconds after Winnipeg opened the scoring. Although the MSG feed only offered a tease prior to the break, the TSN feed showed the encounter with an obviously pissed-off Hutton skating over to the bench and laying into his team for their play.
It didn't really help, at least not right off the bat as a mere 32 seconds after the TV timeout the Sabres got caught in their own end again and a wide open Jacob Trouba teed off from the slot forcing Hutton to make another big save. Luckily for them another shot off of that long rebound went wide of a gaping net and the Sabres were spared a two-goal deficit.
Hutton is one of two players brought in by GM Jason Botterill who have been instrumental in the Sabres 11-6-2 start. The other is Jeff Skinner who once again played a role in helping this team to a win. With Hutton, and the hockey gods, keeping it a one-goal game, the Sabres finally did find their legs and it lead to a Jets penalty very late in the second period. Buffalo opened up the third period with the man advantage and for the first time in 12 opportunities (spanning the last four games and the first two periods of this one) they scored as Skinner roofed a wicked backhand from the crease to tie the game.
Holding the fort, whether his team is ahead or playing from behind, has been a Hutton-hallmark as he's been instrumental in Buffalo's present four-game winning streak. He held Montreal at bay in a third period relief appearance and allowed his team to tie a game they eventually won in overtime. Two days after that his play kept the Pacific division-leading Vancouver Canucks from increasing their 3-1 lead and the Sabres tied it on two late third period goals. He stopped two of three "Nucks players in the shootout while his skaters scored twice and they go another win.
Next up was a game against the Eastern conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. After going up 2-0, Tampa closed the gap and was relentless in the pursuit of the game-tying goal. A boat load of saves and two very late goal-posts later, Hutton and the Sabres emerged with a hard fought 2-1 win.
The combined record of those three teams was 30-15-2 at the time Buffalo faced them while Winnipeg's record heading into last night's game was 11-5-1.
Analytics and overall stats be damned, this Buffalo Sabres team is finding ways to win. Hutton has been making the big saves when needed and keeping things close while Skinner is scoring timely goals. He scored the game-tying goals against Montreal and Winnipeg, made the score 3-2 against Vancouver and opened the scoring against the Lightning. He's doing things for the Sabres the likes of which haven't been seen since Daniel Briere and Chris Drury were scoring clutch goals for Buffalo's back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals teams over 10 years ago.
The Sabres head down to Minnesota for a 6 pm EST start against the Wild tonight. This season marks the fourth year in a row that their mid-continent road trip has them playing Winnipeg and Minnesota in consecutive games. Last season Buffalo lost to the Wild then proceeded to lose to the Jets. The prior two seasons they started out in Winnipeg and swept both teams each time.
Minnesota presently sits second in the Western conference with a 12-5-2 record and the Sabres have had a ton of difficulty against them as of late. The Sabres are only 2-7-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Wild with their only wins coming two and three years ago on the road at Xcel Energy Center. However, the Sabres are on a roll having won four in a row for the first time since December, 2014 and they've done so against some of the best teams in their respective divisions.
Last night was a battle of two teams, both of whom were on three-game winning streaks. The Winnipeg Jets, widely considered Stanley Cup contenders were hosting a possible playoff-bubble team in the Buffalo Sabres. And for the first period and well into the second, both teams were playing their respective parts. A very fast and extremely talented Jets team jumped all over Buffalo through the first 30+ minutes of the game and the Sabres were very lucky to be down only 1-0, thanks to goalie Carter Hutton.
One could almost see the steam coming out from Hutton's mask as mistake after Sabres mistake led to golden opportunities for the Jets and he vented his frustration during a TV timeout seconds after Winnipeg opened the scoring. Although the MSG feed only offered a tease prior to the break, the TSN feed showed the encounter with an obviously pissed-off Hutton skating over to the bench and laying into his team for their play.
It didn't really help, at least not right off the bat as a mere 32 seconds after the TV timeout the Sabres got caught in their own end again and a wide open Jacob Trouba teed off from the slot forcing Hutton to make another big save. Luckily for them another shot off of that long rebound went wide of a gaping net and the Sabres were spared a two-goal deficit.
Hutton is one of two players brought in by GM Jason Botterill who have been instrumental in the Sabres 11-6-2 start. The other is Jeff Skinner who once again played a role in helping this team to a win. With Hutton, and the hockey gods, keeping it a one-goal game, the Sabres finally did find their legs and it lead to a Jets penalty very late in the second period. Buffalo opened up the third period with the man advantage and for the first time in 12 opportunities (spanning the last four games and the first two periods of this one) they scored as Skinner roofed a wicked backhand from the crease to tie the game.
Holding the fort, whether his team is ahead or playing from behind, has been a Hutton-hallmark as he's been instrumental in Buffalo's present four-game winning streak. He held Montreal at bay in a third period relief appearance and allowed his team to tie a game they eventually won in overtime. Two days after that his play kept the Pacific division-leading Vancouver Canucks from increasing their 3-1 lead and the Sabres tied it on two late third period goals. He stopped two of three "Nucks players in the shootout while his skaters scored twice and they go another win.
Next up was a game against the Eastern conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. After going up 2-0, Tampa closed the gap and was relentless in the pursuit of the game-tying goal. A boat load of saves and two very late goal-posts later, Hutton and the Sabres emerged with a hard fought 2-1 win.
The combined record of those three teams was 30-15-2 at the time Buffalo faced them while Winnipeg's record heading into last night's game was 11-5-1.
Analytics and overall stats be damned, this Buffalo Sabres team is finding ways to win. Hutton has been making the big saves when needed and keeping things close while Skinner is scoring timely goals. He scored the game-tying goals against Montreal and Winnipeg, made the score 3-2 against Vancouver and opened the scoring against the Lightning. He's doing things for the Sabres the likes of which haven't been seen since Daniel Briere and Chris Drury were scoring clutch goals for Buffalo's back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals teams over 10 years ago.
The Sabres head down to Minnesota for a 6 pm EST start against the Wild tonight. This season marks the fourth year in a row that their mid-continent road trip has them playing Winnipeg and Minnesota in consecutive games. Last season Buffalo lost to the Wild then proceeded to lose to the Jets. The prior two seasons they started out in Winnipeg and swept both teams each time.
Minnesota presently sits second in the Western conference with a 12-5-2 record and the Sabres have had a ton of difficulty against them as of late. The Sabres are only 2-7-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Wild with their only wins coming two and three years ago on the road at Xcel Energy Center. However, the Sabres are on a roll having won four in a row for the first time since December, 2014 and they've done so against some of the best teams in their respective divisions.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Back-to-back road games against two hot teams begins tonight in Winnipeg
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-16-2018
The Buffalo Sabres are coming of a trio of games where overall they didn't play as well as they could have. Yet, they're on a three-game winning streak as they head to the middle of the continent for a back-to-back beginning tonight.
Buffalo's streak began with a game of shinny in Montreal where their starting goalie, Linus Ullmark, got pulled and luckily for them the Canadiens Carey Price was worse than him. The Sabres staked their claim to four consecutive one-goal leads but by the end of the second period, thanks to a shorthanded goal by former Sabre Nicolas Deslauriers late in the period, they found themselves down 5-4 heading into intermission. A goal by Jeff Skinner and a lockdown by goalie Carter Hutton got the game to overtime allowing for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to be the hearo with the OT-winner.
Two days later the Buffalo was back home for a matinee vs. the Vancouver Canucks. The Sabres got out in front once again but allowed three unanswered goals before Skinner and Sam Reinhart scored late in the third period with the goalie pulled to send it to overtime. The 3-on-3 session didn't provide us with a winner so it was off to the shootout, Buffalo's first of the season. Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt scored while Hutton allowed only one goal to the 'Nucks and the Sabres completed a second consecutive come-from-behind win.
On Tuesday it was a matchup against the beast of the east, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on national TV. Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored in the first period and the Lighting responded with a second period goal. Two goal posts hit by Tampa in the waning seconds of the game sealed the victory for Buffalo.
For a team with a young core coming off a 31st place finish in 2017-18, winning games they really shouldn't is a sign of progress. One of the big reasons they're doing so is the play of Hutton. The 32 yr. old late bloomer has been solid in net despite inflated numbers and the Sabres seem to have a ton of confidence in his ability to cover for their mistakes and/or inadequacies.
Hutton stole two points for Buffalo against the Lightning, which is the second time so far that the skaters in front of him were outplayed, sometimes very badly, for most of the game. The first time was against Calgary where he stonewalled the Flames until a Buffalo breakdown and led to a tipped-in goal with less than a minute to play. The Sabres had another breakdown in overtime with the loss leaving Hutton visibly upset. "It's not too shocking," he said of losing after being so close to a shutout, "we didn't play very well."
After the win over Tampa, Hutton had a decidedly different demeanor telling the media of he and his mates embracing the battle late in the third with a strong Lightning push to tie the game. "It was a big test for us tonight," he said. "They're a really good hockey team and at times I thought we let them be a really good hockey team. They made their push late, we battled and held them off. It was a big win."
It doesn't get any easier for the Sabres as tonight they head to Winnipeg to face a Jets team, winners of three in a row and are 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. The Jets have a big team with a lot of skill and.have ridden the league's second best goal-against average (2.53/game) to an 11-5-1 record and a league-best 8-2-1 record at home. Winnipeg also has the league's best powerplay converting on 17 of 50 opportunities (34%.)
But the Sabres aren't exactly chopped liver at this point in the season. Buffalo is riding it's second three-game winning streak of the season and are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. They head into Winnipeg on a two-game losing streak against the Jets but prior to that they'd won four in a row.
The Sabres are being lead up front by Skinner, who's been a great acquisition for Buffalo thus far. Sabres GM Jason Botterill touted the scoring prowess of the former Carolina Hurricane, especially at even strength and he's delivered thus far as he leads the team with 13 goals, which is second in the league, while his 11 even strength goals ties him for the NHL lead. He's on a three-game goal streak, has scored goals in five of this last six games (seven total) and since coach Phil Housley put him on the top line with Eichel back on October 20, Skinner has scored 12 goals in 11 games. He also has a plus-12 rating tying him for tops in the league.
After tonight the Sabres travel to Minnesota to face the Wild for a typical mid-continent road trip as of late. The Wild sit second in the Western conference, have won four of their last five games and 11 of their last 14 (11-3-0.) In each of the last three seasons the Sabres have had consecutive games at Winnipeg and Minnesota. Last season Buffalo lost to the Wild and the following night lost to the Jets while the previous two seasons they started out in Winnipeg and swept both games.
Coincidence?
We shall see.
The Buffalo Sabres are coming of a trio of games where overall they didn't play as well as they could have. Yet, they're on a three-game winning streak as they head to the middle of the continent for a back-to-back beginning tonight.
Buffalo's streak began with a game of shinny in Montreal where their starting goalie, Linus Ullmark, got pulled and luckily for them the Canadiens Carey Price was worse than him. The Sabres staked their claim to four consecutive one-goal leads but by the end of the second period, thanks to a shorthanded goal by former Sabre Nicolas Deslauriers late in the period, they found themselves down 5-4 heading into intermission. A goal by Jeff Skinner and a lockdown by goalie Carter Hutton got the game to overtime allowing for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to be the hearo with the OT-winner.
Two days later the Buffalo was back home for a matinee vs. the Vancouver Canucks. The Sabres got out in front once again but allowed three unanswered goals before Skinner and Sam Reinhart scored late in the third period with the goalie pulled to send it to overtime. The 3-on-3 session didn't provide us with a winner so it was off to the shootout, Buffalo's first of the season. Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt scored while Hutton allowed only one goal to the 'Nucks and the Sabres completed a second consecutive come-from-behind win.
On Tuesday it was a matchup against the beast of the east, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on national TV. Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored in the first period and the Lighting responded with a second period goal. Two goal posts hit by Tampa in the waning seconds of the game sealed the victory for Buffalo.
For a team with a young core coming off a 31st place finish in 2017-18, winning games they really shouldn't is a sign of progress. One of the big reasons they're doing so is the play of Hutton. The 32 yr. old late bloomer has been solid in net despite inflated numbers and the Sabres seem to have a ton of confidence in his ability to cover for their mistakes and/or inadequacies.
Hutton stole two points for Buffalo against the Lightning, which is the second time so far that the skaters in front of him were outplayed, sometimes very badly, for most of the game. The first time was against Calgary where he stonewalled the Flames until a Buffalo breakdown and led to a tipped-in goal with less than a minute to play. The Sabres had another breakdown in overtime with the loss leaving Hutton visibly upset. "It's not too shocking," he said of losing after being so close to a shutout, "we didn't play very well."
After the win over Tampa, Hutton had a decidedly different demeanor telling the media of he and his mates embracing the battle late in the third with a strong Lightning push to tie the game. "It was a big test for us tonight," he said. "They're a really good hockey team and at times I thought we let them be a really good hockey team. They made their push late, we battled and held them off. It was a big win."
It doesn't get any easier for the Sabres as tonight they head to Winnipeg to face a Jets team, winners of three in a row and are 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. The Jets have a big team with a lot of skill and.have ridden the league's second best goal-against average (2.53/game) to an 11-5-1 record and a league-best 8-2-1 record at home. Winnipeg also has the league's best powerplay converting on 17 of 50 opportunities (34%.)
But the Sabres aren't exactly chopped liver at this point in the season. Buffalo is riding it's second three-game winning streak of the season and are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games. They head into Winnipeg on a two-game losing streak against the Jets but prior to that they'd won four in a row.
The Sabres are being lead up front by Skinner, who's been a great acquisition for Buffalo thus far. Sabres GM Jason Botterill touted the scoring prowess of the former Carolina Hurricane, especially at even strength and he's delivered thus far as he leads the team with 13 goals, which is second in the league, while his 11 even strength goals ties him for the NHL lead. He's on a three-game goal streak, has scored goals in five of this last six games (seven total) and since coach Phil Housley put him on the top line with Eichel back on October 20, Skinner has scored 12 goals in 11 games. He also has a plus-12 rating tying him for tops in the league.
After tonight the Sabres travel to Minnesota to face the Wild for a typical mid-continent road trip as of late. The Wild sit second in the Western conference, have won four of their last five games and 11 of their last 14 (11-3-0.) In each of the last three seasons the Sabres have had consecutive games at Winnipeg and Minnesota. Last season Buffalo lost to the Wild and the following night lost to the Jets while the previous two seasons they started out in Winnipeg and swept both games.
Coincidence?
We shall see.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Buffalo Sabres 2018-19 Individual Stats Leaders--October
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-31-2018
Even though it's just a point in the standings, a 7-4-1 record looks a lot better than a 6-4-2- record, which is where the Buffalo Sabres ended the month of October this season.
Buffalo had the chance to come away with two points last night but a couple of mental miscues left them settling for a loser point in a game they probably should have lost outright. Late in the third period up 1-0, Sabres bench boss Phil Housley went with much of the same crew that had protected one-goal leads on two previous occasions.
In that situation, the name of the game is get the puck and get it out of the zone by any means necessary. This group didn't get it done. With Vladimir Sobotka cheating a bit outside the Buffalo blueline, Zemgus Girgensons struggled along the wall working through a little hook and hold before his attempted chip to the blueline was intercepted. One pass and two deflections later the game was tied and we were headed to overtime.
When it comes to 3-on-3 overtime, the object is puck possession and getting it in the hands of your best player(s) especially when it's Jack Eichel staring at oodles of space on an odd man rush in the opposition zone. Buffalo d-man Rasmus Ristolainen must have had visions of his gold medal goal in overtime of the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championships because he opted to take it wide and head towards the net. He was stripped of the puck, blew a tire and the Flames headed back up ice on a 2-on-1 with Eichel as the only defender. Two passes later, the puck was in the Buffalo net sealing the 2-1 OT win for Calgary.
At 6-4-2 the Sabres are doing much better this season than last. Their last two losses were in overtime and they managed to snag a point even though they played lousy hockey--in Columbus for a second period where they gave up three unanswered goals and last night for most of the game.
Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was not a happy camper after last night's game as he was hung out to dry again and did everything in his power to put the team in a position to win. "We played with fire too many times," a visibly upset Hutton told the media post-game, "and they made us pay tonight."
Hutton was a good get for the Sabres by GM Jason Botterill and he's been more than holding his own despite a rather large 2.94 goals-against average paired with a decent .910 save percentage. Hutton let one Buffalo media member know just how he felt about his play and how he's being perceived when he was asked how much better he felt tonight as compared to his last three or four games (where he's given up an average of three goals/game.)
"I think I've been pretty good so far this year" said a miffed Hutton to the media member. "I think you guys criticize me a lot on one or two goals. You guys have your opinion, I have mine and that's all I can say on that."
Hutton was one of a handful of players either signed or traded for by Botterill to help fill gaping holes in the Sabres roster and he's had a positive impact on the team thus far. So has LW, Jeff Skinner.
Skinner was acquired by the Sabres to fill a gaping hole at left wing and to help 5v5 scoring. After a slow start he's been as advertised. Presently he leads the team with six goals and is tied with Eichel for the team lead with 12 points. All but one of Skinner's goals have come at even strength with the other being an empty-netter.
In addition to his goals, Skinner has six assists which is tied with defenseman Jake McCabe for second on the team (Eichel,) and his four primary assists in October tie him with Sam Reinhart for the team lead in that category.
Skinner also leads the team with a plus-10 rating which is presently sixth in the league.
Thirty-five year old winger Jason Pominville has come to life again. After being placed on the fourth line to start the season, he was moved up with Eichel and Skinner when Housley blew up his lines. Pominville's 10 points place him third on the team this season and he's also the closest to Skinner in plus/minus with a plus-6. Of note, in 12 October games last season Pominville had six goals and six assists while this year he has five goals (second on the team) and five assists.
Whereas Skinner has a definitive lead on the positive side in plus/minus, Ristolainen is a team-worst minus-10 with both of Calgary's goals last night contributing to that. Reinhart and another Sabres acquisition, Conor Sheary, come in at minus-7 while Kyle Okposo is a minus-6.
Last season the Sabres had a 3-7-2 record through the month of October. They scored 28 goals, all by forwards. This season the Sabres are 6-4-2 and have scored 31 goals, six of them by defensemen. Hutton's GAA and Sv% are almost identical to Robin Lehner's 2.78 gaa and .910 sv% last season with Lehner coming away with a 2-4-1 record in October.
There's been a big difference in the backup goalie position as Linus Ullmark is 2-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .935 Sv% while last year's backup, Chad Johnson was 1-3-1 with a 4.06 GAA and .880 Sv%. Ullmark also has the team's only shutout.
Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Individual Stats leaders
Points
--October: Skinner, Eichel, 12; Pominville, 10
Goals
--October: Skinner, 6; Pominville, 5; Eichel, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Sheary, 3; Okposo, 2; four players with 1
Assists
--October: Eichel, 8; McCabe, Skinner, 6; Reinhart, Pominville, 5
Powerplay Assists
--October: Reinhart, 4; Skinner, 3; four players with 2
Primary Assists
--October: Skinner, Reinhart, 4; Eichel, Pominville, Okposo, Ristolainen, 3
Plus/Minus
--October: Skinner +10; Pominville +6; Beaulieu +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Ristolainen, -10; Reinhart, Sheary -7; Okposo, -6
Goalies (composite)
Carter Hutton
--October: 4-4-1 record; 2.94 goals against; .910 save percentage; 0 shutouts
Linus Ullmark
--October: 2-0-1; 2.00 GAA; .935 Sv%; 1 shutout
Even though it's just a point in the standings, a 7-4-1 record looks a lot better than a 6-4-2- record, which is where the Buffalo Sabres ended the month of October this season.
Buffalo had the chance to come away with two points last night but a couple of mental miscues left them settling for a loser point in a game they probably should have lost outright. Late in the third period up 1-0, Sabres bench boss Phil Housley went with much of the same crew that had protected one-goal leads on two previous occasions.
In that situation, the name of the game is get the puck and get it out of the zone by any means necessary. This group didn't get it done. With Vladimir Sobotka cheating a bit outside the Buffalo blueline, Zemgus Girgensons struggled along the wall working through a little hook and hold before his attempted chip to the blueline was intercepted. One pass and two deflections later the game was tied and we were headed to overtime.
When it comes to 3-on-3 overtime, the object is puck possession and getting it in the hands of your best player(s) especially when it's Jack Eichel staring at oodles of space on an odd man rush in the opposition zone. Buffalo d-man Rasmus Ristolainen must have had visions of his gold medal goal in overtime of the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championships because he opted to take it wide and head towards the net. He was stripped of the puck, blew a tire and the Flames headed back up ice on a 2-on-1 with Eichel as the only defender. Two passes later, the puck was in the Buffalo net sealing the 2-1 OT win for Calgary.
At 6-4-2 the Sabres are doing much better this season than last. Their last two losses were in overtime and they managed to snag a point even though they played lousy hockey--in Columbus for a second period where they gave up three unanswered goals and last night for most of the game.
Sabres goalie Carter Hutton was not a happy camper after last night's game as he was hung out to dry again and did everything in his power to put the team in a position to win. "We played with fire too many times," a visibly upset Hutton told the media post-game, "and they made us pay tonight."
Hutton was a good get for the Sabres by GM Jason Botterill and he's been more than holding his own despite a rather large 2.94 goals-against average paired with a decent .910 save percentage. Hutton let one Buffalo media member know just how he felt about his play and how he's being perceived when he was asked how much better he felt tonight as compared to his last three or four games (where he's given up an average of three goals/game.)
"I think I've been pretty good so far this year" said a miffed Hutton to the media member. "I think you guys criticize me a lot on one or two goals. You guys have your opinion, I have mine and that's all I can say on that."
Hutton was one of a handful of players either signed or traded for by Botterill to help fill gaping holes in the Sabres roster and he's had a positive impact on the team thus far. So has LW, Jeff Skinner.
Skinner was acquired by the Sabres to fill a gaping hole at left wing and to help 5v5 scoring. After a slow start he's been as advertised. Presently he leads the team with six goals and is tied with Eichel for the team lead with 12 points. All but one of Skinner's goals have come at even strength with the other being an empty-netter.
In addition to his goals, Skinner has six assists which is tied with defenseman Jake McCabe for second on the team (Eichel,) and his four primary assists in October tie him with Sam Reinhart for the team lead in that category.
Skinner also leads the team with a plus-10 rating which is presently sixth in the league.
Thirty-five year old winger Jason Pominville has come to life again. After being placed on the fourth line to start the season, he was moved up with Eichel and Skinner when Housley blew up his lines. Pominville's 10 points place him third on the team this season and he's also the closest to Skinner in plus/minus with a plus-6. Of note, in 12 October games last season Pominville had six goals and six assists while this year he has five goals (second on the team) and five assists.
Whereas Skinner has a definitive lead on the positive side in plus/minus, Ristolainen is a team-worst minus-10 with both of Calgary's goals last night contributing to that. Reinhart and another Sabres acquisition, Conor Sheary, come in at minus-7 while Kyle Okposo is a minus-6.
Last season the Sabres had a 3-7-2 record through the month of October. They scored 28 goals, all by forwards. This season the Sabres are 6-4-2 and have scored 31 goals, six of them by defensemen. Hutton's GAA and Sv% are almost identical to Robin Lehner's 2.78 gaa and .910 sv% last season with Lehner coming away with a 2-4-1 record in October.
There's been a big difference in the backup goalie position as Linus Ullmark is 2-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .935 Sv% while last year's backup, Chad Johnson was 1-3-1 with a 4.06 GAA and .880 Sv%. Ullmark also has the team's only shutout.
Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Individual Stats leaders
Points
--October: Skinner, Eichel, 12; Pominville, 10
Goals
--October: Skinner, 6; Pominville, 5; Eichel, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Sheary, 3; Okposo, 2; four players with 1
Assists
--October: Eichel, 8; McCabe, Skinner, 6; Reinhart, Pominville, 5
Powerplay Assists
--October: Reinhart, 4; Skinner, 3; four players with 2
Primary Assists
--October: Skinner, Reinhart, 4; Eichel, Pominville, Okposo, Ristolainen, 3
Plus/Minus
--October: Skinner +10; Pominville +6; Beaulieu +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Ristolainen, -10; Reinhart, Sheary -7; Okposo, -6
Goalies (composite)
Carter Hutton
--October: 4-4-1 record; 2.94 goals against; .910 save percentage; 0 shutouts
Linus Ullmark
--October: 2-0-1; 2.00 GAA; .935 Sv%; 1 shutout
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Carter Hutton and some words of wisdom, plus the "SHOOT!!!" people
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-12-18
GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres may have found themselves a real gem in goaltender Carter Hutton. Although he may not be the second coming of Martin Brodeur or go on a late-bloomer run to the Stanley Cup like Tim Thomas did, what Hutton is bringing to the Sabres both on and off the ice is worth mentioning...again.
Hutton came to the Sabres after a pretty strong performance in a backup role for the St. Louis Blues and was ready for his shot as a starter. But he also knew that there were other responsibilities as well, like being helping his new team transition from cellar-dweller and taking the heat off of rookie Linus Ullmark.
"I think my role is to come in here, step in, play well and help the team win hockey games," said the 32 yr. old to the gathered media after his signing. What's been expressed to me is I think they kind of want me to protect [Ullmark] in the sense that this is going to be a big year for him. Playing full-time in the NHL is a lot different than playing full-time in the AHL. I just think they don't want to make any mistakes rushing him. They know he's their guy in the future and they have a lot of faith in him."
Botterill said at the time of the signing that his scouts focused on Hutton in free agency and they really liked what they saw. "What we've learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies.
"We think it's a great fit."
What we in Sabreland have learned about Hutton after four games is that he's a real calming presence both on and off the ice.
Hutton is a great puckhandler for a goalie and that aspect eases some of the burden on the defensemen heading back for the puck. With a league built on speed and pressure, the opposition forecheck can be a nightmare for defenseman. However, with Hutton back there handling the puck, it's almost as if there was another skater there already and instead of a defenseman starting the play on or beneath the goal line, Hutton is already there looking for an outlet pass or dump-off. He's already told his defensemen to let him handle things when the situation calls for it and they've obliged. The results are consistent breakouts from the back-end the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.
Off the ice Hutton is a calming voice of reason regardless of the outcome. After the Sabres got spanked by the Boston Bruins by a 4-0 score at home and were booed of off the ice. When asked by the media if it was difficult not to over react to a game like that, Hutton said matter-of-factly, "For me it's pretty easy. It is what it is. Whether we lost 10-0 or 1-0 it's just one game. We've got to move on and take what we can from it."
The Sabres proceeded to win the next two games before dropping their second of the season last night 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and the general vibe was that they may have taken things a little for granted, according to head coach Phil Housley. He told the gathered media last night that his team should have "a good, valuable lesson to learn (from) last night" and that he still has a team that's "learning to win."
Good points.
The Sabres have been in the dumps so long, most recently a last place finish In 2017-18, that winning and maintaining that winning attitude is still somewhat foreign. Forward Kyle Okposo said last night that they "just weren't ready to go" while Hutton said that it might be "just one of those things where maybe we get a little too comfortable at home."
Hutton, who was with a 46-win St. Louis Blues team that advanced to the second round of the 2018 NHL playoffs, also mentioned "the grind of winning" saying that "it's not anything that's easy to do" and that they must learn to embrace it."
Buffalo is on the road for a season-long five-game road trip beginning in Arizona tomorrow night followed by trips to Las Vegas (the 16th,) San Jose (18th,) Los Angeles (20th) and Anaheim (25th.) Facing off against the one-win Coyotes would be a good way to hopefully start learning to win again.
*****
It took a while for the Sabres to get their feet underneath them last night but when they did they started playing much better and got back into the game.
Midway through the second period the second line of Patrik Berglund, Jeff Skinner and Okposo got a nice cycle going in the Avalanche zone that lasted over 1:30. After the puck left the Colorado zone Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary, along with defensemen Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin got it going again for over a minute.
That quintet were using every inch of the offensive zone trying to create space against a real solid defensive-five for the 'Lanche. The cycle was beautiful to watch as the Sabres did everything they could to get a good shot off and looked every bit in control. I could have watched it a lot longer as it's something we haven't really seen often.
Unfortunately at KeyBank Center a vociferous portion of the 15,000-plus were getting anxious and they displayed their impatience and displeasure with what was transpiring by yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!"
McCabe eventually got a shot off from the slot that was just wide of the net.
If people pay money to go to a game, they can pretty much act as they choose as long as it's not offensive or causing physical harm.
People yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!" at that point with the beauty that was the Sabres cycle seemed rather offensive to me. Nobody in the Sabres organization will say it, nor will anyone in the Buffalo media mention it, but it should be said. Having money to go to a game, or spending that money to go to the game doesn't make one an expert on what should be done in any given situation.
At-me all you want, but that just wasn't warranted.
GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres may have found themselves a real gem in goaltender Carter Hutton. Although he may not be the second coming of Martin Brodeur or go on a late-bloomer run to the Stanley Cup like Tim Thomas did, what Hutton is bringing to the Sabres both on and off the ice is worth mentioning...again.
Hutton came to the Sabres after a pretty strong performance in a backup role for the St. Louis Blues and was ready for his shot as a starter. But he also knew that there were other responsibilities as well, like being helping his new team transition from cellar-dweller and taking the heat off of rookie Linus Ullmark.
"I think my role is to come in here, step in, play well and help the team win hockey games," said the 32 yr. old to the gathered media after his signing. What's been expressed to me is I think they kind of want me to protect [Ullmark] in the sense that this is going to be a big year for him. Playing full-time in the NHL is a lot different than playing full-time in the AHL. I just think they don't want to make any mistakes rushing him. They know he's their guy in the future and they have a lot of faith in him."
Botterill said at the time of the signing that his scouts focused on Hutton in free agency and they really liked what they saw. "What we've learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies.
"We think it's a great fit."
What we in Sabreland have learned about Hutton after four games is that he's a real calming presence both on and off the ice.
Hutton is a great puckhandler for a goalie and that aspect eases some of the burden on the defensemen heading back for the puck. With a league built on speed and pressure, the opposition forecheck can be a nightmare for defenseman. However, with Hutton back there handling the puck, it's almost as if there was another skater there already and instead of a defenseman starting the play on or beneath the goal line, Hutton is already there looking for an outlet pass or dump-off. He's already told his defensemen to let him handle things when the situation calls for it and they've obliged. The results are consistent breakouts from the back-end the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.
Off the ice Hutton is a calming voice of reason regardless of the outcome. After the Sabres got spanked by the Boston Bruins by a 4-0 score at home and were booed of off the ice. When asked by the media if it was difficult not to over react to a game like that, Hutton said matter-of-factly, "For me it's pretty easy. It is what it is. Whether we lost 10-0 or 1-0 it's just one game. We've got to move on and take what we can from it."
The Sabres proceeded to win the next two games before dropping their second of the season last night 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and the general vibe was that they may have taken things a little for granted, according to head coach Phil Housley. He told the gathered media last night that his team should have "a good, valuable lesson to learn (from) last night" and that he still has a team that's "learning to win."
Good points.
The Sabres have been in the dumps so long, most recently a last place finish In 2017-18, that winning and maintaining that winning attitude is still somewhat foreign. Forward Kyle Okposo said last night that they "just weren't ready to go" while Hutton said that it might be "just one of those things where maybe we get a little too comfortable at home."
Hutton, who was with a 46-win St. Louis Blues team that advanced to the second round of the 2018 NHL playoffs, also mentioned "the grind of winning" saying that "it's not anything that's easy to do" and that they must learn to embrace it."
Buffalo is on the road for a season-long five-game road trip beginning in Arizona tomorrow night followed by trips to Las Vegas (the 16th,) San Jose (18th,) Los Angeles (20th) and Anaheim (25th.) Facing off against the one-win Coyotes would be a good way to hopefully start learning to win again.
*****
It took a while for the Sabres to get their feet underneath them last night but when they did they started playing much better and got back into the game.
Midway through the second period the second line of Patrik Berglund, Jeff Skinner and Okposo got a nice cycle going in the Avalanche zone that lasted over 1:30. After the puck left the Colorado zone Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary, along with defensemen Jake McCabe and Rasmus Dahlin got it going again for over a minute.
That quintet were using every inch of the offensive zone trying to create space against a real solid defensive-five for the 'Lanche. The cycle was beautiful to watch as the Sabres did everything they could to get a good shot off and looked every bit in control. I could have watched it a lot longer as it's something we haven't really seen often.
Unfortunately at KeyBank Center a vociferous portion of the 15,000-plus were getting anxious and they displayed their impatience and displeasure with what was transpiring by yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!"
McCabe eventually got a shot off from the slot that was just wide of the net.
If people pay money to go to a game, they can pretty much act as they choose as long as it's not offensive or causing physical harm.
People yelling "SHOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!" at that point with the beauty that was the Sabres cycle seemed rather offensive to me. Nobody in the Sabres organization will say it, nor will anyone in the Buffalo media mention it, but it should be said. Having money to go to a game, or spending that money to go to the game doesn't make one an expert on what should be done in any given situation.
At-me all you want, but that just wasn't warranted.
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.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--G, Carter Hutton
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-31-2018
Carter Hutton
32 yrs. old
6'1" 202 lbs.
Undrafted FA (PHI)
Career stats: 138 games | 63-39-17 record | 2.42 GAA | .915 Sv% | 11 shutouts
If the Buffalo Sabres want to make the playoffs this season a lot will be riding on the shoulders of their goalkeepers. Sabres GM Jason Botterill entered the 2018 off season needing to fill both his vacant goalie slots and after saying that 25 yr. old rookie Linus Ullmark would be on the roster Botterill proceeded to sign free agent Carter Hutton to a 3yr./$8.25 million free agent contract on July 1. The former St. Louis Blue was coming off of a career year posting a 17-7-3 record with a 2.09 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
Although their roles will be figured out through camp and into the season, it's hard to think that Hutton will be that 60-game workhorse starter in Buffalo when his 34 starts in 2013-14 represents his career-high. In fact the Thunder Bay, Ontario native has a grand total of only 80 starts in the four seasons since, but with Botterill in a bit of a bind this off season a Hutton/Ullmark 1A/1B goaltending tandem is what Buffalo enters training camp with.
When you look at Hutton's excellent numbers in St. Louis it's best to remember that the Blues were a veteran club with a very strong d-corps that was also supported by their forward group. They had the sixth-best goals-against last average season, have the third-best cumulative GAA (2.49) over the past five seasons and their system has helped have changed the narrative from back-up to potential starter when talking about goalies like Hutton and Brian Elliot. As a premier two-way team, St. Louis was also 14th in the league in cumulative goals-for over the last five seasons averaging 2.81 goals/game.
This off season has been great for the Sabres and there's an excitement in Buffalo that's definitely warranted. The team landed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and Botterill pulled off a couple of solid trades to shore up a big hole on the left side. Conor Sheary and Jeff Skinner, along with Dahlin, should help provide an offensive spark but the Sabres still have a long way to go just to get to respectability. In the last five seasons Buffalo has allowed the third-most goals-against in the league (3.01) and have averaged a league-worst 2.19 goals/game.
That's what Hutton and a bevy of new Sabres are up against this season.
With all the question marks concerning Hutton as a starter (or 1A) for a franchise that has the worst record in the NHL over the last seven seasons, character doesn't seem be one of them. Botterill is very keen to the character trait and a number of his charges within the organization have seen Hutton up close. Buffalo's director of college scouting Jerry Forton was an assistant coach at UMASS-Lowell when Hutton was playing there. Sabres goalie coach Andrew Allen was in the same position when Hutton made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. And Buffalo head coach Phil Housley was an assistant coach in Nashville throughout Hutton's three-year stint with the Predators.
At 32 yrs. old and starting a career when most are into their decline, Hutton likes the opportunity the Sabres are giving him but also knows his role. He'll have the chance to be the No. 1 goalie in Buffalo but he also is being tasked with mentoring Ullmark, who's saying goodbye to the AHL after being the No. 1 goalie in Rochester the last two seasons. “What we’ve learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies. We think it’s a great fit."
That last part bodes extremely well for the Sabres organizationally as Hutton on a three-year deal represents a bridge to the future. It's not a given that Ullmark will be their future No. 1 goalie and the next best prospect is 19 yr. old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen a 2017 second round pick (54th-overall.)
Twenty-two year old Jonas Johanson (2014, 61st) has stumbled thus far at the North American pro level and he may not take the next step. Three years gives the organization enough time to figure out who fits where moving forward.
As for this season, there's a lot going on with a lot of new faces hitting the ice and Buffalo's goaltenders will probably be carrying a heavy load, at least at the start. Most see the Sabres as improved but falling short of the playoffs which is very reasonable at this point but if Hutton (and Ullmark) can solidify the crease?
You never know.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
G, Carter Hutton
Carter Hutton
32 yrs. old
6'1" 202 lbs.
Undrafted FA (PHI)
Career stats: 138 games | 63-39-17 record | 2.42 GAA | .915 Sv% | 11 shutouts
If the Buffalo Sabres want to make the playoffs this season a lot will be riding on the shoulders of their goalkeepers. Sabres GM Jason Botterill entered the 2018 off season needing to fill both his vacant goalie slots and after saying that 25 yr. old rookie Linus Ullmark would be on the roster Botterill proceeded to sign free agent Carter Hutton to a 3yr./$8.25 million free agent contract on July 1. The former St. Louis Blue was coming off of a career year posting a 17-7-3 record with a 2.09 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
Although their roles will be figured out through camp and into the season, it's hard to think that Hutton will be that 60-game workhorse starter in Buffalo when his 34 starts in 2013-14 represents his career-high. In fact the Thunder Bay, Ontario native has a grand total of only 80 starts in the four seasons since, but with Botterill in a bit of a bind this off season a Hutton/Ullmark 1A/1B goaltending tandem is what Buffalo enters training camp with.
When you look at Hutton's excellent numbers in St. Louis it's best to remember that the Blues were a veteran club with a very strong d-corps that was also supported by their forward group. They had the sixth-best goals-against last average season, have the third-best cumulative GAA (2.49) over the past five seasons and their system has helped have changed the narrative from back-up to potential starter when talking about goalies like Hutton and Brian Elliot. As a premier two-way team, St. Louis was also 14th in the league in cumulative goals-for over the last five seasons averaging 2.81 goals/game.
This off season has been great for the Sabres and there's an excitement in Buffalo that's definitely warranted. The team landed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and Botterill pulled off a couple of solid trades to shore up a big hole on the left side. Conor Sheary and Jeff Skinner, along with Dahlin, should help provide an offensive spark but the Sabres still have a long way to go just to get to respectability. In the last five seasons Buffalo has allowed the third-most goals-against in the league (3.01) and have averaged a league-worst 2.19 goals/game.
That's what Hutton and a bevy of new Sabres are up against this season.
With all the question marks concerning Hutton as a starter (or 1A) for a franchise that has the worst record in the NHL over the last seven seasons, character doesn't seem be one of them. Botterill is very keen to the character trait and a number of his charges within the organization have seen Hutton up close. Buffalo's director of college scouting Jerry Forton was an assistant coach at UMASS-Lowell when Hutton was playing there. Sabres goalie coach Andrew Allen was in the same position when Hutton made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. And Buffalo head coach Phil Housley was an assistant coach in Nashville throughout Hutton's three-year stint with the Predators.
At 32 yrs. old and starting a career when most are into their decline, Hutton likes the opportunity the Sabres are giving him but also knows his role. He'll have the chance to be the No. 1 goalie in Buffalo but he also is being tasked with mentoring Ullmark, who's saying goodbye to the AHL after being the No. 1 goalie in Rochester the last two seasons. “What we’ve learned about Carter," said Botterill, "is he has the confidence in the No. 1 role and also has a history of working with young goalies. We think it’s a great fit."
That last part bodes extremely well for the Sabres organizationally as Hutton on a three-year deal represents a bridge to the future. It's not a given that Ullmark will be their future No. 1 goalie and the next best prospect is 19 yr. old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen a 2017 second round pick (54th-overall.)
Twenty-two year old Jonas Johanson (2014, 61st) has stumbled thus far at the North American pro level and he may not take the next step. Three years gives the organization enough time to figure out who fits where moving forward.
As for this season, there's a lot going on with a lot of new faces hitting the ice and Buffalo's goaltenders will probably be carrying a heavy load, at least at the start. Most see the Sabres as improved but falling short of the playoffs which is very reasonable at this point but if Hutton (and Ullmark) can solidify the crease?
You never know.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
G, Carter Hutton
Monday, July 2, 2018
Hutton, Wedgwood and Wilson. Law Firm? No, they're Buffalo Sabres
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-1-2018
The John Tavares 7-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs was the bombshell dropped earlier this afternoon in an otherwise lame "Free Agent Frenzy."
It certainly was a Happy Canada Day at the "Center of the Hockey Universe" as hometown boy Tavares shunned new management and a new coach on Long Island and went home to roost with the Leafs. He signed a relatively reasonable free agent deal that will pay him $11 million per season for the next seven years.
Most in Sabreland knew the Buffalo was never seriously in the running for Tavares so his signing somewhere else was barely a blip, save for the fact that one of the best and most respected centers in the league is head to a rival. There's a giddiness in Toronto, as there should be. For years any top free agent, especially with ties to the city and the surrounding area, was somehow destined for the Leafs no matter how far-fetched the idea may have been. But this time it came true.
Good for Tavares on his big money, long term deal and...ummm...you did good, Leaf Nation.
In Buffalo big fireworks were expected to emanate from a pending Ryan O'Reilly deal to any of a small number of teams. That never happened as the St. Louis Blues signed free agent center Tyler Bozak (TOR) to a three-year, $15 million deal and Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is said to be content waiting on 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling, their 2017 first round pick (27th overall) to develop into the top-six centers they're projected to be. Both St. Louis and Montreal were said to be desperate for a top-six center, like O'Reilly, but apparently the price is a little steep.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill is said to be fine with keeping O'Reilly and it may be a good thing, at least for this season that they do. Although the Sabres can't match the Leafs firepower on the wing, down the middle they can throw Jack Eichel, O'Reilly and Casey Mittelstadt against Toronto's top-three of Auston Matthews, Tavares and Nazem Kadri.
As for any hope that Buffalo would land some desperately needed help at left wing, about the only player they may have been interested in a very, very thin market would have been Michael Grabner (NYR) who ended up signing a three year deal with Arizona for a $3.35 million AAV, which is roughly twice what he made in NY.
Buffalo did sign a left winger as they brought back Scott Wilson. Botterill traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last season and did not tender him an offer making Wilson a free agent. The club and the player agreed to a two-year contract with a $1.05 million cap hit.
Where Botterill really got to work was in goal, an area that desperately needed attention. With the team not tendering arbitration-eligible starter Robin Lehner and letting backup Chad Johnson walk, the Sabres only had one goalie for Buffalo--Linus Ullmark.
In the worst kept secret in the NHL, Carter Hutton (STL) signed a three year deal with the Sabres. The big question with him what the price would be as some rumors had him in the $4 million/season area. That was not the case, however, as Botterill got his 1A/1B goalie for $2.75 AAV for three seasons.
Hutton had connections to the Sabres as he played three seasons in Nashville as a backup when Buffalo coach Phil Housley was an assistant with the Predators and he also played two years in Rockford (AHL) when present Sabres goalie coach Andrew Allen was there. Hutton is said to be a high-character locker-room guy, something that the Sabres are focused upon.
The 33 yr. old is thrilled to be in Buffalo. He said via conference call that he was excited about Rasmus Dahlin being drafted first overall by the Sabres and looks forward to the future with him. He's a heck of a player and the excitement in Buffalo is just huge," Hutton said to the media on the call. "I'm so excited to go to this market. The last few years, they've just been dying for a team to win some games here. I'm excited to come and be a part of that. I think this young kid is going to be a big difference maker, and it's going to be nice having him in front of me."
The Sabres also signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way deal. He's expected to be the starter in Rochester this season.
For those who expected fireworks from the Sabres today, there weren't any, except the ones we could see from across the lake. However, what they were able to do today with goaltending, was a pretty big step for this coming year and hopefully beyond.
The John Tavares 7-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs was the bombshell dropped earlier this afternoon in an otherwise lame "Free Agent Frenzy."
It certainly was a Happy Canada Day at the "Center of the Hockey Universe" as hometown boy Tavares shunned new management and a new coach on Long Island and went home to roost with the Leafs. He signed a relatively reasonable free agent deal that will pay him $11 million per season for the next seven years.
Most in Sabreland knew the Buffalo was never seriously in the running for Tavares so his signing somewhere else was barely a blip, save for the fact that one of the best and most respected centers in the league is head to a rival. There's a giddiness in Toronto, as there should be. For years any top free agent, especially with ties to the city and the surrounding area, was somehow destined for the Leafs no matter how far-fetched the idea may have been. But this time it came true.
Good for Tavares on his big money, long term deal and...ummm...you did good, Leaf Nation.
In Buffalo big fireworks were expected to emanate from a pending Ryan O'Reilly deal to any of a small number of teams. That never happened as the St. Louis Blues signed free agent center Tyler Bozak (TOR) to a three-year, $15 million deal and Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is said to be content waiting on 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling, their 2017 first round pick (27th overall) to develop into the top-six centers they're projected to be. Both St. Louis and Montreal were said to be desperate for a top-six center, like O'Reilly, but apparently the price is a little steep.
Buffalo GM Jason Botterill is said to be fine with keeping O'Reilly and it may be a good thing, at least for this season that they do. Although the Sabres can't match the Leafs firepower on the wing, down the middle they can throw Jack Eichel, O'Reilly and Casey Mittelstadt against Toronto's top-three of Auston Matthews, Tavares and Nazem Kadri.
As for any hope that Buffalo would land some desperately needed help at left wing, about the only player they may have been interested in a very, very thin market would have been Michael Grabner (NYR) who ended up signing a three year deal with Arizona for a $3.35 million AAV, which is roughly twice what he made in NY.
Buffalo did sign a left winger as they brought back Scott Wilson. Botterill traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last season and did not tender him an offer making Wilson a free agent. The club and the player agreed to a two-year contract with a $1.05 million cap hit.
Where Botterill really got to work was in goal, an area that desperately needed attention. With the team not tendering arbitration-eligible starter Robin Lehner and letting backup Chad Johnson walk, the Sabres only had one goalie for Buffalo--Linus Ullmark.
In the worst kept secret in the NHL, Carter Hutton (STL) signed a three year deal with the Sabres. The big question with him what the price would be as some rumors had him in the $4 million/season area. That was not the case, however, as Botterill got his 1A/1B goalie for $2.75 AAV for three seasons.
Hutton had connections to the Sabres as he played three seasons in Nashville as a backup when Buffalo coach Phil Housley was an assistant with the Predators and he also played two years in Rockford (AHL) when present Sabres goalie coach Andrew Allen was there. Hutton is said to be a high-character locker-room guy, something that the Sabres are focused upon.
The 33 yr. old is thrilled to be in Buffalo. He said via conference call that he was excited about Rasmus Dahlin being drafted first overall by the Sabres and looks forward to the future with him. He's a heck of a player and the excitement in Buffalo is just huge," Hutton said to the media on the call. "I'm so excited to go to this market. The last few years, they've just been dying for a team to win some games here. I'm excited to come and be a part of that. I think this young kid is going to be a big difference maker, and it's going to be nice having him in front of me."
The Sabres also signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way deal. He's expected to be the starter in Rochester this season.
For those who expected fireworks from the Sabres today, there weren't any, except the ones we could see from across the lake. However, what they were able to do today with goaltending, was a pretty big step for this coming year and hopefully beyond.
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