Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-8-2018
The Rochester Americans brought their show to Buffalo, NY last night in a showdown of the top two teams in the AHL's North Division. Rochester sat atop the division two points ahead of the Cleveland Monsters (CLB) and the two teams faced off in front of a sparse, but very appreciative crowd at KeyBank Center, home the Buffalo Sabres. After their 5-2 win, the Amerks increased their lead in the division to four points and continued a streak that has them snaring 19 of a possible 22 points (9-1-1) in their last 11 games.
Forwards Justin Bailey and Wayne Simpson each scored twice for the Amerks while defenseman Zach Redmond also scored. For Bailey it was his first two goals of the season while Redmond's ninth goal of the season kept him in the lead amongst all AHL defenseman and places him third in the league. The 30 yr. old has had a red-hot start to the season with at least a point in all but two of Rochester's 13 games and has goals in his last four of his last five games.
Here are the highlights from the club:
Meanwhile, the Sabres are in Montreal tonight to take on the Canadiens. This will be the second meeting of the season between the two clubs with Buffalo stealing a come-from-behind win on a late third period powerplay goal by Kyle Okposo in their first meeting.
Buffalo is two points behind Montreal in the standings and has struggled as of late against them. The Sabres are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games vs. Les Habitants including an 0-2-2 record last season.
Here was the lineup from practice yesterday:
Jeff Skinner - Jack Eichel - Jason Pominville
Conor Sheary - Casey Mittelstadt - Kyle Okposo
Evan Rodrigues - Vladimir Sobotka - Sam Reinhart
Patrik Berglund - Johan Larsson - Zemgus Girgensons / Tage Thompson
Jake McCabe - Rasmus Ristolainen
Marco Scandella -Zach Bogosian
Rasmus Dahlin - Nathan Beaulieu
Forward Remi Elie skated with Casey Nelson as an extra defensive pair while Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark were in net.
The Sabres are 1-2-2 in their last five games.
Showing posts with label Justin Bailey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Bailey. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2018
Monday, October 1, 2018
Report: Justin Bailey, Nicholas Baptiste, Matt Tennyson waived by BUF
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-29-2018
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reported three Buffalo Sabres on his list of NHL players waived by NHL teams. According to Lavoie, forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste, along with defenseman Matt Tennyson were waived by the team. No official announcement has been made.
With those moves the Sabres now have 16 forwards on the roster including injured players Johan Larsson and Sean Malone. The forward lineup has:
Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville, Patrik Berglund, Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary (who was injured but has begun skating,) Zemgus Girgensons, Scott Wilson, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Evan Rodrigues, and Alexander Nylander.
The Tennyson move allow for rookie free agent Lawrence Pilut to stay with the club as Buffalo's d-corps has Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian (injured,) Marco Scandella, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Hunwick (injured,) Jake McCabe, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Nelson.
Bailey and Baptiste both were drafted in 2013 (2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively) and had similar roads to this point. Both finished junior and skated for the Rochester Americans (Bailey 159 games, Baptiste 157) and had ample time to make an impression with the big club (Bailey 52 games for Buffalo, Baptiste 47.)
The duo were supposed to put Buffalo in a very difficult situation during training camp and neither would be waiver-exempt and it was thought that the Sabres might want to keep one or both and send down a waiver-exempt player or two. Unfortunately neither made an impresson this season despite their speed. Buffalo decided to keep Nylander, who had an excellent camp and Thompson, who looked real good for stretches. They also kept young vet Girgensons over both Bailey and Baptiste.
The probability factor that each player might get claimed leans more towards yes, but with a long list of players being waived as teams get ready to finalize their rosters one or both might slip through.
As for Tennyson, he's been through this movie before. Although Sabres head coach Phil Housley said he like a lot of what Tennyson brought to the table, Pilut, who is waivers-exempt, had too good a camp to deny.
The Sabres are off today and will resume practice tomorrow.
*****
For those of us who weren't in Oshawa, Ontario for last nigh
t's Sabres/NY Islanders game, Buffalo defeated NY 5-4 to finish preseason with a win.
Highlights from the game have been very slow to surface but Sabres.com finally released them. Girgensons, Nelson, Dahlin and Skinner (2) all scored for Buffalo, which you can view here:
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reported three Buffalo Sabres on his list of NHL players waived by NHL teams. According to Lavoie, forwards Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste, along with defenseman Matt Tennyson were waived by the team. No official announcement has been made.
With those moves the Sabres now have 16 forwards on the roster including injured players Johan Larsson and Sean Malone. The forward lineup has:
Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville, Patrik Berglund, Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary (who was injured but has begun skating,) Zemgus Girgensons, Scott Wilson, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Evan Rodrigues, and Alexander Nylander.
The Tennyson move allow for rookie free agent Lawrence Pilut to stay with the club as Buffalo's d-corps has Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian (injured,) Marco Scandella, Nathan Beaulieu, Matt Hunwick (injured,) Jake McCabe, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Nelson.
Bailey and Baptiste both were drafted in 2013 (2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively) and had similar roads to this point. Both finished junior and skated for the Rochester Americans (Bailey 159 games, Baptiste 157) and had ample time to make an impression with the big club (Bailey 52 games for Buffalo, Baptiste 47.)
The duo were supposed to put Buffalo in a very difficult situation during training camp and neither would be waiver-exempt and it was thought that the Sabres might want to keep one or both and send down a waiver-exempt player or two. Unfortunately neither made an impresson this season despite their speed. Buffalo decided to keep Nylander, who had an excellent camp and Thompson, who looked real good for stretches. They also kept young vet Girgensons over both Bailey and Baptiste.
The probability factor that each player might get claimed leans more towards yes, but with a long list of players being waived as teams get ready to finalize their rosters one or both might slip through.
As for Tennyson, he's been through this movie before. Although Sabres head coach Phil Housley said he like a lot of what Tennyson brought to the table, Pilut, who is waivers-exempt, had too good a camp to deny.
The Sabres are off today and will resume practice tomorrow.
*****
For those of us who weren't in Oshawa, Ontario for last nigh
t's Sabres/NY Islanders game, Buffalo defeated NY 5-4 to finish preseason with a win.
Highlights from the game have been very slow to surface but Sabres.com finally released them. Girgensons, Nelson, Dahlin and Skinner (2) all scored for Buffalo, which you can view here:
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--The field
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-28-2018
The Buffalo Sabers head up to Oshawa, Ontario to take on the NY Islanders in their final preseason game.
Yes, you read that right, Oshawa, Ontario.
The city of about 160,000 is home to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL which boasts a long lineage of great players that have played for the club including Bobby Orr, Alex Delvecchio, Dave Andreychuk and Eric Lindros. Another big name, and more recent, is that of John Tavares, who was a member of the Islanders up until this off season when he signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Other Generals alum who were with the Islanders but have moved on are defenseman Calvin de Haan, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and prospect Michael del Colle, who was sent to Bridgeport (AHL.) Such was the impetus behind the 2017 planning of the game, but fans looking to see a Generals/Islanders connections will have to settle for Cal Clutterbuck.
It's and awkward situation overall but for the Sabres it's just another preseason game on the road in a different venue. The Sabres were tabbed for the Kraft Hockeyville USA game earlier this week in Clinton, NY which has a population of roughly 1,900. Buffalo played the Columbus Blue Jackets at Clinton Arena which is akin to playing a preseason game at HarborCenter save for the shorter ice and corners that were more square than an NHL rink. It might be safe to say that it was a great experience as the Sabres and Jackets brought the NHL to an intimate setting while also tapping into their early hockey roots playing in a "barn" like that.
The atmosphere should be similar at Tribute Communities Center in Oshawa tonight. Although the Center holds just over 6,000 when standing room is included, it's still a much smaller venue for an NHL team and the smaller city should make for an event similar to what took place in Clinton.
Regardless of the venue, there are 32 players that remain with the Sabers and only a few roster spots up for grabs. All but one player that is on the projected roster we began building in August are still either entrenched in the lineup or are in the mix for a couple of openings. Center Rasmus Asplund was sent to Rochester in a move that wasn't too surprising as the rookie played solid hockey but really didn't do much to separate himself from the crowd. Injuries to projected top-nine winger Conor Sheary and defenseman Zach Bogosian have opened up a couple more spots all of which will be filled by players from this group, with those just outside the top-three looking at reserve roles.
LW, Alexander Nylander
When Nylander was drafted with the eight-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, his skating and skills were never in doubt as most felt that he had possibly the best skill-set of any player in his draft class. The knock on him has always been compete and that followed him into the pros as he made the jump directly to AHL as an 18 yr. old.
That same profile followed him into camp this year although Buffalo GM Jason Botterill reminded everyone that Nylander was still only 20 yrs. old and that most players are just hitting the pro ranks at his age. We were also reminded that a preseason injury pretty much scuttled much of his 2017-18 season and heard that he was determined to make an impact at camp this year.
That he did.
He's been one of Buffalo's best forwards this preseason and with Sheary sidelinded, as of right now Nylander looks to have a spot in the top-six to lose for Thursday's opener against the Boston Bruins. Even if Sheary were healthy, Nylander looks to have had the type of camp that would put him on the roster opening night. Good for him and good for the Sabres.
F, Evan Rodrigues
Rodrigues is entering his fourth pro season after leaving Boston University and signing with the Sabres as a free agent. The versatile forward has worked his way up the pro ranks and has showed definitive year-over-year progress in both Rochester and Buffalo.
Last season was yet another step forward for Rodrigues. After suffering an injury in camp which derailed his NHL plans, Rodrigues hit Rochester for an eight-game stint and scored 10 points (5+5.) He was with Buffalo for 48 games scoring seven goals and adding 18 assists.
Sabres coach Phil Housley has a player in Rodrigues that he can play up and down the lineup at either left wing or center and will be consistent game-in, game-out. The demotion of Asplund means that Rodrigues might find himself in a two-way winger role on the third-line. Although he's played better at center, right now Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and veteran Patrik Berglund look to be locks there which means Rodrigues could start out on the wing. And we're pretty sure he doesn't care as long as he plays.
D, Lawrence Pilut
The 22 yr. old Swedish defenseman has been making some waves at camp and has caught the eye of Housley. "I think it's just his calmness and poise with the puck," Housley told the media at practice the other day. "He attacks the game the right way. He gets into the play, he'll make those moves on the blue line. It shows the confidence he has in his abilities."
Pilut has never seen a play he wasn't ready to jump into which is the way Housley played the game. However, it looks as if Pilut may have a little more going for him on the defensive side of the equation.
The injury to Bogosian is a huge opportunity for one of the remaining defensemen still with the club and Pilut may have had the best camp thus far amongst a group that includes Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey.
D, Nathan Beaulieu
Beaulieu has all the skating and puck-moving abilities that Housley and Co. love from their defenseman. The 17th-ovearll pick in 2011 came to Buffalo last year in a trade with the Montreal Canadians and Sabres fans were curious as to why he fell from a top-pairing spot with Shea Weber all the way to the pressbox. Last season they got a pretty good look as to why that happened.
For all the great skills and qualities Beaulieu has, he has a brain fart on the ice seemingly almost every game and it's why the 25 yr, old young vet of 284 NHL games sees himself in a battle with an undrafted rookie like Pilut who is making his North American debut this year.
F, Justin Bailey
Bailey is one of two players drafted in 2013 who hit Rochester in 2015-16. The 23 yr. old has played in 159 games AHL games and 52 NHL games making some solid progress along the way.
Drafted as a powerforward with a good scoring touch, Bailey has yet to have offensive skills translate to the NHL-level and it looks as if his ceiling is that of a bottom-six role player. He still has great size (6'4" 214 lbs) and has tremendous speed which has been on display all camp. Bailey is no longer waiver-exempt which could have put the Sabres in a very difficult position. However, a foot injury to Johan Larsson, who's considered day-to-day looks to have put that decision on hold.
F, Nicholas Baptiste
Is the second of the 2013 draft picks who was with the Amerks beginning in 2015-16. Like Bailey, Baptiste has spent the majority of his time with Rochester (157 games) while also getting a good taste of the NHL game with Buffalo (47 games.)
Baptiste also has speed and size but seems to have little more offensive acumen a higher ceiling than Bailey. However, he's yet to stand out this camp and it will be an interesting decision for Buffalo as Baptiste has also lost his waiver-exempt status.
RW, Tage Thompson
When you see a young guy like Thompson pull off a play like he did against Leafs a week ago, the wow-factor of a 6'5" 205 lb. forward who can create separation like that and finish with a wicked shot whets your appetite to see him skating in a Sabres uniform this year.
Thompson was a 2016 first-rounder (26th-overall) of the St. Louis Blues and has spent nearly the same number of games (41) in the NHL as he has in the AHL (46.) As it stands right now, Thompson is behind at least two right wingers on the club--Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo--and because of Jason Pominville's status both contractually and as a vet on the team, Thompson might only see fourth-line duty with the Sabres at this juncture.
Although it doesn't mean he's worse than a player like Pominville, it wouldn't seem as if Housley will want too many question marks heading into the season as he wants to get off to a fast start. Thompson still has waiver-exempt status and could use more seasoning in the AHL to develop consistency to his game. He's got top-six talent but right now for Buffalo there's really no need to rush him.
D, Brendan Guhle
Might be the most disappointing Sabre at camp this year. That said, perhaps expectations were a little too high for the 21 yr. old second-rounder (51st overall, 2015) entering camp as he's wowed us ever since his first camp three years ago. Guhle's skating and athleticism are top-notch, he has some excellent on-ice vision and can lay the body on people. Although he was never touted as a scorer, Guhle has been able to put up solid point totals in the AHL.
Consistency is the big issue with him at this point in his very young career. With an organization that's steadfast in proper development, the emergence of Pilut as a roster possibility to start the season and Guhle's waiver-exempt status, he could be due for another year of seasoning in the AHL with intermittent call-ups as needed.
F, Johan Larsson
Prior to his foot injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, Larsson seemed like a bubble player. He had a rough season last year and despite coming to camp with a different attitude and a sharper focus, Larsson hasn't had an impact in a bottom-six role. Add to that his lack of speed, which most other bubble forwards have, and it looked as if he was on the way out prior to his injury.
D, Brandon Hickey
Hickey was acquired in the Hudson Fasching trade with Arizona. The Boston University product who signed with the Sabres after the trade has had a solid camp in a steady, stay-at-home defenseman role for the club. Although still raw for the pro ranks, Hickey plays the game with a lot of poise. He was a very long shot to make the club but should be a strong addition to an already strong Amerks blueline.
D, Matt Tennyson
Last year Tennyson was the beneficiary of a rash of blueline injuries in Buffalo and ended up playing in 15 games for the Sabres. Unfortunately things didn't go well for him or the team last season in Buffalo and he was sent to Rochester. This year he's behind quite a few players in the pecking order.
F, Sean Malone
It's a shame that Malone was injured as he was having an eye-brow raising camp. The 2013 sixth-rounder (159th overall) relishes his role as a checking line center that does all the dirty work and he was performing every bit the part until suffering a knee injury a week-and-a-half ago. The West Seneca, NY native will have a six week recovery time before heading to Rochester once deemed healthy.
D, Matt Hunwick
Acquired from the Penguins along with Sheary, Hunwick suffered a neck injury in camp that have some thinking that it might be career threatening for the 33 yr. old.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues, Justin Bailey
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
Lawrence Pilut, Nathan Beaulieu
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
The Buffalo Sabers head up to Oshawa, Ontario to take on the NY Islanders in their final preseason game.
Yes, you read that right, Oshawa, Ontario.
The city of about 160,000 is home to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL which boasts a long lineage of great players that have played for the club including Bobby Orr, Alex Delvecchio, Dave Andreychuk and Eric Lindros. Another big name, and more recent, is that of John Tavares, who was a member of the Islanders up until this off season when he signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Other Generals alum who were with the Islanders but have moved on are defenseman Calvin de Haan, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and prospect Michael del Colle, who was sent to Bridgeport (AHL.) Such was the impetus behind the 2017 planning of the game, but fans looking to see a Generals/Islanders connections will have to settle for Cal Clutterbuck.
It's and awkward situation overall but for the Sabres it's just another preseason game on the road in a different venue. The Sabres were tabbed for the Kraft Hockeyville USA game earlier this week in Clinton, NY which has a population of roughly 1,900. Buffalo played the Columbus Blue Jackets at Clinton Arena which is akin to playing a preseason game at HarborCenter save for the shorter ice and corners that were more square than an NHL rink. It might be safe to say that it was a great experience as the Sabres and Jackets brought the NHL to an intimate setting while also tapping into their early hockey roots playing in a "barn" like that.
The atmosphere should be similar at Tribute Communities Center in Oshawa tonight. Although the Center holds just over 6,000 when standing room is included, it's still a much smaller venue for an NHL team and the smaller city should make for an event similar to what took place in Clinton.
Regardless of the venue, there are 32 players that remain with the Sabers and only a few roster spots up for grabs. All but one player that is on the projected roster we began building in August are still either entrenched in the lineup or are in the mix for a couple of openings. Center Rasmus Asplund was sent to Rochester in a move that wasn't too surprising as the rookie played solid hockey but really didn't do much to separate himself from the crowd. Injuries to projected top-nine winger Conor Sheary and defenseman Zach Bogosian have opened up a couple more spots all of which will be filled by players from this group, with those just outside the top-three looking at reserve roles.
LW, Alexander Nylander
When Nylander was drafted with the eight-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, his skating and skills were never in doubt as most felt that he had possibly the best skill-set of any player in his draft class. The knock on him has always been compete and that followed him into the pros as he made the jump directly to AHL as an 18 yr. old.
That same profile followed him into camp this year although Buffalo GM Jason Botterill reminded everyone that Nylander was still only 20 yrs. old and that most players are just hitting the pro ranks at his age. We were also reminded that a preseason injury pretty much scuttled much of his 2017-18 season and heard that he was determined to make an impact at camp this year.
That he did.
He's been one of Buffalo's best forwards this preseason and with Sheary sidelinded, as of right now Nylander looks to have a spot in the top-six to lose for Thursday's opener against the Boston Bruins. Even if Sheary were healthy, Nylander looks to have had the type of camp that would put him on the roster opening night. Good for him and good for the Sabres.
F, Evan Rodrigues
Rodrigues is entering his fourth pro season after leaving Boston University and signing with the Sabres as a free agent. The versatile forward has worked his way up the pro ranks and has showed definitive year-over-year progress in both Rochester and Buffalo.
Last season was yet another step forward for Rodrigues. After suffering an injury in camp which derailed his NHL plans, Rodrigues hit Rochester for an eight-game stint and scored 10 points (5+5.) He was with Buffalo for 48 games scoring seven goals and adding 18 assists.
Sabres coach Phil Housley has a player in Rodrigues that he can play up and down the lineup at either left wing or center and will be consistent game-in, game-out. The demotion of Asplund means that Rodrigues might find himself in a two-way winger role on the third-line. Although he's played better at center, right now Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and veteran Patrik Berglund look to be locks there which means Rodrigues could start out on the wing. And we're pretty sure he doesn't care as long as he plays.
D, Lawrence Pilut
The 22 yr. old Swedish defenseman has been making some waves at camp and has caught the eye of Housley. "I think it's just his calmness and poise with the puck," Housley told the media at practice the other day. "He attacks the game the right way. He gets into the play, he'll make those moves on the blue line. It shows the confidence he has in his abilities."
Pilut has never seen a play he wasn't ready to jump into which is the way Housley played the game. However, it looks as if Pilut may have a little more going for him on the defensive side of the equation.
The injury to Bogosian is a huge opportunity for one of the remaining defensemen still with the club and Pilut may have had the best camp thus far amongst a group that includes Nathan Beaulieu, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey.
D, Nathan Beaulieu
Beaulieu has all the skating and puck-moving abilities that Housley and Co. love from their defenseman. The 17th-ovearll pick in 2011 came to Buffalo last year in a trade with the Montreal Canadians and Sabres fans were curious as to why he fell from a top-pairing spot with Shea Weber all the way to the pressbox. Last season they got a pretty good look as to why that happened.
For all the great skills and qualities Beaulieu has, he has a brain fart on the ice seemingly almost every game and it's why the 25 yr, old young vet of 284 NHL games sees himself in a battle with an undrafted rookie like Pilut who is making his North American debut this year.
F, Justin Bailey
Bailey is one of two players drafted in 2013 who hit Rochester in 2015-16. The 23 yr. old has played in 159 games AHL games and 52 NHL games making some solid progress along the way.
Drafted as a powerforward with a good scoring touch, Bailey has yet to have offensive skills translate to the NHL-level and it looks as if his ceiling is that of a bottom-six role player. He still has great size (6'4" 214 lbs) and has tremendous speed which has been on display all camp. Bailey is no longer waiver-exempt which could have put the Sabres in a very difficult position. However, a foot injury to Johan Larsson, who's considered day-to-day looks to have put that decision on hold.
F, Nicholas Baptiste
Is the second of the 2013 draft picks who was with the Amerks beginning in 2015-16. Like Bailey, Baptiste has spent the majority of his time with Rochester (157 games) while also getting a good taste of the NHL game with Buffalo (47 games.)
Baptiste also has speed and size but seems to have little more offensive acumen a higher ceiling than Bailey. However, he's yet to stand out this camp and it will be an interesting decision for Buffalo as Baptiste has also lost his waiver-exempt status.
RW, Tage Thompson
When you see a young guy like Thompson pull off a play like he did against Leafs a week ago, the wow-factor of a 6'5" 205 lb. forward who can create separation like that and finish with a wicked shot whets your appetite to see him skating in a Sabres uniform this year.
Thompson was a 2016 first-rounder (26th-overall) of the St. Louis Blues and has spent nearly the same number of games (41) in the NHL as he has in the AHL (46.) As it stands right now, Thompson is behind at least two right wingers on the club--Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo--and because of Jason Pominville's status both contractually and as a vet on the team, Thompson might only see fourth-line duty with the Sabres at this juncture.
Although it doesn't mean he's worse than a player like Pominville, it wouldn't seem as if Housley will want too many question marks heading into the season as he wants to get off to a fast start. Thompson still has waiver-exempt status and could use more seasoning in the AHL to develop consistency to his game. He's got top-six talent but right now for Buffalo there's really no need to rush him.
D, Brendan Guhle
Might be the most disappointing Sabre at camp this year. That said, perhaps expectations were a little too high for the 21 yr. old second-rounder (51st overall, 2015) entering camp as he's wowed us ever since his first camp three years ago. Guhle's skating and athleticism are top-notch, he has some excellent on-ice vision and can lay the body on people. Although he was never touted as a scorer, Guhle has been able to put up solid point totals in the AHL.
Consistency is the big issue with him at this point in his very young career. With an organization that's steadfast in proper development, the emergence of Pilut as a roster possibility to start the season and Guhle's waiver-exempt status, he could be due for another year of seasoning in the AHL with intermittent call-ups as needed.
F, Johan Larsson
Prior to his foot injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week, Larsson seemed like a bubble player. He had a rough season last year and despite coming to camp with a different attitude and a sharper focus, Larsson hasn't had an impact in a bottom-six role. Add to that his lack of speed, which most other bubble forwards have, and it looked as if he was on the way out prior to his injury.
D, Brandon Hickey
Hickey was acquired in the Hudson Fasching trade with Arizona. The Boston University product who signed with the Sabres after the trade has had a solid camp in a steady, stay-at-home defenseman role for the club. Although still raw for the pro ranks, Hickey plays the game with a lot of poise. He was a very long shot to make the club but should be a strong addition to an already strong Amerks blueline.
D, Matt Tennyson
Last year Tennyson was the beneficiary of a rash of blueline injuries in Buffalo and ended up playing in 15 games for the Sabres. Unfortunately things didn't go well for him or the team last season in Buffalo and he was sent to Rochester. This year he's behind quite a few players in the pecking order.
F, Sean Malone
It's a shame that Malone was injured as he was having an eye-brow raising camp. The 2013 sixth-rounder (159th overall) relishes his role as a checking line center that does all the dirty work and he was performing every bit the part until suffering a knee injury a week-and-a-half ago. The West Seneca, NY native will have a six week recovery time before heading to Rochester once deemed healthy.
D, Matt Hunwick
Acquired from the Penguins along with Sheary, Hunwick suffered a neck injury in camp that have some thinking that it might be career threatening for the 33 yr. old.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Scott Wilson / C, Zemgus Girgensons / RW, Vladimir Sobotka
Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues, Justin Bailey
LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe / RHD, Casey Nelson
Lawrence Pilut, Nathan Beaulieu
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
And then there were two. Sabres/Justin Bailey agree to deal.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-16-2018
It certainly makes sense that the two remaining Buffalo RFA's--Sam Reinhart and C.J. Smith involve deals that are more difficult to hammer out than putting ink to paper on qualifying offer numbers. Sabres GM Jason Botterill signed C, Sean Malone late last week and on Sunday morning the team announced that forwards Nicholas Baptiste and Danny O'Regan signed as well. Less than six hours later winger Justin Bailey was signed to a one-year, deal.
All four of those forwards signed for one-year, two-way deals for their qualifying amount at the following NHL numbers:
Malone--$787,500
Baptiste--787,500
O'Regan--874,125
Bailey--715,000
All of their AHL salaries are listed at $70,000 according to CapFreindly.
It's a sink or swim year for Bailey, whether it's in Buffalo or somewhere else as the Sabres are loaded with forwards and not enough room for all of them on the big club. The 23 yr. old powerforward has an intriguing size/skating package and although his skills seem somewhat limited at this time, the 6'3" 214 lb. winger has enough to draw interest should the Sabres waive him at any point.
Bailey was drafted in the second round (52nd-overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft by then GM Darcy Regier. He's one of those players who's on his third GM and a revolving door of coaches at both the NHL and AHL level. He showed plenty of promise in the OHL putting up career numbers in his final season split between the Kitchener Rangers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He turned pro for the 2015-16 season putting up a very solid stat-line of 45 points (20+15) in 70 games for the Rochester Americans and also got a taste of the NHL with eight games played for the Sabres, but failing to hit the scoresheet.
In 2016-17 Bailey appeared in 32 games for the Sabres and only scored two goals and two assists. Last season he scored three goals and added an assist in 12 NHL games which shows some progress.
The right-handed Bailey was drafted as a right-winger but has spent the majority of his pro career playing his off wing as Buffalo is severely lacking left wingers. This may or may not have affected his play but regardless of what side he plays on inconsistency is killing whatever hopes he has of sticking with the big club. Bailey is like many we've seen over the years in that he'll look great for a couple of game, and in the process living up to every positive thing written about him, but fade to the point where he was sent back to Rochester.
This season, however if he doesn't stick with Buffalo and he gets sent down, he probably won't clear waivers and he'll be playing for another team.
The Sabres are loaded with players at this point of the off season. They have 12 NHL forwards right now not including Bailey or Baptiste and minus Reinhart as well. They have seven NHL defensemen which doesn't include Casey Nelson who would need to clear waivers and Brendan Guhle who many see as making a strong push to be on the opening night rosters, but is waivers-exempt.
Also something to keep an eye on is the number of pro contracts Buffalo has. After the Sabres sign Reinhart and Smith they'll have used up 49 of the 50 standard player contracts allowed by the NHL. Something's got to give as that's not a lot of wiggle room heading into the season.
That's something to worry about some other day as Botterill now shifts his focus to Reinhart and Smith. With Reinhart's contract being a more difficult to negotiate, we may see Smith singed sometime soon followed by a Reinhart deal at a later date.
It certainly makes sense that the two remaining Buffalo RFA's--Sam Reinhart and C.J. Smith involve deals that are more difficult to hammer out than putting ink to paper on qualifying offer numbers. Sabres GM Jason Botterill signed C, Sean Malone late last week and on Sunday morning the team announced that forwards Nicholas Baptiste and Danny O'Regan signed as well. Less than six hours later winger Justin Bailey was signed to a one-year, deal.
All four of those forwards signed for one-year, two-way deals for their qualifying amount at the following NHL numbers:
Malone--$787,500
Baptiste--787,500
O'Regan--874,125
Bailey--715,000
All of their AHL salaries are listed at $70,000 according to CapFreindly.
It's a sink or swim year for Bailey, whether it's in Buffalo or somewhere else as the Sabres are loaded with forwards and not enough room for all of them on the big club. The 23 yr. old powerforward has an intriguing size/skating package and although his skills seem somewhat limited at this time, the 6'3" 214 lb. winger has enough to draw interest should the Sabres waive him at any point.
Bailey was drafted in the second round (52nd-overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft by then GM Darcy Regier. He's one of those players who's on his third GM and a revolving door of coaches at both the NHL and AHL level. He showed plenty of promise in the OHL putting up career numbers in his final season split between the Kitchener Rangers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He turned pro for the 2015-16 season putting up a very solid stat-line of 45 points (20+15) in 70 games for the Rochester Americans and also got a taste of the NHL with eight games played for the Sabres, but failing to hit the scoresheet.
In 2016-17 Bailey appeared in 32 games for the Sabres and only scored two goals and two assists. Last season he scored three goals and added an assist in 12 NHL games which shows some progress.
The right-handed Bailey was drafted as a right-winger but has spent the majority of his pro career playing his off wing as Buffalo is severely lacking left wingers. This may or may not have affected his play but regardless of what side he plays on inconsistency is killing whatever hopes he has of sticking with the big club. Bailey is like many we've seen over the years in that he'll look great for a couple of game, and in the process living up to every positive thing written about him, but fade to the point where he was sent back to Rochester.
This season, however if he doesn't stick with Buffalo and he gets sent down, he probably won't clear waivers and he'll be playing for another team.
The Sabres are loaded with players at this point of the off season. They have 12 NHL forwards right now not including Bailey or Baptiste and minus Reinhart as well. They have seven NHL defensemen which doesn't include Casey Nelson who would need to clear waivers and Brendan Guhle who many see as making a strong push to be on the opening night rosters, but is waivers-exempt.
Also something to keep an eye on is the number of pro contracts Buffalo has. After the Sabres sign Reinhart and Smith they'll have used up 49 of the 50 standard player contracts allowed by the NHL. Something's got to give as that's not a lot of wiggle room heading into the season.
That's something to worry about some other day as Botterill now shifts his focus to Reinhart and Smith. With Reinhart's contract being a more difficult to negotiate, we may see Smith singed sometime soon followed by a Reinhart deal at a later date.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Impressions of, and questions concerning--F, Justin Bailey
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-22-2018
Forward--Justin Bailey
DOB: July 1, 1995 (Age, 22)
Draft: 2013, 2nd round (52nd-overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: November 2, 2014, 3yrs./$2,682,500 (1 yr. entry-level slide)
Final year of contract: 2017-18
2017-18 Stats: 12 games played | 3 goals | 1 assist | 4 points | -2 | 11:17 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 52 games | 5 goals | 3 assists | 8 points | -4 | 10:56 ATOI
What we wrote preseason: Although only 22 yrs. old, the big powerforward with impressive skating ability he seems to have learned about all he can from the minors with 81 points (43+38) in 122 AHL games.
[Bailey] made an impression on the penalty kill during preseason which is something that helped separate him from other roster-bubble players. It's a change in philosophy short-handed that may have given him an in to the Sabres roster. According to Bailey, the coaches want more aggressiveness on the kill. "I'm a big guy and I have a long reach with my stick," he told the gathered media this weekend, "and one of my best assets is my legs, so whether it's a loose puck or a rebound or anything like that they want us to be going hard and physical at the guy."
He's smart enough to realize that if the PK is his ticket to the big club, than so be it.
What we wrote mid-season: Bailey impressed early in his call-up but faded. He has all the tools which includes size and speed, and he's shown he can score at the AHL-level, but he hasn't been able to do it consistently at the NHL-level. The 22-yr. old Bailey will probably have outgrown the AHL come next season and it's time for him to put up or shut up. Would make for a very interesting addition in a trade for an upper-level player.
Impressions on his play this year: Bailey was drafted as a right winger out of Kitchener in the OHL but was eventually moved to the left side as the Sabres organization found themselves bereft of left wingers. He was also looked at as a potential top-six/top-nine powerforward but as he's plied his trade at the pro level, expectations have been pared back for him as his production-level hasn't hit those parameters.
Bailey has mad speed and at 6'3" 210 lbs. has intimidating size that he uses, somewhat. And there's the rub. He, like Hudson Fasching and Nicholas Baptiste, among others, has the tendency to come on strong when called up but fade a couple games later as they depart from the qualities they were drafted for. Why that's been happening frequently with Sabres players is hard to say. Players have the tendency to show their strengths when called up as they're full of adrenaline, but perhaps it's not all their fault for the drop off. The Sabres of the past five seasons have struggled even when they weren't tanking and perhaps the atmosphere isn't conducive to bringing out the best in their prospects on a consistent basis.
Regardless of the possible reasons above, Bailey needs to get the job done this season. It's assumed that Buffalo will offer him a bridge deal of one maybe two years and direct Bailey's focus in a bottom-six/fourth line defense/penalty kill role. His days as a scoring prospect are waning and he'll need to do something with the big club as he's out of waiver options. That said, he still has a solid set of skills and that speed/quickness will get him to open areas but in order to move up from what looks like a designated defensive role, Bailey will need to produce, something he hasn't done to the fullest as of yet.
Questions moving forward: What kind of term are we looking at? How much will he embrace that defensive role? Can he contribute offensively in that role, say 10 goals 10 assists? Will he use his speed and strength more often? Who's going to guide him at the NHL-level?
Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.
Forward--Justin Bailey
DOB: July 1, 1995 (Age, 22)
Draft: 2013, 2nd round (52nd-overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: November 2, 2014, 3yrs./$2,682,500 (1 yr. entry-level slide)
Final year of contract: 2017-18
2017-18 Stats: 12 games played | 3 goals | 1 assist | 4 points | -2 | 11:17 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 52 games | 5 goals | 3 assists | 8 points | -4 | 10:56 ATOI
What we wrote preseason: Although only 22 yrs. old, the big powerforward with impressive skating ability he seems to have learned about all he can from the minors with 81 points (43+38) in 122 AHL games.
[Bailey] made an impression on the penalty kill during preseason which is something that helped separate him from other roster-bubble players. It's a change in philosophy short-handed that may have given him an in to the Sabres roster. According to Bailey, the coaches want more aggressiveness on the kill. "I'm a big guy and I have a long reach with my stick," he told the gathered media this weekend, "and one of my best assets is my legs, so whether it's a loose puck or a rebound or anything like that they want us to be going hard and physical at the guy."
He's smart enough to realize that if the PK is his ticket to the big club, than so be it.
What we wrote mid-season: Bailey impressed early in his call-up but faded. He has all the tools which includes size and speed, and he's shown he can score at the AHL-level, but he hasn't been able to do it consistently at the NHL-level. The 22-yr. old Bailey will probably have outgrown the AHL come next season and it's time for him to put up or shut up. Would make for a very interesting addition in a trade for an upper-level player.
Impressions on his play this year: Bailey was drafted as a right winger out of Kitchener in the OHL but was eventually moved to the left side as the Sabres organization found themselves bereft of left wingers. He was also looked at as a potential top-six/top-nine powerforward but as he's plied his trade at the pro level, expectations have been pared back for him as his production-level hasn't hit those parameters.
Bailey has mad speed and at 6'3" 210 lbs. has intimidating size that he uses, somewhat. And there's the rub. He, like Hudson Fasching and Nicholas Baptiste, among others, has the tendency to come on strong when called up but fade a couple games later as they depart from the qualities they were drafted for. Why that's been happening frequently with Sabres players is hard to say. Players have the tendency to show their strengths when called up as they're full of adrenaline, but perhaps it's not all their fault for the drop off. The Sabres of the past five seasons have struggled even when they weren't tanking and perhaps the atmosphere isn't conducive to bringing out the best in their prospects on a consistent basis.
Regardless of the possible reasons above, Bailey needs to get the job done this season. It's assumed that Buffalo will offer him a bridge deal of one maybe two years and direct Bailey's focus in a bottom-six/fourth line defense/penalty kill role. His days as a scoring prospect are waning and he'll need to do something with the big club as he's out of waiver options. That said, he still has a solid set of skills and that speed/quickness will get him to open areas but in order to move up from what looks like a designated defensive role, Bailey will need to produce, something he hasn't done to the fullest as of yet.
Questions moving forward: What kind of term are we looking at? How much will he embrace that defensive role? Can he contribute offensively in that role, say 10 goals 10 assists? Will he use his speed and strength more often? Who's going to guide him at the NHL-level?
Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Sabres fall to bottom of league, time to get a good look at the youngins
Published by hockeybuzz, 3-14-2018
With Arizona's 4-3 shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings last night, the Coyotes moved from the bottom of the league into 30th place. The team they just jumped?
The Buffalo Sabres.
Right now, with 13 games left in the regular season the Buffalo is in an all too familiar spot with the yes of Sabreland fixated upon the NHL Draft Lottery and the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas, TX. However, before they get there the front office and coaching staff seem intent upon getting a good look at their young players before heading into the off season.
With the Rochester Americans all but assured of making the playoffs for the first time in three years, there is time for some of their key players to get a good taste of the NHL before they begin their post season. Yesterday Buffalo called up goalie Linus Ullmark, who's looking like he'll be the team MVP once again, and this morning the Sabres called up forward Justin Bailey. The duo will join forward Nicolas Baptiste who's been up for a dozen games dating back to February 13 and defenseman Brendan Guhle who was called up March 4.
Defenseman Casey Nelson spent the first half of the season in Rochester and was recalled on January 17, playing in 25 games for the Sabres while forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Seth Griffith were recent recalls, with the latter two suffering injuries during their short stints.
That's a lot of youth and a lot of focus on the future of the Buffalo Sabres. As it should be. At yesterday's practice veterans Benotit Pouliot, Jacob Josefson and Jordan Nolan made up the Sabres fourth line while veteran d-men Josh Gorges and Justin Falk were the fourth pair.
Of all the moves, maybe Ullmark's was the most curious since it seems as if both Robin Lehner and backup Chad Johnson seem healthy, but it's also the most logical considering the Amerks are pretty much assured a playoff spot and Rochester backup Adam Wilcox has been more than dependable. Sabres head coach Phil Housley put it this way concerning Ullmark, "We felt it was a good time to call Linus up," he told the gathered media post-practice yesterday. "He's certainly deserved to be up here. We're going to continue to evaluate all our players, especially our goaltenders. … He's going to get an opportunity. When that is, I don't know."
Where, or even if, Bailey fits in to plans for tomorrows game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs may have a lot to do with how Jack Eichel feels. Eichel has been sidelined since a high-ankle sprain felled him in a game against the Boston Bruins on February 10. Although those at the rink said he looked like never missed a beat during a very tough first practice, how he recovers today and tomorrow will determine whether or not he's a go.
All that said, here's where the Sabres are right now in the standings:
26th--Montreal (64 points)
27th--Detroit (63)
28th--Ottawa (61)
29th--Vancouver (59)
30th--Arizona (57)
31st--Buffalo (56)
With 13 games remaining in the season, the Sabres are in last place and if the season were to end now, they'd have a 18.5% chance of winning the lottery to select first-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
31st place--18.5%
30th--12.5
29th--10.5
28th--9.5
27th--8.5
26th--7.6
There is an NHL lottery simulator web site which has become very popular for Sabres fans the last few years, when you go there you can pick the winners for the first three spots in the draft.
For today this is what I came up with:
1. Calgary
2. NY Rangers
3. Buffalo
*****
4. Arizona
5. Vancouver
With Arizona's 4-3 shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings last night, the Coyotes moved from the bottom of the league into 30th place. The team they just jumped?
The Buffalo Sabres.
Right now, with 13 games left in the regular season the Buffalo is in an all too familiar spot with the yes of Sabreland fixated upon the NHL Draft Lottery and the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas, TX. However, before they get there the front office and coaching staff seem intent upon getting a good look at their young players before heading into the off season.
With the Rochester Americans all but assured of making the playoffs for the first time in three years, there is time for some of their key players to get a good taste of the NHL before they begin their post season. Yesterday Buffalo called up goalie Linus Ullmark, who's looking like he'll be the team MVP once again, and this morning the Sabres called up forward Justin Bailey. The duo will join forward Nicolas Baptiste who's been up for a dozen games dating back to February 13 and defenseman Brendan Guhle who was called up March 4.
Defenseman Casey Nelson spent the first half of the season in Rochester and was recalled on January 17, playing in 25 games for the Sabres while forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Seth Griffith were recent recalls, with the latter two suffering injuries during their short stints.
That's a lot of youth and a lot of focus on the future of the Buffalo Sabres. As it should be. At yesterday's practice veterans Benotit Pouliot, Jacob Josefson and Jordan Nolan made up the Sabres fourth line while veteran d-men Josh Gorges and Justin Falk were the fourth pair.
Of all the moves, maybe Ullmark's was the most curious since it seems as if both Robin Lehner and backup Chad Johnson seem healthy, but it's also the most logical considering the Amerks are pretty much assured a playoff spot and Rochester backup Adam Wilcox has been more than dependable. Sabres head coach Phil Housley put it this way concerning Ullmark, "We felt it was a good time to call Linus up," he told the gathered media post-practice yesterday. "He's certainly deserved to be up here. We're going to continue to evaluate all our players, especially our goaltenders. … He's going to get an opportunity. When that is, I don't know."
Where, or even if, Bailey fits in to plans for tomorrows game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs may have a lot to do with how Jack Eichel feels. Eichel has been sidelined since a high-ankle sprain felled him in a game against the Boston Bruins on February 10. Although those at the rink said he looked like never missed a beat during a very tough first practice, how he recovers today and tomorrow will determine whether or not he's a go.
All that said, here's where the Sabres are right now in the standings:
26th--Montreal (64 points)
27th--Detroit (63)
28th--Ottawa (61)
29th--Vancouver (59)
30th--Arizona (57)
31st--Buffalo (56)
With 13 games remaining in the season, the Sabres are in last place and if the season were to end now, they'd have a 18.5% chance of winning the lottery to select first-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
31st place--18.5%
30th--12.5
29th--10.5
28th--9.5
27th--8.5
26th--7.6
There is an NHL lottery simulator web site which has become very popular for Sabres fans the last few years, when you go there you can pick the winners for the first three spots in the draft.
For today this is what I came up with:
1. Calgary
2. NY Rangers
3. Buffalo
*****
4. Arizona
5. Vancouver
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Countdown: 13 games left, standings, plus NHL Lottery Simulator
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-11-2018
With their shootout loss yesterday to the Vegas Golden Knight, the Buffalo Sabres now sit at 56 points on the season with a 22-35-12 record and a 30th spot in the league standings:
26th--Detroit (63 points)
27th--Montreal (62)
28th--Vancouver (59)
29th--Ottawa (57)
30th--Buffalo (56)
31st--Arizona (53)
Having four teams (DET, MTL, OTT, BUF) in the bottom-six doesn't bode well for the Atlantic Division in general, but the Sabres have done surprisingly well going 10-7-4 against their divisional foes. And with yesterday's 2-1 overtime loss, they managed to break an ugly two-game pointless streak on their designated Kids Day matinee game. In the two games prior to yesterday, the Sabres lost 7-1 to the Dallas Stars back in January and 4-2 last month versus the LA Kings in a game where it was 4-0 and their putrid play drew GM Jason Botterill's ire in the pressbox.
Highlights yesterday include very little outside of some strong defensive play by Buffalo, a very exciting overtime and a hustle-goal by recalled forward Justin Bailey who used his speed to hit the zone hard and skill to deke Vegas goalie Marc Andre Fleury.
With their shootout loss yesterday to the Vegas Golden Knight, the Buffalo Sabres now sit at 56 points on the season with a 22-35-12 record and a 30th spot in the league standings:
26th--Detroit (63 points)
27th--Montreal (62)
28th--Vancouver (59)
29th--Ottawa (57)
30th--Buffalo (56)
31st--Arizona (53)
Having four teams (DET, MTL, OTT, BUF) in the bottom-six doesn't bode well for the Atlantic Division in general, but the Sabres have done surprisingly well going 10-7-4 against their divisional foes. And with yesterday's 2-1 overtime loss, they managed to break an ugly two-game pointless streak on their designated Kids Day matinee game. In the two games prior to yesterday, the Sabres lost 7-1 to the Dallas Stars back in January and 4-2 last month versus the LA Kings in a game where it was 4-0 and their putrid play drew GM Jason Botterill's ire in the pressbox.
Highlights yesterday include very little outside of some strong defensive play by Buffalo, a very exciting overtime and a hustle-goal by recalled forward Justin Bailey who used his speed to hit the zone hard and skill to deke Vegas goalie Marc Andre Fleury.
(vid courtesy NHL.com)
It was Bailey's third goal of the season for Buffalo and his fourth point in eight games.
Bailey and fellow forward Daniel O'Regan were both sent to Rochester this morning to revitalize a depleted Amerks lineup. With the call-up of Bailey and O'Regan, the Amerks went into a home-and-home yesterday with the Syracuse Crunch (TBL) who are currently second in the AHL's North Divison. Rochester lost to Syracuse yesterday and will play a 3 pm matinee today.
Sabres goalie Robin Lehner was in goal yesterday and was enjoying a rock solid game until he got itchy feet and ended up overplaying the puck carrier to his left. With Lehner flopping on the play the puck went behind the net and was pin-balled into the net off of defenseman Marco Scandella who was face down in the crease.
Overtime was a hoot and packed more action into five minutes than there was in the entire 60-minute regulation. Lehner, who did not stop a single shot all last season in the shootout found himself in his second consecutive 'skills competition' and did an admirable job, but Jacob Josefson's lone shootout goal wasn't enough as the Golden Knights won.
With 13 games remaining in the season, the Sabres are in second to last place and if the season were to end now, they'd have a 12.5% chance of winning the lottery to select first-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
31st place--18.5%
30th--12.5
29th--10.5
28th--9.5
27th--8.5
26th--7.6
There is an NHL lottery simulator web site which has become very popular for Sabres fans the last few years, when you go there you can pick the winners for the first three spots in the draft and for today this is what I came up with:
1. Ottawa
2.. Edmonton
3. Montreal
-----
4. Arizona
5. Buffalo
Cheers!
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Game night--Pittsburgh. News and notes
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-14-2017
“That’s my job, my job is to produce and I haven’t produced in the fashion I would’ve liked in the beginning of the year.”--Sabres center, Jack Eichel after practice yesterday.
Such is the case for the soon to be $10 million a year franchise center. In fact not only has he been in a scoring slump, the entire team has, to the tune of six goals (including on empty net) in the last four games. Were it not for some pretty stout goaltending, this team would be on a losing streak instead of being 1-2-1 in their last four.
What's so exasperating with this club right now is that they're playing well. Sabres coach Phil Housley has pulled things back in an effort to try and move the team forward. The Sabres started out with a fine game against the Montreal Canadiens to open the season, but lost 3-2 in overtime. They followed that up with two disasters as they tried to run before learning how to walk. Although Buffalo did suffer a few lopsided defeats game-to-game, and even within games, they've been playing the kind of aggressive hockey that leads to good things.
Unfortunately for this team good things have been happening, but not enough good things to get them more goals and more victories.
The Sabres have learned to defend better, albeit with some serious deficiencies at times, and they're beginning to get that puck moving with more accuracy more frequently. That leads to a better transition game, more possession, more shots and quality chances. In an interview with the gathered media, Housley said this about his teams shot totals. “I read a stat that if we had 30 shots or more, we’re 5-2-3 and when we don’t get 30 shots, we’re 0-7-0, so what does that tell you?"
Even with the shot totals up, they're still having difficulty scoring and thus the debate right now--is it the players? Or are they victims of circumstance?
It's a little of both, although lack of talent is a big issue for this club, especially in the bottom-six. Matt Moulson, Zemgus Girgensons, Jordan Nolan and Johan Larsson have all been regulars down there and thus far they've contributed a combined two goals and five assists in 57 total games. Seth Griffith, who was a regular on the wing had two goals and an assist in 14 games before heading to the press box and Sam Reinhart has five points (2+3) in 17 games playing third line center almost exclusively. He was bumped up to second-line right wing last game and had his best game of the year.
However, regardless of what the bottom-half does, as Eichel said, it's up to him and the top players to produce.
Ryan O'Reilly has started to bring his game around but remains unhappy with his overall game. He was the lone Buffalo scorer in the Sabres 2-1 overtime loss at Montreal on Saturday. Jason Pominville started out hot, but has slowed considerably scoring only one goal and adding one assist in his last eight games. Kyle Okposo has been playing world's better than how he started the season (2+2 in his last five games,) but still only has six points (2+4) on the season.
Oddly enough, the most consistent scorer on the team is Evander Kane. He started out hot with five goals and five assists in his first seven games then followed it up with four goals and three assists in his last 10. He's on a pace to shatter his previous career highs.
One can say it's lack of talent, at least overall, or one could say that it's puck luck, but a huge factor in scoring goals is confidence, and that's lacking right now. Eichel has had the puck jump all over the place on him and his shots have atypically gone wide. He's on an eight-game goal-scoring drought right now and thinks that if they keep up their play, goals will come. “It’s a long season and the puck luck and the bounces will start coming around," he told the media after practice.
“When you’re playing good and you’re getting your chances, it’s a positive, it’s just those games when you’re feeling it, it’s important to bury your chances.”
It' will probably take a series of positive things and some luck to get the entire team "feeling it," which is another way of saying confidence. They're trying to beat down a door but it's proven to be a rather formidable task and it's up to the leaders on this team--Eichel, O'Reilly, Okposo and even Kane--to continue to "kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight," to use a quote from Canadian artist Bruce Cockburn.
That's where effort and will and a little bit of faith come into play. This team is playing better, and playing more consistently and that's a good thing, but they need to start scoring more and they'll need contributions from everyone. Until then, we'll continue to have this same conversation and the same quotes.
*****
Speaking of effort, and ultimately compete-level, forward Justin Bailey has been sent to Rochester.
The third-year pro, which includes 47 NHL games to his credit, once again had a fast, impressive start for the Sabres only to loose his way. Bailey is a big, fast powerforward who can score but he needs to consistently use his size and speed to create scoring opportunites for himself and his linemates. He'll do that fore a few games and then get a bit complacent. "I thought he started out really well the first couple of games," said Housley to the media today. "[but] I thought his play dipped a little bit from that. That urgency he had on the forecheck, using his speed and even in providing a physical element.
"He's going to go down (to the Rochester Americans) and work on that."
If it hasn't occurred to him yet, someone needs to hammer this point home to him--before him lies a golden opportunity with the Sabres and all he needs to do is bring it every game. Bailey could easily be slotted on the third line and if the Kane rumors are for real, there could be a top-six slot waiting for him.
*****
Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber has these probably lines and pairings for tonight:
Kane-Eichel-Reinhart
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Moulson-Girgensons-Pominville
Nolan-Larsson-Baptiste
Falk-Scandella
McCabe-Fedun
Gorges-Beaulieu
It also looks as if Robin Lehner will get the nod tonight.
*****
The defending two-time Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins have played a lot of hockey over the last two years and perhaps that has much to do with their slow start this season. And if there ever was a time for Buffalo to grab a win vs. Pittsburgh, tonight would be the night.
The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games against the Penguins, 3-6-1 on the road.
Buffalo has lost two in a row to the Penguins with their last win being a minor miracle on November 19, 2016. The Sabres came into that game on a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) and had backup goalie Anders Nilsson in net. The game went to the shootout and Nilsson stopped Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in the shootout as the Sabres pulled of the victory.
Buffalo's heroes in that game were William Carrier who scored Buffalo's only goal and Cal O'Reilly, who scored the only goal in the shootout. Carrier was lost in the expansion draft and O'Reilly, brother of Ryan O'Reilly, was loaned to the Toronto Marlies last March by the Rochester Americans, and signed with the Minnesota Wild in the off season.
Although it won't take a minor miracle to beat Pittsburgh tonight, methinks that a lot will need to go right for the Sabres to come away with two points.
“That’s my job, my job is to produce and I haven’t produced in the fashion I would’ve liked in the beginning of the year.”--Sabres center, Jack Eichel after practice yesterday.
Such is the case for the soon to be $10 million a year franchise center. In fact not only has he been in a scoring slump, the entire team has, to the tune of six goals (including on empty net) in the last four games. Were it not for some pretty stout goaltending, this team would be on a losing streak instead of being 1-2-1 in their last four.
What's so exasperating with this club right now is that they're playing well. Sabres coach Phil Housley has pulled things back in an effort to try and move the team forward. The Sabres started out with a fine game against the Montreal Canadiens to open the season, but lost 3-2 in overtime. They followed that up with two disasters as they tried to run before learning how to walk. Although Buffalo did suffer a few lopsided defeats game-to-game, and even within games, they've been playing the kind of aggressive hockey that leads to good things.
Unfortunately for this team good things have been happening, but not enough good things to get them more goals and more victories.
The Sabres have learned to defend better, albeit with some serious deficiencies at times, and they're beginning to get that puck moving with more accuracy more frequently. That leads to a better transition game, more possession, more shots and quality chances. In an interview with the gathered media, Housley said this about his teams shot totals. “I read a stat that if we had 30 shots or more, we’re 5-2-3 and when we don’t get 30 shots, we’re 0-7-0, so what does that tell you?"
Even with the shot totals up, they're still having difficulty scoring and thus the debate right now--is it the players? Or are they victims of circumstance?
It's a little of both, although lack of talent is a big issue for this club, especially in the bottom-six. Matt Moulson, Zemgus Girgensons, Jordan Nolan and Johan Larsson have all been regulars down there and thus far they've contributed a combined two goals and five assists in 57 total games. Seth Griffith, who was a regular on the wing had two goals and an assist in 14 games before heading to the press box and Sam Reinhart has five points (2+3) in 17 games playing third line center almost exclusively. He was bumped up to second-line right wing last game and had his best game of the year.
However, regardless of what the bottom-half does, as Eichel said, it's up to him and the top players to produce.
Ryan O'Reilly has started to bring his game around but remains unhappy with his overall game. He was the lone Buffalo scorer in the Sabres 2-1 overtime loss at Montreal on Saturday. Jason Pominville started out hot, but has slowed considerably scoring only one goal and adding one assist in his last eight games. Kyle Okposo has been playing world's better than how he started the season (2+2 in his last five games,) but still only has six points (2+4) on the season.
Oddly enough, the most consistent scorer on the team is Evander Kane. He started out hot with five goals and five assists in his first seven games then followed it up with four goals and three assists in his last 10. He's on a pace to shatter his previous career highs.
One can say it's lack of talent, at least overall, or one could say that it's puck luck, but a huge factor in scoring goals is confidence, and that's lacking right now. Eichel has had the puck jump all over the place on him and his shots have atypically gone wide. He's on an eight-game goal-scoring drought right now and thinks that if they keep up their play, goals will come. “It’s a long season and the puck luck and the bounces will start coming around," he told the media after practice.
“When you’re playing good and you’re getting your chances, it’s a positive, it’s just those games when you’re feeling it, it’s important to bury your chances.”
It' will probably take a series of positive things and some luck to get the entire team "feeling it," which is another way of saying confidence. They're trying to beat down a door but it's proven to be a rather formidable task and it's up to the leaders on this team--Eichel, O'Reilly, Okposo and even Kane--to continue to "kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight," to use a quote from Canadian artist Bruce Cockburn.
That's where effort and will and a little bit of faith come into play. This team is playing better, and playing more consistently and that's a good thing, but they need to start scoring more and they'll need contributions from everyone. Until then, we'll continue to have this same conversation and the same quotes.
*****
Speaking of effort, and ultimately compete-level, forward Justin Bailey has been sent to Rochester.
The third-year pro, which includes 47 NHL games to his credit, once again had a fast, impressive start for the Sabres only to loose his way. Bailey is a big, fast powerforward who can score but he needs to consistently use his size and speed to create scoring opportunites for himself and his linemates. He'll do that fore a few games and then get a bit complacent. "I thought he started out really well the first couple of games," said Housley to the media today. "[but] I thought his play dipped a little bit from that. That urgency he had on the forecheck, using his speed and even in providing a physical element.
"He's going to go down (to the Rochester Americans) and work on that."
If it hasn't occurred to him yet, someone needs to hammer this point home to him--before him lies a golden opportunity with the Sabres and all he needs to do is bring it every game. Bailey could easily be slotted on the third line and if the Kane rumors are for real, there could be a top-six slot waiting for him.
*****
Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber has these probably lines and pairings for tonight:
Kane-Eichel-Reinhart
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Moulson-Girgensons-Pominville
Nolan-Larsson-Baptiste
Falk-Scandella
McCabe-Fedun
Gorges-Beaulieu
It also looks as if Robin Lehner will get the nod tonight.
*****
The defending two-time Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins have played a lot of hockey over the last two years and perhaps that has much to do with their slow start this season. And if there ever was a time for Buffalo to grab a win vs. Pittsburgh, tonight would be the night.
The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games against the Penguins, 3-6-1 on the road.
Buffalo has lost two in a row to the Penguins with their last win being a minor miracle on November 19, 2016. The Sabres came into that game on a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) and had backup goalie Anders Nilsson in net. The game went to the shootout and Nilsson stopped Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in the shootout as the Sabres pulled of the victory.
Buffalo's heroes in that game were William Carrier who scored Buffalo's only goal and Cal O'Reilly, who scored the only goal in the shootout. Carrier was lost in the expansion draft and O'Reilly, brother of Ryan O'Reilly, was loaned to the Toronto Marlies last March by the Rochester Americans, and signed with the Minnesota Wild in the off season.
Although it won't take a minor miracle to beat Pittsburgh tonight, methinks that a lot will need to go right for the Sabres to come away with two points.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
After a big comeback win at Boston, Housley has some lineup tweaks
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-23-2017
With Buffalo down 4-2 headed into the third period against the Boston Bruins, Sabres coach Phil Housley stuck with the lines he'd been using for nearly the entire game and it paid off with constant pressure and a goal from Benoit Pouliot to bring the Sabres to within one goal. The game-tying goal was scored just 10 seconds after the Boston Bruins killed off a minor penalty as the Sabres were transitioning from the powerplay to 5v5.
After an inconsistent first period where the Bruins took a 2-0 lead before extending that to a 3-0 lead less than a minute into the second, Buffalo got it's groove on and for the better part of the final 39+ minutes the Sabres were buzzing all over the ice. Every line was contributing in some fashion with the top two lines contributing three goals. The defense settled in and were instrumental in getting the puck up ice in the transition game. From there the Sabres controlled much of the play. Buffalo outshot Boston 30-18 in the second and third periods combined and outscored them by a 4-2 margin which included three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime, where they won.
Sounds like they finally found some chemistry. Right?
At the morning skate today one would have expected Housley to keep the lines and defense-pairings as is, especially after a win with many positives attached to it. However, word from the rink is that the first-year coach mixed things up today with the forward lines.
According to reports from today's practice, Housley moved Justin Bailey off the Jack Eichel/Evander Kane line and put Kyle Okposo in his place. Bailey was moved to the third line with center Sam Reinhart and Jordan Nolan, who was moved up a notch. Matt Moulson who was on the third line was dropped to the fourth line with Johan Larsson and Seth Griffith. The only line that was kept intact was the Pouliot/Ryan O'Reilly/Jason Pominville line, which scored two 5v5 goals against the Bruins.
Here's what the lines were for the Boston game:
Kane-Eichel-Bailey
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Pominville
Moulson/Reinhart/Okposo
Nolan/Larson/Griffith
Here's what they were today:
Kane-Eichel-Okposo
Pouliot-ROR-Pominville
Nolan-Reinhart-Bailey
Moulson-Larsson-Griffith
These may not be the final lines for tomorrow night's home game vs. the Detroit Red Wings, but it's kind of curious that Housley would mix things up after a pretty successful game.
Moving Okposo up makes some sense as they really need to get him going. The Sabres only have two right wingers who've proven that they can play in a top-six role and he's one of them. The 29 yr. old has recorded 20+ goals in two of the past four seasons and the other two seasons (18 and 19 goals)were cut short by injuries. Last season was one of them as Okposo scored 19 goals and 45 points in 65 games before being felled by concussions.
The concussion wasn't the only problem Okposo suffered last season and into the off-season as he had an adverse reaction to medication taken for it that landed him in the neurosurgical intensive care unit of Buffalo General Medical Center. It took him all summer to recover although he did play in Da Beauty League with other NHL'ers in his home state of Minnesota in mid-July. Seeing him on the ice was a welcome sight in Sabreland.
But it's taken him a while to get up to game-speed. The Boston game was by far his best of the season and it looks like he's finally back to the player he was before all this happened. It took him five games of ineffective play and an in-game benching in his sixth game (vs. Vancouver) before he came to life in Boston which included a plus-1 rating and ringing the crossbar with less than :30 to play in a 4-4 game.
Should Housley stick with those lines having Okposo with the likes of speedsters Kane and Eichel should open up plenty of ice for him. He's also smart enough and skilled enough to get those two the puck when the opportunity arises.
Unfortunately for Bailey, Okposo moving up means he's moving down.
Bailey has impressed ever since he was called up for the Anaheim game on October 15. He scored in that game and also opened the scoring two games later against Vancouver. His two goals in four games equals the two he scored in 32 games last season and he's added an assist so far while chiming in at a plus-1.
Housley has moved Bailey around the lineup and the 22 yr. old has responded well. For a man his size he has great speed but his biggest developmental hurdle has been his hands and head catching up with his feet. Bailey has come a long way in that department as the play seems to be slowing down for him and he's not losing the puck as much as he did over the course of his two previous pro seasons.
Bailey seems of the mindset right now that no matter where he plays, he wants to have an impact. That's a good thing, and it's something that will help keep him up with the Sabres.
Buffalo's top defensive pairing of Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella remained intact as they should. The duo logged huge minutes for the club and looked as if they're really building something. Jake McCabe and Matt Tennyson skated as a pair again while Taylor Fedun cut in. The bottom pairing was Victor Antipin with Zach Redmond. Fedun had skated with Antipin during the Boston game while Redmond was in the press box.
Housley also made changes to the powerplay units.
Today's top unit at practice was Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen and Antipin.
The second unit was Pominville, Okposo, Kane, Scandella and Tennyson.
The Sabres went 0/2 on the powerplay against Boston bringing their season totals to five goals in 32 opportunities (15.6%.) Interesting to note that Moulson, in addition to being dumped to the fourth line was also removed from the powerplay. The 33 yr. old may have played his best game of the season in Boston but still has zero points and a minus-6 rating.
With Buffalo down 4-2 headed into the third period against the Boston Bruins, Sabres coach Phil Housley stuck with the lines he'd been using for nearly the entire game and it paid off with constant pressure and a goal from Benoit Pouliot to bring the Sabres to within one goal. The game-tying goal was scored just 10 seconds after the Boston Bruins killed off a minor penalty as the Sabres were transitioning from the powerplay to 5v5.
After an inconsistent first period where the Bruins took a 2-0 lead before extending that to a 3-0 lead less than a minute into the second, Buffalo got it's groove on and for the better part of the final 39+ minutes the Sabres were buzzing all over the ice. Every line was contributing in some fashion with the top two lines contributing three goals. The defense settled in and were instrumental in getting the puck up ice in the transition game. From there the Sabres controlled much of the play. Buffalo outshot Boston 30-18 in the second and third periods combined and outscored them by a 4-2 margin which included three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime, where they won.
Sounds like they finally found some chemistry. Right?
At the morning skate today one would have expected Housley to keep the lines and defense-pairings as is, especially after a win with many positives attached to it. However, word from the rink is that the first-year coach mixed things up today with the forward lines.
According to reports from today's practice, Housley moved Justin Bailey off the Jack Eichel/Evander Kane line and put Kyle Okposo in his place. Bailey was moved to the third line with center Sam Reinhart and Jordan Nolan, who was moved up a notch. Matt Moulson who was on the third line was dropped to the fourth line with Johan Larsson and Seth Griffith. The only line that was kept intact was the Pouliot/Ryan O'Reilly/Jason Pominville line, which scored two 5v5 goals against the Bruins.
Here's what the lines were for the Boston game:
Kane-Eichel-Bailey
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Pominville
Moulson/Reinhart/Okposo
Nolan/Larson/Griffith
Here's what they were today:
Kane-Eichel-Okposo
Pouliot-ROR-Pominville
Nolan-Reinhart-Bailey
Moulson-Larsson-Griffith
These may not be the final lines for tomorrow night's home game vs. the Detroit Red Wings, but it's kind of curious that Housley would mix things up after a pretty successful game.
Moving Okposo up makes some sense as they really need to get him going. The Sabres only have two right wingers who've proven that they can play in a top-six role and he's one of them. The 29 yr. old has recorded 20+ goals in two of the past four seasons and the other two seasons (18 and 19 goals)were cut short by injuries. Last season was one of them as Okposo scored 19 goals and 45 points in 65 games before being felled by concussions.
The concussion wasn't the only problem Okposo suffered last season and into the off-season as he had an adverse reaction to medication taken for it that landed him in the neurosurgical intensive care unit of Buffalo General Medical Center. It took him all summer to recover although he did play in Da Beauty League with other NHL'ers in his home state of Minnesota in mid-July. Seeing him on the ice was a welcome sight in Sabreland.
But it's taken him a while to get up to game-speed. The Boston game was by far his best of the season and it looks like he's finally back to the player he was before all this happened. It took him five games of ineffective play and an in-game benching in his sixth game (vs. Vancouver) before he came to life in Boston which included a plus-1 rating and ringing the crossbar with less than :30 to play in a 4-4 game.
Should Housley stick with those lines having Okposo with the likes of speedsters Kane and Eichel should open up plenty of ice for him. He's also smart enough and skilled enough to get those two the puck when the opportunity arises.
Unfortunately for Bailey, Okposo moving up means he's moving down.
Bailey has impressed ever since he was called up for the Anaheim game on October 15. He scored in that game and also opened the scoring two games later against Vancouver. His two goals in four games equals the two he scored in 32 games last season and he's added an assist so far while chiming in at a plus-1.
Housley has moved Bailey around the lineup and the 22 yr. old has responded well. For a man his size he has great speed but his biggest developmental hurdle has been his hands and head catching up with his feet. Bailey has come a long way in that department as the play seems to be slowing down for him and he's not losing the puck as much as he did over the course of his two previous pro seasons.
Bailey seems of the mindset right now that no matter where he plays, he wants to have an impact. That's a good thing, and it's something that will help keep him up with the Sabres.
Buffalo's top defensive pairing of Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella remained intact as they should. The duo logged huge minutes for the club and looked as if they're really building something. Jake McCabe and Matt Tennyson skated as a pair again while Taylor Fedun cut in. The bottom pairing was Victor Antipin with Zach Redmond. Fedun had skated with Antipin during the Boston game while Redmond was in the press box.
Housley also made changes to the powerplay units.
Today's top unit at practice was Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen and Antipin.
The second unit was Pominville, Okposo, Kane, Scandella and Tennyson.
The Sabres went 0/2 on the powerplay against Boston bringing their season totals to five goals in 32 opportunities (15.6%.) Interesting to note that Moulson, in addition to being dumped to the fourth line was also removed from the powerplay. The 33 yr. old may have played his best game of the season in Boston but still has zero points and a minus-6 rating.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Thoughts...
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-17-2017
If we in Sabreland want to believe that this team is ready to step out of the abyss and begin to rise, then tonight is a must win.
Period.
The Sabres have been playing much better than the two stinkers they put together at Brooklyn against the NY Islanders and at home vs. the New Jersey Devils. A West Coast road trip has shaken them out of their collective slumber and got them focusing upon playing as a team on the entire sheet of ice.
Buffalo started their four-game trip at San Jose' to take on a winless Sharks' team at the SAP Center and proceeded to drop a 3-2 decision. The Sabres headed south to Los Angeles where they hadn't beaten the Kings since 2010 and worse yet hadn't scored a goal in four tries as they lost each of them by the exact 2-0 score. Zemgus Girgensons ended that scoring drought in the first and the team was looking to grab at least a point until an Evander Kane penalty with 2:04 left in the game squashed those dreams. The Kings scored :04 seconds later, added an empty-netter and sent Buffalo to a 4-2 defeat.
Sunday night in Anaheim the Sabres got off the schneid and won their first game of the season against a depleted Ducks lineup by the score of 3-1. Perhaps the most endearing quality of that win was that they finally got some secondary scoring as call-up Justin Bailey, Sam Reinhart and Johan Larsson (empty-net) all scored for the Sabres.
As we've watched this team through the last three games we seen them progress nicely as a team while individually some players have started to come to life.
Tonight they face the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to wrap up their road trip.
Vegas has been pretty feisty in their surprising 4-1-0 start and coach Gerald Gallant has them playing smart, team hockey. “Anytime you’re going to have success in this league it’s about your forwards working hard with your defensemen,” Gallant told the local media yesterday. “We always talk about five-man connection; it’s a big word for our team. When you play five men in the D-zone, you play five men in the neutral zone and you play five men offensively you’re going to have a chance to win most nights.”
The Golden Knights don't have the horses to play a speed game as shown in their 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. But they followed that up with a win vs. the Boston Bruins. "We played a good, solid, hard-working game (against Boston,)" said the coach. "It wasn’t a game like the other night where it was a lot faster paced. (Sunday) was more of a checkers match; there wasn’t a whole lot of scoring chances either way. I thought we played a good, solid game and it was a good, solid defensive effort for sure.”
That's what the Sabres will be up against tonight, an effort by Vegas to play a tight-checking game. Which is fine. But regardless of what they're up against, the fact is that they're facing an expansion team with a backup goalie in net who has three starts under his belt.
There's no excuse for Buffalo not to come away with two points. That is, if they want us to believe that the ship is righted and moving ahead.
*****
Justin Bailey was a force against Anaheim. He scored his first goal of the season in the first shift of his first game this year. For the rest of the game he was as advertised, a big, fast powerforward who can play a rambunctious yet controlled style of play and get to the puck quickly.
Bailey's been able to score at the AHL-level but has yet to see that transfer to the NHL. Prior to last nights game he had four points (2+2) in 40 NHL games and although much of the time he played well, the fact that he wasn't hitting the scoresheet was troubling.
This is Bailey's best shot at sticking with the team and to do so he'll not only need to play exactly the way he did against Anaheim, but he'll also need to hit the score sheet with some regularity.
*****
Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges has taken a beating in social media hockey circles because his advanced stats are press box worthy. Yet Gorges did something for this club that doesn't show up in Corsi, Fenwick, puck possession or any other fancy stat--he helped stabilize the defense.
Prior to him getting the start in San Jose', the Buffalo defense was a trainwreck as that corps, as well as the forward group, were thinking all offense. In looking to jump into the play and create offense they forgot about their own zone and gave up six goals in back-to-back games.
Gorges will never be an analytics darling much less a scorer, but having someone back their locked into defensive assignments has helped the team refocus their energies a bit. The Sabres have gotten progressively better on this road trip and despite Gorges' known shortcomings, he's a big part of why they've been able to pull it together on defense.
*****
Jack Eichel was named the game's first star in Anaheim on Sunday, yet he didn't hit the scoresheet. Just goes to show that he was a strong presence the entire game, most notably in the d-zone where he backchecked hard and was on constantly on the puck making it difficult for the Ducks players.
Eichel needs to continue doing what he's been doing and that includes a focus on defense.
Perhaps he's learning what it's like to be a leader and he's finally discovering that the great player that lies within him can lift those around him. Seven points (2+6) in six games was expected although some may have thought that the goal-total would be a bit higher, but regardless, he's showing why many had him close to Connor McDavid heading into the 2015 NHL Draft.
*****
Both Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart finally seem to be engaged and played probably their best games of the season on Sunday. Too bad it took so long, but it's good to see them coming to life.
Reinhart scored the game-winner late in the second period against Anaheim. After losing credit for the goal to Benoit Pouliot the NHL reversed their reversal and credited Reinhart with his first goal of the season. You could see the relief in his face at the huge monkey was lifted off of his back.
O'Reilly's yet to score a goal, but he's a professional and has been through this before. The big thing for the two-way center was to be fully engaged in a two-way game, something that was missing through the first three games. He's been progressively better throughout this road trip and it's no wonder that the team has gotten better as he has.
*****
Gorges has played well in a third-pairing role but up top the duo of Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella have picked up their game as well. It was mentioned by WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton that their focus has been on the defensive zone and that once their more comfortable, Ristolainen will be able to join the rush a little more.
Although they haven't been perfect, they've only been together for three games. It seems as if they've developed some chemistry already and furthering that means that they'll only get better.
*****
Chad Johnson will reportedly be in net for Buffalo tonight. It's something he earned with an extremely strong performance in Anaheim.
It's a rather bold move by coach Phil Housley, but they won their first game of the season with Johnson so why change?
*****
However, it's also been reported that Housley has changed up his powerplay units a bit in an effort to bring them to life. The Sabres are only 2 for 22 (9.1%) with the man advantage this year and worse yet, they've given up a league-leading five shorthanded goals.
O'Reilly was moved to the second unit to make room for Kyle Okposo who's returning from illness.
The PP units from the morning skate according to the local media in attendance:
PP1--Eichel, Okposo, Reinhart, Pominville, Ristolainen
PP2--O'Reilly, Kane, Moulson, Beaulieu, Tennyson
*****
And, finally, Dear Evander Kane. Please stay out of the penalty box. Not only does it hurt your team, but you can't score from there either.
Love,
Sabreland
If we in Sabreland want to believe that this team is ready to step out of the abyss and begin to rise, then tonight is a must win.
Period.
The Sabres have been playing much better than the two stinkers they put together at Brooklyn against the NY Islanders and at home vs. the New Jersey Devils. A West Coast road trip has shaken them out of their collective slumber and got them focusing upon playing as a team on the entire sheet of ice.
Buffalo started their four-game trip at San Jose' to take on a winless Sharks' team at the SAP Center and proceeded to drop a 3-2 decision. The Sabres headed south to Los Angeles where they hadn't beaten the Kings since 2010 and worse yet hadn't scored a goal in four tries as they lost each of them by the exact 2-0 score. Zemgus Girgensons ended that scoring drought in the first and the team was looking to grab at least a point until an Evander Kane penalty with 2:04 left in the game squashed those dreams. The Kings scored :04 seconds later, added an empty-netter and sent Buffalo to a 4-2 defeat.
Sunday night in Anaheim the Sabres got off the schneid and won their first game of the season against a depleted Ducks lineup by the score of 3-1. Perhaps the most endearing quality of that win was that they finally got some secondary scoring as call-up Justin Bailey, Sam Reinhart and Johan Larsson (empty-net) all scored for the Sabres.
As we've watched this team through the last three games we seen them progress nicely as a team while individually some players have started to come to life.
Tonight they face the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to wrap up their road trip.
Vegas has been pretty feisty in their surprising 4-1-0 start and coach Gerald Gallant has them playing smart, team hockey. “Anytime you’re going to have success in this league it’s about your forwards working hard with your defensemen,” Gallant told the local media yesterday. “We always talk about five-man connection; it’s a big word for our team. When you play five men in the D-zone, you play five men in the neutral zone and you play five men offensively you’re going to have a chance to win most nights.”
The Golden Knights don't have the horses to play a speed game as shown in their 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. But they followed that up with a win vs. the Boston Bruins. "We played a good, solid, hard-working game (against Boston,)" said the coach. "It wasn’t a game like the other night where it was a lot faster paced. (Sunday) was more of a checkers match; there wasn’t a whole lot of scoring chances either way. I thought we played a good, solid game and it was a good, solid defensive effort for sure.”
That's what the Sabres will be up against tonight, an effort by Vegas to play a tight-checking game. Which is fine. But regardless of what they're up against, the fact is that they're facing an expansion team with a backup goalie in net who has three starts under his belt.
There's no excuse for Buffalo not to come away with two points. That is, if they want us to believe that the ship is righted and moving ahead.
*****
Justin Bailey was a force against Anaheim. He scored his first goal of the season in the first shift of his first game this year. For the rest of the game he was as advertised, a big, fast powerforward who can play a rambunctious yet controlled style of play and get to the puck quickly.
Bailey's been able to score at the AHL-level but has yet to see that transfer to the NHL. Prior to last nights game he had four points (2+2) in 40 NHL games and although much of the time he played well, the fact that he wasn't hitting the scoresheet was troubling.
This is Bailey's best shot at sticking with the team and to do so he'll not only need to play exactly the way he did against Anaheim, but he'll also need to hit the score sheet with some regularity.
*****
Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges has taken a beating in social media hockey circles because his advanced stats are press box worthy. Yet Gorges did something for this club that doesn't show up in Corsi, Fenwick, puck possession or any other fancy stat--he helped stabilize the defense.
Prior to him getting the start in San Jose', the Buffalo defense was a trainwreck as that corps, as well as the forward group, were thinking all offense. In looking to jump into the play and create offense they forgot about their own zone and gave up six goals in back-to-back games.
Gorges will never be an analytics darling much less a scorer, but having someone back their locked into defensive assignments has helped the team refocus their energies a bit. The Sabres have gotten progressively better on this road trip and despite Gorges' known shortcomings, he's a big part of why they've been able to pull it together on defense.
*****
Jack Eichel was named the game's first star in Anaheim on Sunday, yet he didn't hit the scoresheet. Just goes to show that he was a strong presence the entire game, most notably in the d-zone where he backchecked hard and was on constantly on the puck making it difficult for the Ducks players.
Eichel needs to continue doing what he's been doing and that includes a focus on defense.
Perhaps he's learning what it's like to be a leader and he's finally discovering that the great player that lies within him can lift those around him. Seven points (2+6) in six games was expected although some may have thought that the goal-total would be a bit higher, but regardless, he's showing why many had him close to Connor McDavid heading into the 2015 NHL Draft.
*****
Both Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart finally seem to be engaged and played probably their best games of the season on Sunday. Too bad it took so long, but it's good to see them coming to life.
Reinhart scored the game-winner late in the second period against Anaheim. After losing credit for the goal to Benoit Pouliot the NHL reversed their reversal and credited Reinhart with his first goal of the season. You could see the relief in his face at the huge monkey was lifted off of his back.
O'Reilly's yet to score a goal, but he's a professional and has been through this before. The big thing for the two-way center was to be fully engaged in a two-way game, something that was missing through the first three games. He's been progressively better throughout this road trip and it's no wonder that the team has gotten better as he has.
*****
Gorges has played well in a third-pairing role but up top the duo of Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella have picked up their game as well. It was mentioned by WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton that their focus has been on the defensive zone and that once their more comfortable, Ristolainen will be able to join the rush a little more.
Although they haven't been perfect, they've only been together for three games. It seems as if they've developed some chemistry already and furthering that means that they'll only get better.
*****
Chad Johnson will reportedly be in net for Buffalo tonight. It's something he earned with an extremely strong performance in Anaheim.
It's a rather bold move by coach Phil Housley, but they won their first game of the season with Johnson so why change?
*****
However, it's also been reported that Housley has changed up his powerplay units a bit in an effort to bring them to life. The Sabres are only 2 for 22 (9.1%) with the man advantage this year and worse yet, they've given up a league-leading five shorthanded goals.
O'Reilly was moved to the second unit to make room for Kyle Okposo who's returning from illness.
The PP units from the morning skate according to the local media in attendance:
PP1--Eichel, Okposo, Reinhart, Pominville, Ristolainen
PP2--O'Reilly, Kane, Moulson, Beaulieu, Tennyson
*****
And, finally, Dear Evander Kane. Please stay out of the penalty box. Not only does it hurt your team, but you can't score from there either.
Love,
Sabreland
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
A collective sigh of relief in Sabreland as Buffalo gets first win
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-16-17
The Buffalo Sabres got their first win of the season last night in Anaheim against a Ducks team that was depleted but still feisty. Buffalo's Phil Housley finally got his first win as an NHL head coach after five unsuccessful tries. "It feels great," said Housley to the gathered media post-game before "tipping his hat" to his players.
Buffalo gutted this one out as Anaheim, even without the likes of Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen, just would not surrender after falling behind in the first period. The Ducks came at Buffalo hard in the second period and did so in the third as well. The Sabres, however, weathered those storms allowing only one goal.
Sabres goalie Chad Johnson was rock solid in net making some great saves, most notably in the second period, which included flashing the leather on a couple of occasions. One in particular came early in the second as Anaheim had a great opportunity on a 3-on-2 break with the Sabres up 1-0. Johnson did have a scary moment a bit later as he fell to the ice behind the net with the puck heading to the slot. Defenseman Marco Scandella bailed him out as he got a piece of Nick Ritchie's shot.
In addition to Housley's first career win and Johnsons' first win of the season, there were plent of positives from last night. Justin Bailey, who'd just been called up from Rochester got his first goal of the season only 1:26 into the game. Some hard work by a forechecking Zemgus Girgensons and a pinching Nathan Beaulieu, who recorded his first point as a Buffalo Sabre, set the wheels in motion on that one.
Forward Sam Reinhart may have played his best game of the season and was originally credited with the Sabres second goal before the NHL changed it. Benoit Pouliot got credit instead and notched his first goal of the season as well as his first as a Sabre. Johan Larsson notched his first point of the season (on the Bailey goal) and added an empty-netter for his first goal of the season.
Buffalo's Jack Eichel was named the games first star and he didn't even hit the scoresheet. Those watching Eichel was strong on the backcheck and seemed to be all over the defensive zone.
And as a team, the Sabres held firm on four penalty kills while continuing the Ducks misery on the powerplay as Anaheim has yet to score with the man advantage (0 for 21.)
Amidst the joy of Housley and his team's first win of the season plus the other first's that occurred, there were some blemishes.
Forward Evander Kane is tied for the team lead in points and goals but also leads them in minor penalties with six, which is tied for tops in the league. He had a critical tripping penalty very late in the game against the LA Kings on Saturday night which lead to a game-winning powerplay goal by the Kings' Drew Doughty. Last night he took three minor penalties, two for slashing under the new NHL crackdown.
The Sabres also allowed another shorthanded goal as Anaheim's Chris Wagner went in on a breakaway after Buffalo fumbled the puck at the Ducks blueline. It's the fifth shortie given up by the Sabres this season which leads the league. With the Wagner goal against, the Sabres surpassed last year's total of four shorties given up for the entire season.
Buffalo heads to Las Vegas with the monkey finally off of their back. In Anaheim not only did they find their first win, but they also found secondary scoring and some individual players are starting to come to life. In addition to Reinhart, Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly seems to have found his legs.
Right wing Kyle Okposo, who was downed by an illness for two of the three games on this road trip should be back in the lineup against the Golden Knights. However, fourth-line center Jacob Josefson was felled by a hit from behind in the second period and did not return. The journeyman forward had been playing very well as of late but may have suffered an ankle injury from the hit.
The Sabres have the bodies to replace Josefson, especially if Okposo returns as is expected, but Matt Moulson and Seth Griffith have only one point between them (a Griffith assist) and are a combined minus-6 in nine total games. Buffalo flew in Bailey for the Anaheim game and a player like Rochester's Kevin Porter might be appealing since the Amerks are off until Friday.
Despite the joy of that first win, the Sabres need to follow it up with another against an injury-riddled Vegas expansion team that lost starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Malcom Subban, whom Vegas claimed off of waivers from the Boston Bruins less than two weeks ago, got the call yesterday and proceeded to beat his former team. But even with the one goal allowed against the Bruins, Subban still has a 3.45 GAA and .841 Sv% in three NHL starts.
This is a no-brainer. If the Sabres really want to start moving forward with this season, it begins with a win in Las Vegas against the expansion Golden Knights.
The Buffalo Sabres got their first win of the season last night in Anaheim against a Ducks team that was depleted but still feisty. Buffalo's Phil Housley finally got his first win as an NHL head coach after five unsuccessful tries. "It feels great," said Housley to the gathered media post-game before "tipping his hat" to his players.
Buffalo gutted this one out as Anaheim, even without the likes of Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen, just would not surrender after falling behind in the first period. The Ducks came at Buffalo hard in the second period and did so in the third as well. The Sabres, however, weathered those storms allowing only one goal.
Sabres goalie Chad Johnson was rock solid in net making some great saves, most notably in the second period, which included flashing the leather on a couple of occasions. One in particular came early in the second as Anaheim had a great opportunity on a 3-on-2 break with the Sabres up 1-0. Johnson did have a scary moment a bit later as he fell to the ice behind the net with the puck heading to the slot. Defenseman Marco Scandella bailed him out as he got a piece of Nick Ritchie's shot.
In addition to Housley's first career win and Johnsons' first win of the season, there were plent of positives from last night. Justin Bailey, who'd just been called up from Rochester got his first goal of the season only 1:26 into the game. Some hard work by a forechecking Zemgus Girgensons and a pinching Nathan Beaulieu, who recorded his first point as a Buffalo Sabre, set the wheels in motion on that one.
Forward Sam Reinhart may have played his best game of the season and was originally credited with the Sabres second goal before the NHL changed it. Benoit Pouliot got credit instead and notched his first goal of the season as well as his first as a Sabre. Johan Larsson notched his first point of the season (on the Bailey goal) and added an empty-netter for his first goal of the season.
Buffalo's Jack Eichel was named the games first star and he didn't even hit the scoresheet. Those watching Eichel was strong on the backcheck and seemed to be all over the defensive zone.
And as a team, the Sabres held firm on four penalty kills while continuing the Ducks misery on the powerplay as Anaheim has yet to score with the man advantage (0 for 21.)
Amidst the joy of Housley and his team's first win of the season plus the other first's that occurred, there were some blemishes.
Forward Evander Kane is tied for the team lead in points and goals but also leads them in minor penalties with six, which is tied for tops in the league. He had a critical tripping penalty very late in the game against the LA Kings on Saturday night which lead to a game-winning powerplay goal by the Kings' Drew Doughty. Last night he took three minor penalties, two for slashing under the new NHL crackdown.
The Sabres also allowed another shorthanded goal as Anaheim's Chris Wagner went in on a breakaway after Buffalo fumbled the puck at the Ducks blueline. It's the fifth shortie given up by the Sabres this season which leads the league. With the Wagner goal against, the Sabres surpassed last year's total of four shorties given up for the entire season.
Buffalo heads to Las Vegas with the monkey finally off of their back. In Anaheim not only did they find their first win, but they also found secondary scoring and some individual players are starting to come to life. In addition to Reinhart, Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly seems to have found his legs.
Right wing Kyle Okposo, who was downed by an illness for two of the three games on this road trip should be back in the lineup against the Golden Knights. However, fourth-line center Jacob Josefson was felled by a hit from behind in the second period and did not return. The journeyman forward had been playing very well as of late but may have suffered an ankle injury from the hit.
The Sabres have the bodies to replace Josefson, especially if Okposo returns as is expected, but Matt Moulson and Seth Griffith have only one point between them (a Griffith assist) and are a combined minus-6 in nine total games. Buffalo flew in Bailey for the Anaheim game and a player like Rochester's Kevin Porter might be appealing since the Amerks are off until Friday.
Despite the joy of that first win, the Sabres need to follow it up with another against an injury-riddled Vegas expansion team that lost starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Malcom Subban, whom Vegas claimed off of waivers from the Boston Bruins less than two weeks ago, got the call yesterday and proceeded to beat his former team. But even with the one goal allowed against the Bruins, Subban still has a 3.45 GAA and .841 Sv% in three NHL starts.
This is a no-brainer. If the Sabres really want to start moving forward with this season, it begins with a win in Las Vegas against the expansion Golden Knights.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--The Reserves
It was a big weekend for cuts as the Buffalo Sabres sent forward Cliff Pu back to his junior club and 14 players to the Rochester Americans. Pu had an excellent training camp and Prospects Challenge tournament while also impressing the Sabres brass to the point where he stuck with the team for Friday's game in Toronto. Although he missed his London Knights opener, he would come back the next night to record two primary assists, including one in overtime, as the Knights won 3-2.
With the Rochester Americans set to open camp today, 14 players were sent east on I-90:
Forwards: Kevin Porter (subject to waivers), Stevie Moses, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Kyle Criscuolo, Hudson Fasching, C.J. Smith
Defensemen Casey Nelson, Brycen Martin, Devante Stephens, Brendan Guhle
Goaltenders Adam Wilcox, Jonas Johansson, Jason Kasdorf
The Amerks open up their preseason schedule with a back-to-back with the Toronto Marlies this Friday and Saturday.
The Sabres have two more preseason games before they begin the regular season on Thursday, October 5 when the Montreal Canadiens visit KeyBank Center. This weekend wasn't kind to the club as they suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. With the team still adapting to coach Phil Housley's system and Housley himself still adjusting to being an NHL head coach, the Leafs came away with 3-0 and 3-1 victories against Buffalo with three of Toronto's goals coming in the form of empty-netters.
Amongst the positives for Buffalo was the goaltending of Linus Ullmark who stopped 32 of 33 shots in the first game and Robin Lehner who stopped 30 of 32 in the second game. Buffalo's penalty kill also did some yeoman's work as they went 11/13 (84%) while being shorthanded.
Bubble roster players only have two more games to make an impression with the final preseason game normally used as a tune-up for the opening night roster. With a new system being put in place for both clubs, and GM Jason Botterill's commitment to not only proper seasoning for his young players, but also making Rochester more competitive, it's not surprising to see players like Guhle and Hudson Fasching get sent down. And it also may be an indication of who amongst the remaining 12 skaters will stick with Buffalo in a reserve role when the season opens.
Nicolas Deslauriers
26 yrs. old
6'1" 215 lbs.
2009 third-round (84th-overall, LAK)
Acquired from the LA Kings in a trade on March 5, 2104
Career stats: 211 games | 12 goals | 18 assists | 30 points | -54
When former Sabres GM Tim Murray took the reigns of the club in January, 2014, it would seem as if he wanted to build a club in the mold of the LA Kings. The two-time Cup-winning Kings played a physical, heavy Western Conference style of play and Murray went right to the source to snag two "heavies" in Nicolas Deslauriers and Hudson Fasching in a trade with Los Angeles.
Deslauriers was a converted defenseman playing wing in a bottom-six role. At 215 lbs. he has the heft, wasn't afraid to through that weight around, would drop the gloves and could skate pretty well too. He had a solid first full NHL season in Buffalo registering 15 points (5+10) in a fourth-line role while playing in all 82 games for the Sabres in 2015-16.
However, despite scoring one more goal in 12 less games for Buffalo last season, Deslauriers looked like he took a step back. The big powerforward seemed slow to react to what was transpiring on the ice and as the speed of the game went up, his ice-time went down from 10:20 to 7:25.
Deslauriers has had a good training camp and may have done enough to warrant a spot on the roster in a reserve role.
Justin Bailey
22 yrs. old
6'4" 214 lbs.
2013, 52nd-overall
Career stats: 40 games | 2 goals | 2 assists | 4 points | -2
This might go against what was laid out earlier, but there are a few factors involved in Bailey making the Sabres opening night roster.
The first one is the injury to Evan Rodrigues. The forward was hit hard into the boards over the weekend and his status is up in the air. Although the 24 yr. old Rodrigues wasn't a shoe-in to make the roster, he was having an extremely strong camp and was getting noticed for all the right reasons by the Sabres brass. If he's out there's room for Justin Bailey in the bottom-six in Buffalo.
Second in is Bailey's maturity and his success at the AHL-level. Although only 22 yrs. old, the big powerforward with impressive skating ability he seems to have learned about all he can from the minors with 81 points (43+38) in 122 AHL games.
Thirdly, he's made an impression on the penalty kill during preseason which is something that helped separate him from other roster-bubble players. It's a change in philosophy short-handed that may have given him an in to the Sabres roster. According to Bailey, the coaches want more aggressiveness on the kill. "I'm a big guy and I have a long reach with my stick," he told the gathered media this weekend, "and one of my best assets is my legs, so whether it's a loose puck or a rebound or anything like that they want us to be going hard and physical at the guy."
He's smart enough to realize that if the PK is his ticket to the big club, than so be it.
Josh Gorges
33 yrs. old
6'1" 204 lbs.
Undrafted FA
Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens July 1, 2014
Career stats: 749 games | 17 goals | 105 assists | 122 points | -2
Gorges was part of a veteran trio that Murray brought in on July 1, 2014 to help guide the youngins through what was about to become a very difficult transition. He, Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson all wore letters for the abysmal 2014-15 season and the transitional 2015-16 season.
As a defensive defenseman with some sandpaper to his game, Gorges was a good compliment to young defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen through those years. Although he struggled to keep pace with the best the opposition had to offer as a top-pairing defenseman, he held his own and was especially adept on the penalty kill. In Buffalo's first season out of the basement, the Sabres finished ninth in the league on the kill with a 82.6% success rate.
Gorges slowly moved down the depth-chart last season, and rightfully so, as the speed of the game began to pass him by. At 33 yrs. old and with a lot of wear and tear on his body after playing years as a rugged defenseman, playing on the third-pairing while also playing key minutes short-handed was an ideal situation for him. He's always been dependable but the game has changed and with Botterill bringing in three mobile defenseman who are more to what Housley is looking for, Gorges looks to be the odd man out.
When injuries hit, he'll get the call and there's a possibility that he could end up on the trade block at the trade-deadline next year as he's in the final year of his contract.
Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Zemgus Girgensons / C, Jacob Josefson / RW, Matt Moulson
Nicolas Deslauriers / Justin Bailey
D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin
Josh Gorges
G, Robin Lehner
G, Chad Johnson
With the Rochester Americans set to open camp today, 14 players were sent east on I-90:
Forwards: Kevin Porter (subject to waivers), Stevie Moses, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Kyle Criscuolo, Hudson Fasching, C.J. Smith
Defensemen Casey Nelson, Brycen Martin, Devante Stephens, Brendan Guhle
Goaltenders Adam Wilcox, Jonas Johansson, Jason Kasdorf
The Amerks open up their preseason schedule with a back-to-back with the Toronto Marlies this Friday and Saturday.
The Sabres have two more preseason games before they begin the regular season on Thursday, October 5 when the Montreal Canadiens visit KeyBank Center. This weekend wasn't kind to the club as they suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. With the team still adapting to coach Phil Housley's system and Housley himself still adjusting to being an NHL head coach, the Leafs came away with 3-0 and 3-1 victories against Buffalo with three of Toronto's goals coming in the form of empty-netters.
Amongst the positives for Buffalo was the goaltending of Linus Ullmark who stopped 32 of 33 shots in the first game and Robin Lehner who stopped 30 of 32 in the second game. Buffalo's penalty kill also did some yeoman's work as they went 11/13 (84%) while being shorthanded.
Bubble roster players only have two more games to make an impression with the final preseason game normally used as a tune-up for the opening night roster. With a new system being put in place for both clubs, and GM Jason Botterill's commitment to not only proper seasoning for his young players, but also making Rochester more competitive, it's not surprising to see players like Guhle and Hudson Fasching get sent down. And it also may be an indication of who amongst the remaining 12 skaters will stick with Buffalo in a reserve role when the season opens.
Nicolas Deslauriers
26 yrs. old
6'1" 215 lbs.
2009 third-round (84th-overall, LAK)
Acquired from the LA Kings in a trade on March 5, 2104
Career stats: 211 games | 12 goals | 18 assists | 30 points | -54
When former Sabres GM Tim Murray took the reigns of the club in January, 2014, it would seem as if he wanted to build a club in the mold of the LA Kings. The two-time Cup-winning Kings played a physical, heavy Western Conference style of play and Murray went right to the source to snag two "heavies" in Nicolas Deslauriers and Hudson Fasching in a trade with Los Angeles.
Deslauriers was a converted defenseman playing wing in a bottom-six role. At 215 lbs. he has the heft, wasn't afraid to through that weight around, would drop the gloves and could skate pretty well too. He had a solid first full NHL season in Buffalo registering 15 points (5+10) in a fourth-line role while playing in all 82 games for the Sabres in 2015-16.
However, despite scoring one more goal in 12 less games for Buffalo last season, Deslauriers looked like he took a step back. The big powerforward seemed slow to react to what was transpiring on the ice and as the speed of the game went up, his ice-time went down from 10:20 to 7:25.
Deslauriers has had a good training camp and may have done enough to warrant a spot on the roster in a reserve role.
Justin Bailey
22 yrs. old
6'4" 214 lbs.
2013, 52nd-overall
Career stats: 40 games | 2 goals | 2 assists | 4 points | -2
This might go against what was laid out earlier, but there are a few factors involved in Bailey making the Sabres opening night roster.
The first one is the injury to Evan Rodrigues. The forward was hit hard into the boards over the weekend and his status is up in the air. Although the 24 yr. old Rodrigues wasn't a shoe-in to make the roster, he was having an extremely strong camp and was getting noticed for all the right reasons by the Sabres brass. If he's out there's room for Justin Bailey in the bottom-six in Buffalo.
Second in is Bailey's maturity and his success at the AHL-level. Although only 22 yrs. old, the big powerforward with impressive skating ability he seems to have learned about all he can from the minors with 81 points (43+38) in 122 AHL games.
Thirdly, he's made an impression on the penalty kill during preseason which is something that helped separate him from other roster-bubble players. It's a change in philosophy short-handed that may have given him an in to the Sabres roster. According to Bailey, the coaches want more aggressiveness on the kill. "I'm a big guy and I have a long reach with my stick," he told the gathered media this weekend, "and one of my best assets is my legs, so whether it's a loose puck or a rebound or anything like that they want us to be going hard and physical at the guy."
He's smart enough to realize that if the PK is his ticket to the big club, than so be it.
Josh Gorges
33 yrs. old
6'1" 204 lbs.
Undrafted FA
Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens July 1, 2014
Career stats: 749 games | 17 goals | 105 assists | 122 points | -2
Gorges was part of a veteran trio that Murray brought in on July 1, 2014 to help guide the youngins through what was about to become a very difficult transition. He, Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson all wore letters for the abysmal 2014-15 season and the transitional 2015-16 season.
As a defensive defenseman with some sandpaper to his game, Gorges was a good compliment to young defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen through those years. Although he struggled to keep pace with the best the opposition had to offer as a top-pairing defenseman, he held his own and was especially adept on the penalty kill. In Buffalo's first season out of the basement, the Sabres finished ninth in the league on the kill with a 82.6% success rate.
Gorges slowly moved down the depth-chart last season, and rightfully so, as the speed of the game began to pass him by. At 33 yrs. old and with a lot of wear and tear on his body after playing years as a rugged defenseman, playing on the third-pairing while also playing key minutes short-handed was an ideal situation for him. He's always been dependable but the game has changed and with Botterill bringing in three mobile defenseman who are more to what Housley is looking for, Gorges looks to be the odd man out.
When injuries hit, he'll get the call and there's a possibility that he could end up on the trade block at the trade-deadline next year as he's in the final year of his contract.
Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Zemgus Girgensons / C, Jacob Josefson / RW, Matt Moulson
Nicolas Deslauriers / Justin Bailey
D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin
Josh Gorges
G, Robin Lehner
G, Chad Johnson
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Broadcaster Don Stevens talks of Amerks, Sabres management, and prospects
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-5-2017
The Rochester Americans still felt the effects of the 2013-15 Buffalo Sabres talent purge as much of the talent and depth they expected to have last October was soon whisked away to Buffalo when Sabres' players succumbed to injury.
Such is the existence of an AHL team, when something happens to the big club, they reach down to the affiliate to fill their needs.
It was a rough year for the Sabres and one of the nails in the coffin of their 2016-17 season was lack of depth and/or a failure by management to bolster the roster with an outside transaction while stricken with a rash of injuries. Buffalo was rocked by injuries to key players up-front while at the same time injuries to the defense-corps were either depleting the lineup or inhibiting defensemen from doing their job properly. There was a point in time back in November when the Sabres started six players either scheduled to start the season in Rochester or had been recent call-ups from the Amerks, for three consecutive games bookended by another handful of games where five of those players started for the Sabres.
"Rochester West," was how long-time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens described it. The Voice of the Rochester Americans chatted with me a couple weeks ago acknowledging that the job of the AHL club was as an NHL feeder and developer of talent but lamented the lack of depth in Rochester.
Stevens and I were in the midst of an interview on April 20 the day it was announced that the Sabres had just fired their GM and head coach. Looking from an Amerks perspective, Stevens saw it a s positive move in the right direction for the franchise. "They weren't building properly from this stage (the AHL) up," he told me, "or even below this stage (in the ECHL with the Elmira Jackals.) We need to have depth in the organization below this stage.
"You could see what happened when we'd lose a player or two players all of a sudden we'd go in the tank."
Such was the handiwork of former GM Tim Murray and what both I and Stevens couldn't understand is why the Sabres didn't bring in any outside help when they really needed it. The Sabres were running with around 45 of the allowable 50 pro contracts all season long and it was a head scratcher as to why those slots weren't used bolster depth. Stevens said at one point "nearly half the roster was first-year players or players on amateur tryout contracts." He said "one game they counted eight players on ATO's" and it's something that stuck in his craw.
Without delving into specifics Stevens said "there are certain reasons why [the firings] was a good move for the organization" and that the contract thing, along with the lack of depth, were parts of it.
All's not gloom and doom in the Saberland, however. There was continuity from Buffalo to Rochester on the ice as the players called up from Rochester fit seamlessly into the Sabres style of play. Many looked as if they belonged even if they couldn't maintain that higher level of play and contribute, beyond a handful of games. However, they did show why they were drafted and that they could at least hold their own at the NHL-level.
Here's some of those players who look to be the future of the Sabres and what Stevens had to say about them:
G, Linus Ullmark--The second-year pro was thrown into the fire early in the 2015-16 season when Sabres' starting goalie Robin Lehner went down in the first game of the season. This past season he was the undisputed No. 1 goalie for Rochester. His stat-line isn't great, but neither was the team in front of him as he faced a league-high 1,678 shots against. "He was just fantastic," said Stevens of Ullmark. "He kept us in 75-80% of the games while being drastically outshout all season long. He was just outstanding. He was hung out to dry many nights and he'd just keep us in the games."
Ullmark, said Stevens, "had a tremendous attitude this year. Win or lose he was cheerful, very supportive, friendly and worked well with the guys. They loved him and voted him the team MVP."
RW, Alex Nylander--At 18 yrs. old, Nylander was the youngest player in the AHL who Stevens said needs to grow physically. "He's not terribly short and he's not small," said Stevens, "but physically he's got to get stronger and bigger. I think he lacks confidence and part of it is because he's still somewhat of a boy playing against men."
When Nylander came up for a short end-of-season stint with Buffalo I told Stevens he looked like a waif compared to those he was playing against but that eventually he started to figure out how to maneuver himself around the NHL'ers without getting killed. "That's what I'm talking about," replied Stevens, "confidence. He's so worried about not getting killed, sometimes he's not doing the things he needs to do and stays away from the physical contact." Stevens said Nylander has the skills saying "he looks like he'll be a good one," but that bulking up is the first step on the way to more confidence which will bring out his skills.
D, Brady Austin--It was the second time Stevens used the word confidence when talking specifically about a player. When Austin came up to the Sabres late in the season it looked like a token call-up based upon the numbers he put up in Rochester. But he turned some heads while in Buffalo.
Austin skates extremely well for a stay-at-home d-man clocking in a 6'3" and 227 lbs. "He's not so flashy in that he makes himself standout," said Stevens, "he just plays the game solid, is there game-in, game-out. The thing is he has the ability to do the flash. You'll see him on occasion take a rush and you're sitting there with your mouth open and you can't believe he just did that. He has that ability but I don't think he has the confidence yet."
RW, Nick Baptiste and Justin Bailey--Baptiste, a second-year pro has the size (6'1", 206 lbs) and the speed to have an impact at the NHL-level and has developed well through 121 games at the AHL-level. Last season he made great strides scoring 25 goals in 59 games for the Amerks, which Stevens acknowledged but he also pointed out that both he and fellow RW Justin Bailey, who's also fast and skilled and has an NHL frame, are having certain problems in one area.
Both are very fast skaters but on occasion their skill can't keep up with their skating. "They overskate their game," said Stevens, "and they have a little bit of trouble with puck control and puck movement. They both were getting better at it, but they still need to work on that."
D, Casey Nelson--Sometimes you just can't mince words. Nelson was terrible for Buffalo in his first eight games with the club this season and it took him a while to regain his footing in Rochester. But he finished strong to the point where Stevens thought Nelson should have been acknowledged as the most improved player on the Amerks. "The last four or five weeks of the season he came on strong," said Stevens. "I think he needs another year here. He's not all that big and he's got to gain some strength, but he looks like he could be a good prospect."
LW, Evan Rodrigues--Rodrigues, like Nelson, is an undrafted college free agent signed by Buffalo. He struggled in his first pro season, made an impression in two games played for the Sabres and was back at it this past season in Rochester. Although the numbers weren't there early in the season, Rodrigues, according to Stevens, "played very well. He finished strong his first season and picked up right where he left off this year. He got the call to Buffalo and played even better.
"Overall," continued Stevens, "I think he had an outstanding year and certainly has made a case for him to win a full-time job [in Buffalo.]"
One thing about Stevens is that he's a firm believer in having players play in the AHL for their proper development. There are exceptions like the Jack Eichel's of the hockey world, but most of the others stand to benefit from playing at the lower levels where there's more room to make mistakes and the spotlight is much dimmer. Stevens said that about all the prospects including defenseman Brendan Guhle, who looks to be in a strong position to be a part of the defense-corps for the Sabres.
Stevens will have another group of Amerks players to watch next season as change is sure to come, at least from a player standpoint, but he is hoping that Amerks players like Cole Schneider, who's already voiced his readiness to come back, Tim Kennedy and Justin Vaive will return as cornerstones for next year's team. He also mentioned that he'd like to see head coach Dan Lambert return saying, "I'd love to see him back. I thought he and his coaches did an excellent job with what they put up with." But it's the AHL, and you're at the mercy of the parent club and things rarely work out the way you planned them.
The Rochester Americans still felt the effects of the 2013-15 Buffalo Sabres talent purge as much of the talent and depth they expected to have last October was soon whisked away to Buffalo when Sabres' players succumbed to injury.
Such is the existence of an AHL team, when something happens to the big club, they reach down to the affiliate to fill their needs.
It was a rough year for the Sabres and one of the nails in the coffin of their 2016-17 season was lack of depth and/or a failure by management to bolster the roster with an outside transaction while stricken with a rash of injuries. Buffalo was rocked by injuries to key players up-front while at the same time injuries to the defense-corps were either depleting the lineup or inhibiting defensemen from doing their job properly. There was a point in time back in November when the Sabres started six players either scheduled to start the season in Rochester or had been recent call-ups from the Amerks, for three consecutive games bookended by another handful of games where five of those players started for the Sabres.
"Rochester West," was how long-time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens described it. The Voice of the Rochester Americans chatted with me a couple weeks ago acknowledging that the job of the AHL club was as an NHL feeder and developer of talent but lamented the lack of depth in Rochester.
Stevens and I were in the midst of an interview on April 20 the day it was announced that the Sabres had just fired their GM and head coach. Looking from an Amerks perspective, Stevens saw it a s positive move in the right direction for the franchise. "They weren't building properly from this stage (the AHL) up," he told me, "or even below this stage (in the ECHL with the Elmira Jackals.) We need to have depth in the organization below this stage.
"You could see what happened when we'd lose a player or two players all of a sudden we'd go in the tank."
Such was the handiwork of former GM Tim Murray and what both I and Stevens couldn't understand is why the Sabres didn't bring in any outside help when they really needed it. The Sabres were running with around 45 of the allowable 50 pro contracts all season long and it was a head scratcher as to why those slots weren't used bolster depth. Stevens said at one point "nearly half the roster was first-year players or players on amateur tryout contracts." He said "one game they counted eight players on ATO's" and it's something that stuck in his craw.
Without delving into specifics Stevens said "there are certain reasons why [the firings] was a good move for the organization" and that the contract thing, along with the lack of depth, were parts of it.
All's not gloom and doom in the Saberland, however. There was continuity from Buffalo to Rochester on the ice as the players called up from Rochester fit seamlessly into the Sabres style of play. Many looked as if they belonged even if they couldn't maintain that higher level of play and contribute, beyond a handful of games. However, they did show why they were drafted and that they could at least hold their own at the NHL-level.
Here's some of those players who look to be the future of the Sabres and what Stevens had to say about them:
G, Linus Ullmark--The second-year pro was thrown into the fire early in the 2015-16 season when Sabres' starting goalie Robin Lehner went down in the first game of the season. This past season he was the undisputed No. 1 goalie for Rochester. His stat-line isn't great, but neither was the team in front of him as he faced a league-high 1,678 shots against. "He was just fantastic," said Stevens of Ullmark. "He kept us in 75-80% of the games while being drastically outshout all season long. He was just outstanding. He was hung out to dry many nights and he'd just keep us in the games."
Ullmark, said Stevens, "had a tremendous attitude this year. Win or lose he was cheerful, very supportive, friendly and worked well with the guys. They loved him and voted him the team MVP."
RW, Alex Nylander--At 18 yrs. old, Nylander was the youngest player in the AHL who Stevens said needs to grow physically. "He's not terribly short and he's not small," said Stevens, "but physically he's got to get stronger and bigger. I think he lacks confidence and part of it is because he's still somewhat of a boy playing against men."
When Nylander came up for a short end-of-season stint with Buffalo I told Stevens he looked like a waif compared to those he was playing against but that eventually he started to figure out how to maneuver himself around the NHL'ers without getting killed. "That's what I'm talking about," replied Stevens, "confidence. He's so worried about not getting killed, sometimes he's not doing the things he needs to do and stays away from the physical contact." Stevens said Nylander has the skills saying "he looks like he'll be a good one," but that bulking up is the first step on the way to more confidence which will bring out his skills.
D, Brady Austin--It was the second time Stevens used the word confidence when talking specifically about a player. When Austin came up to the Sabres late in the season it looked like a token call-up based upon the numbers he put up in Rochester. But he turned some heads while in Buffalo.
Austin skates extremely well for a stay-at-home d-man clocking in a 6'3" and 227 lbs. "He's not so flashy in that he makes himself standout," said Stevens, "he just plays the game solid, is there game-in, game-out. The thing is he has the ability to do the flash. You'll see him on occasion take a rush and you're sitting there with your mouth open and you can't believe he just did that. He has that ability but I don't think he has the confidence yet."
RW, Nick Baptiste and Justin Bailey--Baptiste, a second-year pro has the size (6'1", 206 lbs) and the speed to have an impact at the NHL-level and has developed well through 121 games at the AHL-level. Last season he made great strides scoring 25 goals in 59 games for the Amerks, which Stevens acknowledged but he also pointed out that both he and fellow RW Justin Bailey, who's also fast and skilled and has an NHL frame, are having certain problems in one area.
Both are very fast skaters but on occasion their skill can't keep up with their skating. "They overskate their game," said Stevens, "and they have a little bit of trouble with puck control and puck movement. They both were getting better at it, but they still need to work on that."
D, Casey Nelson--Sometimes you just can't mince words. Nelson was terrible for Buffalo in his first eight games with the club this season and it took him a while to regain his footing in Rochester. But he finished strong to the point where Stevens thought Nelson should have been acknowledged as the most improved player on the Amerks. "The last four or five weeks of the season he came on strong," said Stevens. "I think he needs another year here. He's not all that big and he's got to gain some strength, but he looks like he could be a good prospect."
LW, Evan Rodrigues--Rodrigues, like Nelson, is an undrafted college free agent signed by Buffalo. He struggled in his first pro season, made an impression in two games played for the Sabres and was back at it this past season in Rochester. Although the numbers weren't there early in the season, Rodrigues, according to Stevens, "played very well. He finished strong his first season and picked up right where he left off this year. He got the call to Buffalo and played even better.
"Overall," continued Stevens, "I think he had an outstanding year and certainly has made a case for him to win a full-time job [in Buffalo.]"
One thing about Stevens is that he's a firm believer in having players play in the AHL for their proper development. There are exceptions like the Jack Eichel's of the hockey world, but most of the others stand to benefit from playing at the lower levels where there's more room to make mistakes and the spotlight is much dimmer. Stevens said that about all the prospects including defenseman Brendan Guhle, who looks to be in a strong position to be a part of the defense-corps for the Sabres.
Stevens will have another group of Amerks players to watch next season as change is sure to come, at least from a player standpoint, but he is hoping that Amerks players like Cole Schneider, who's already voiced his readiness to come back, Tim Kennedy and Justin Vaive will return as cornerstones for next year's team. He also mentioned that he'd like to see head coach Dan Lambert return saying, "I'd love to see him back. I thought he and his coaches did an excellent job with what they put up with." But it's the AHL, and you're at the mercy of the parent club and things rarely work out the way you planned them.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Amerks end tough season on a sour note, but some bright spots emerge
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-16-2017
After making huge strides last season as the Buffalo Sabres emerged from two years at the bottom of the league with a season of progress before they took a step back this season. Among the issues that plagued Buffalo this season were key injuries, player/coach disconnect, vet/youngin disconnect, a weak defense-corps and severe lack of depth. Outside of disconnects on the Sabres, a troublesome aspect of the entire organization was lack of depth which was exposed when injuries hit hard, especially on defense and in addition to defensive woes in Buffalo, the Rochester Americans ended up feeling the brunt of it.
Whatever depth the Sabres had this season was stretched thin, something that didn't bode well for Rochester. It's a problem that's not unique to the Sabres/Amerks as an NHL club is constantly tapping into the farm team when injuries strike. With injuries mounting on the Buffalo blueline, the Sabres got help in the form of defensemen Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun, Rochesters top pairing. Both were called up in the middle of November and stuck with the Sabres well into December.
From November 12 when Fedun joined Falk in Buffalo to December 17 when he was sent back to Rochester, the Amerks went 4-11-1, were outscored by a 35-57 margin, were outshot 526 to 423 as a defense-corps of Casey Nelson, Eric Burgdoerfer, Brady Austin, Paul Geiger and Mac Bennett, and Brycen Martin, among others, were overwhelmed and undermanned. Rochester went from a middle of the pack 5-5-0 team to the lower levels of the conference.
The thin defense corps left goaltenders Linus Ullmark, John Muse, Jason Kasdorf and Jonas Johansson as ducks in a shooting gallery all season long. Ullmark had a pretty strong season for the Amerks going 26-27-2 with a 2.87 GAA and .909 SV%. He faced a league-high 1,678 shots while his 1,525 saves also were tops. Of note for those of us in Sabreland who watch shootout struggles from Buffalo's goaltending duo, Ullmark stopped 10 of 14 shootout attempts for a .714 SV%.
The Amerks were shut out 3-0 by the Albany Devils (NJD) last night and finished the season with a good stretch going 8-4-1 in the final 13 games. That included a 5-3 home win the prior night against the Devils to close out the home portion of the season. A couple of players also left the ice on the upswing. Forward Nick Baptiste finished with nine points (5+4) in his final eight games and Justin Bailey had seven points (4+3) in his last 10. Both will be expected to make a strong push for the Sabres roster next season as will forward Evan Rodrigues who played very well in his 30 games with Buffalo. Although four goals and two assists isn't mind-blowing Rodrigues held his own in a bottom-six role while showing he has the tools to stick with the big club.
Falk ended up playing 52 games for the Sabres and earned a contract extension from Murray in the process. Fedun is an unrestricted free agent and may be looking for greener pastures after he displayed solid two-way acumen at the NHL-level as his seven assists and plus-3 rating in 27 games would indicate. We're no sure if any bridges were burned this season, but he'd be a nice re-sign for the club.
When the team went in the tank for two seasons, the roster on both clubs was left in shambles. Murray began filling his NHL club with talent, but acquiring that talent sometimes meant plucking prospects from the farm system. That depleted system, especially on the blueline, really hurt this season and it will take more than one off season to address it properly. We can expect an influx of draft picks and free agents to make their way to Rochester this summer but how many and how much of an impact they will make is to be determined.
The Amerks recently signed defenseman Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd-overall) to an AHL contract and he looks to be a solid defender. "Flo" spent the last five games of the season with Rochester and was an even plus/minus. Up front they'll have Alexander Nylander in a scorers role should he not be able to crack the lineup and in goal, Johansson looks to be the starter next season as Ullmark looks to be NHL-bound.
Although it's not all doom and gloom over there, a 25th place finish in the league for Rochester isn't' exactly rainbows, unicorns and jujus either. Murray has a lot of work to do with both clubs this off season and building quality depth in Rochester is something that won't be overlooked.
After making huge strides last season as the Buffalo Sabres emerged from two years at the bottom of the league with a season of progress before they took a step back this season. Among the issues that plagued Buffalo this season were key injuries, player/coach disconnect, vet/youngin disconnect, a weak defense-corps and severe lack of depth. Outside of disconnects on the Sabres, a troublesome aspect of the entire organization was lack of depth which was exposed when injuries hit hard, especially on defense and in addition to defensive woes in Buffalo, the Rochester Americans ended up feeling the brunt of it.
Whatever depth the Sabres had this season was stretched thin, something that didn't bode well for Rochester. It's a problem that's not unique to the Sabres/Amerks as an NHL club is constantly tapping into the farm team when injuries strike. With injuries mounting on the Buffalo blueline, the Sabres got help in the form of defensemen Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun, Rochesters top pairing. Both were called up in the middle of November and stuck with the Sabres well into December.
From November 12 when Fedun joined Falk in Buffalo to December 17 when he was sent back to Rochester, the Amerks went 4-11-1, were outscored by a 35-57 margin, were outshot 526 to 423 as a defense-corps of Casey Nelson, Eric Burgdoerfer, Brady Austin, Paul Geiger and Mac Bennett, and Brycen Martin, among others, were overwhelmed and undermanned. Rochester went from a middle of the pack 5-5-0 team to the lower levels of the conference.
The thin defense corps left goaltenders Linus Ullmark, John Muse, Jason Kasdorf and Jonas Johansson as ducks in a shooting gallery all season long. Ullmark had a pretty strong season for the Amerks going 26-27-2 with a 2.87 GAA and .909 SV%. He faced a league-high 1,678 shots while his 1,525 saves also were tops. Of note for those of us in Sabreland who watch shootout struggles from Buffalo's goaltending duo, Ullmark stopped 10 of 14 shootout attempts for a .714 SV%.
The Amerks were shut out 3-0 by the Albany Devils (NJD) last night and finished the season with a good stretch going 8-4-1 in the final 13 games. That included a 5-3 home win the prior night against the Devils to close out the home portion of the season. A couple of players also left the ice on the upswing. Forward Nick Baptiste finished with nine points (5+4) in his final eight games and Justin Bailey had seven points (4+3) in his last 10. Both will be expected to make a strong push for the Sabres roster next season as will forward Evan Rodrigues who played very well in his 30 games with Buffalo. Although four goals and two assists isn't mind-blowing Rodrigues held his own in a bottom-six role while showing he has the tools to stick with the big club.
Falk ended up playing 52 games for the Sabres and earned a contract extension from Murray in the process. Fedun is an unrestricted free agent and may be looking for greener pastures after he displayed solid two-way acumen at the NHL-level as his seven assists and plus-3 rating in 27 games would indicate. We're no sure if any bridges were burned this season, but he'd be a nice re-sign for the club.
When the team went in the tank for two seasons, the roster on both clubs was left in shambles. Murray began filling his NHL club with talent, but acquiring that talent sometimes meant plucking prospects from the farm system. That depleted system, especially on the blueline, really hurt this season and it will take more than one off season to address it properly. We can expect an influx of draft picks and free agents to make their way to Rochester this summer but how many and how much of an impact they will make is to be determined.
The Amerks recently signed defenseman Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd-overall) to an AHL contract and he looks to be a solid defender. "Flo" spent the last five games of the season with Rochester and was an even plus/minus. Up front they'll have Alexander Nylander in a scorers role should he not be able to crack the lineup and in goal, Johansson looks to be the starter next season as Ullmark looks to be NHL-bound.
Although it's not all doom and gloom over there, a 25th place finish in the league for Rochester isn't' exactly rainbows, unicorns and jujus either. Murray has a lot of work to do with both clubs this off season and building quality depth in Rochester is something that won't be overlooked.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
"It's a playoff atmosphere for us from here on out."
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-4-2017
Thus spoke Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges as he's ready to return to the lineup for the first time since January 7 when he was sidelined with a hip injury.
Both he and fellow defenseman Jake McCabe were cleared to play and will jump right into the fire without going through a practice with the team. Granted, this is will be Buffalo's 51st game of the season so the duo should be well versed in their jobs and this will be the Sabres fourth meeting with the Ottawa Senators so they should to expect from their Atlantic Division rival.
Getting into something resembling game-shape was the big hurdle for Gorges and McCabe, as well as the countless others that have had to come back from injury. February is a particularly busy month as Buffalo plays 14 games in the shortest month of the year plus will have their bye-week later in month. Practice time will be scarce so the Sabres relied upon rehab specialist Dennis Miller.
Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com writes that Miller rehabbing involves "battle drills," something we've been hearing quite often but never associating a name with. LaBarber quotes Gorges as saying this about Miller, ""The old school mentality of stand on the line and coach with a whistle and a stop watch and say 'go,' and you keep skating and skating and skating, that might get your lungs ready but playing hockey is so much different than straight-line skating back and forth.
"I think Dennis, he does such a great job of not only what I need as a player, but specific to me as a defenseman. He factors in all these different things so he gets you ready so when you're back you're ready to step right back in again."
And they're gonna need it.
Despite Buffalo's 2-0-1 record this season against Ottawa, playing the Senators is always a battle. All three games this year have been decided by one goal as were two of four last season. The Sabres beat Ottawa 2-1 in early November and lost 2-1 in the shootout four days later. Both games were played while Jack Eichel was on the injured list. Eichel came back for the last game of November and help skate Buffalo to a 5-4 win with a goal and an assists in his 2016-17 debut. Ryan O'Reilly had two goals and an assist in that game as well.
O'Reilly spent some time on the injured list as did winger Evander Kane, but the forward ranks, at least in the top nine are about as healthy as they've been all season long. Unfortunatley the injury troubles the forwards had has shifted to the defense-corps.
Although the Sabres are getting Gorges and McCabe back, Zach Bogosian injured his ribs in the first period on Thursday night. Buffalo played with five defenseman against a very fast and highly skilled NY Rangers team and almost pulled it off as they came from behind in the third period but ended up falling in overtime, 2-1.
I guess one out but two back in is better than the other way around. With the return of Gorges and McCabe, the Sabres now have one extra defenseman and head coach Dan Bylsma chose to sit Taylor Fedun who's done yeoman's work for the entirety of 2017 thus far. Bylsma's keeping Justin Falk in the lineup and he'll be playing his off side opposite Gorges according to the projected lineup for Sabres.com. Rasmus Ristolainen and Dmitry Kulikov will continue on the top pairing while McCabe will be on the left and Cody Franson on the right in the second pairing.
The Sabres suffered another injury up front as Will Carrier went down with a knee injury, according to Bylsma, but Buffalo called up the red hot Justin Bailey from Rochester.
Bailey has been on a tear for the Amerks since mid-December when he started a seven-game goal streak which featured his first NHL goal against Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers while he was on a call-up right in the middle of the streak. His 19 goals leads the Amerks and places him tied for fifth overall in the American Hockey League.
Bylsma had nothing but great things to say about Bailey as he spoke with the gathered media today. He acknowledged with definitive nods that Bailey has been dominating the AHL then talked about the 21 yr. old power forward's game. "You saw it when he was last with us," said the coach, "the speed he showed on the forecheck against the Rangers, the turnover and getting his goal .Also late in that game you saw his speed up the ice and his ability to sling the puck at the net. He beat Lundqvist for a second time but hit the post.
"If you watched his last few games in Rochester, it's six, seven, eight times a game he's [with] his speed and his ability to put pressure on teams with that speed, he's a force."
No one knows how much of that he'll be able to use as Bylsma has Bailey on the fourth line with defenseman-turned-winger-turned fourth-line center in Nicolas Deslauriers and Tyler Ennis, but he'll need to make the best of what time he's given by playing the way that got him noticed.
The rest of the forward lines look to be the same, according to Sabres.com:
Moulson-O'Reilly-Okposo
Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart
Kane-Girgensons-Gionta.
Robin Lehner gets the nod in net.
With 32 games left to play and a lot of work to be done just to get into the middle of a clump of playoff hopefuls, there's no time like the present to get the ball rolling. Buffalo's on a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) and time's a wastin'.
To rivals going at it at Key Bank center with the home team (hopefully) desperate for a win should make for a playoff atmosphere in Buffalo. Which is the way it should be at this time of year.
Thus spoke Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges as he's ready to return to the lineup for the first time since January 7 when he was sidelined with a hip injury.
Both he and fellow defenseman Jake McCabe were cleared to play and will jump right into the fire without going through a practice with the team. Granted, this is will be Buffalo's 51st game of the season so the duo should be well versed in their jobs and this will be the Sabres fourth meeting with the Ottawa Senators so they should to expect from their Atlantic Division rival.
Getting into something resembling game-shape was the big hurdle for Gorges and McCabe, as well as the countless others that have had to come back from injury. February is a particularly busy month as Buffalo plays 14 games in the shortest month of the year plus will have their bye-week later in month. Practice time will be scarce so the Sabres relied upon rehab specialist Dennis Miller.
Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com writes that Miller rehabbing involves "battle drills," something we've been hearing quite often but never associating a name with. LaBarber quotes Gorges as saying this about Miller, ""The old school mentality of stand on the line and coach with a whistle and a stop watch and say 'go,' and you keep skating and skating and skating, that might get your lungs ready but playing hockey is so much different than straight-line skating back and forth.
"I think Dennis, he does such a great job of not only what I need as a player, but specific to me as a defenseman. He factors in all these different things so he gets you ready so when you're back you're ready to step right back in again."
And they're gonna need it.
Despite Buffalo's 2-0-1 record this season against Ottawa, playing the Senators is always a battle. All three games this year have been decided by one goal as were two of four last season. The Sabres beat Ottawa 2-1 in early November and lost 2-1 in the shootout four days later. Both games were played while Jack Eichel was on the injured list. Eichel came back for the last game of November and help skate Buffalo to a 5-4 win with a goal and an assists in his 2016-17 debut. Ryan O'Reilly had two goals and an assist in that game as well.
O'Reilly spent some time on the injured list as did winger Evander Kane, but the forward ranks, at least in the top nine are about as healthy as they've been all season long. Unfortunatley the injury troubles the forwards had has shifted to the defense-corps.
Although the Sabres are getting Gorges and McCabe back, Zach Bogosian injured his ribs in the first period on Thursday night. Buffalo played with five defenseman against a very fast and highly skilled NY Rangers team and almost pulled it off as they came from behind in the third period but ended up falling in overtime, 2-1.
I guess one out but two back in is better than the other way around. With the return of Gorges and McCabe, the Sabres now have one extra defenseman and head coach Dan Bylsma chose to sit Taylor Fedun who's done yeoman's work for the entirety of 2017 thus far. Bylsma's keeping Justin Falk in the lineup and he'll be playing his off side opposite Gorges according to the projected lineup for Sabres.com. Rasmus Ristolainen and Dmitry Kulikov will continue on the top pairing while McCabe will be on the left and Cody Franson on the right in the second pairing.
The Sabres suffered another injury up front as Will Carrier went down with a knee injury, according to Bylsma, but Buffalo called up the red hot Justin Bailey from Rochester.
Bailey has been on a tear for the Amerks since mid-December when he started a seven-game goal streak which featured his first NHL goal against Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers while he was on a call-up right in the middle of the streak. His 19 goals leads the Amerks and places him tied for fifth overall in the American Hockey League.
Bylsma had nothing but great things to say about Bailey as he spoke with the gathered media today. He acknowledged with definitive nods that Bailey has been dominating the AHL then talked about the 21 yr. old power forward's game. "You saw it when he was last with us," said the coach, "the speed he showed on the forecheck against the Rangers, the turnover and getting his goal .Also late in that game you saw his speed up the ice and his ability to sling the puck at the net. He beat Lundqvist for a second time but hit the post.
"If you watched his last few games in Rochester, it's six, seven, eight times a game he's [with] his speed and his ability to put pressure on teams with that speed, he's a force."
No one knows how much of that he'll be able to use as Bylsma has Bailey on the fourth line with defenseman-turned-winger-turned fourth-line center in Nicolas Deslauriers and Tyler Ennis, but he'll need to make the best of what time he's given by playing the way that got him noticed.
The rest of the forward lines look to be the same, according to Sabres.com:
Moulson-O'Reilly-Okposo
Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart
Kane-Girgensons-Gionta.
Robin Lehner gets the nod in net.
With 32 games left to play and a lot of work to be done just to get into the middle of a clump of playoff hopefuls, there's no time like the present to get the ball rolling. Buffalo's on a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) and time's a wastin'.
To rivals going at it at Key Bank center with the home team (hopefully) desperate for a win should make for a playoff atmosphere in Buffalo. Which is the way it should be at this time of year.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Justin Bailey added to AHL All-Star roster
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-29-2017
Had Justin Bailey not spent nine games in the NHL so far this season, perhaps he would have made the AHL All-Star team the first go-round. With 18 goals in 38 games for Rochester, the Amerks 6'3" 214 lb. right-wing is only four goals behind AHL leader Greg Carey (Lehigh Valley Phantoms/Philadelphia Flyers) having played in five less games. Yesterday the AHL added Bailey to the North Division All-Star team
Bailey broke a three-game goal drought last night with a goal late in the third period. It was the Amerks fifth unanswered goal as Rochester downed the Albany Devils 5-3 in the last game before they break for the AHL All-Star Classic. In net for Rochester was fellow All-Star Linus Ullmark while the Amerks other All-Star, Cole Schneider scored his 16th goal of the season.
The trio will be in Allentown, PA for the AHL Skills Competition tonight followed by the All-Star Challenge tomorrow night.
Bailey was on a hot streak in late December (5 goals in four games) before being recalled to Buffalo on Jan. 3 game vs. the NY Rangers where he scored his first NHL goal. After going point-less in the next five games he was sent back down to Rochester and continued his streak with four more goals in three games for a league-best seven-game goal streak this season. His 18 goals leads the team while his 38 points places him third on the Amerks.
It's the first All-Star appearance for Bailey who was taken by Buffalo with the 52nd-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Had Justin Bailey not spent nine games in the NHL so far this season, perhaps he would have made the AHL All-Star team the first go-round. With 18 goals in 38 games for Rochester, the Amerks 6'3" 214 lb. right-wing is only four goals behind AHL leader Greg Carey (Lehigh Valley Phantoms/Philadelphia Flyers) having played in five less games. Yesterday the AHL added Bailey to the North Division All-Star team
Bailey broke a three-game goal drought last night with a goal late in the third period. It was the Amerks fifth unanswered goal as Rochester downed the Albany Devils 5-3 in the last game before they break for the AHL All-Star Classic. In net for Rochester was fellow All-Star Linus Ullmark while the Amerks other All-Star, Cole Schneider scored his 16th goal of the season.
The trio will be in Allentown, PA for the AHL Skills Competition tonight followed by the All-Star Challenge tomorrow night.
Bailey was on a hot streak in late December (5 goals in four games) before being recalled to Buffalo on Jan. 3 game vs. the NY Rangers where he scored his first NHL goal. After going point-less in the next five games he was sent back down to Rochester and continued his streak with four more goals in three games for a league-best seven-game goal streak this season. His 18 goals leads the team while his 38 points places him third on the Amerks.
It's the first All-Star appearance for Bailey who was taken by Buffalo with the 52nd-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Latest Sabres injuries may prove to be a blessing
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-4-2017
Let me preface this by saying the Buffalo Sabres have been maddeningly inconsistent this season and although their 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden vs. the NY Rangers on national TV was impressive in many ways, one game won't be indicative of future results. Buffalo has an incredibly tough matchup on Thursday as they travel to the Madhouse on Madison to take on the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that's about as close to a dynasty as on can get in the cap-era.
Injuries have been the main contributor to the Sabres inconsistencies this season as they've not only been injury riddled, but the IR for Buffalo has been filled with significant injuries to some of their top players. Most recently, their top two-way center in Ryan O'Reilly was sidelined due to an emergency appendectomy on Christmas day while third-line center Johan Larsson went heavily into the boards against the Boston Bruins on Saturday dislocating both his elbow and wrist and is out for the season.
The Larsson injury compelled head coach Dan Bylsma to revamp his forward group and move another forward back to his natural center position as Zemgus Girgensons joined Sam Reinhart in the middle. Both players were drafted as centers but with Buffalo's depth their ended up on the wing. Reinhart took O'Reilly's spot as No. 2 center while Girgensons was moved into Larsson's spot as the team's No. 3.
Both Reinhart and Girgensons had been on the same line for much of the three games post Christmas break, with not much happening. Larsson had been centering a pretty successful trio Evander Kane and Brian Gionta on his wing but his injury would open the door for Girgensons to move back to center. Last night Reinhart was between Kane and rookie Justin Bailey who'd been called up for the Boston game on Saturday to replace injured rookie Will Carrier. Bylsma put Reinhart between the bookend powerforwards and formed a line of Girgensons centering Carrier and Gionta.
It proved to be very successful on the scoresheet for the Sabres. Girgensons (from Carrier and Gionta) put the team on the board just under eight minutes into the first period and the Sabres went up 2-0 on as Kane buried a rebound off of a Reinhart shot very late in the period. In all every player from both lines would hit the scoresheet with Bailey scoring the first goal of his NHL career just over a minute into the second period to put the Sabres up 3-0. Of note, it was officially an unassisted goal but both Reinhart and Kane got unofficial assists as shown in this from NHL.
Just as important for the Sabres, however, is that this group as constructed held the Rangers without a shot for almost a full 10 minutes to begin the game and held them without a shot through almost 15 minutes to begin the third period. The Rangers had one good period where they produced 15 shots but had very few premium opportunites. This was by far the most complete game of Girgensons season as his strong skating and two-way acumen were on display all game while every player on the team skated hard and this time, unlike the Boston game on December 29, they didn't blow a 2-0 lead.
The big thing for Buffalo, of course, is consistency and playing the same game against the Blackhawks would be a huge step in that direction. One game does not make a season nor does it mean they'll go on any kind of run, but every run begins with one game and often times it can begin with the lines clicking.
They sure did so last night.
***
O'Reilly was expected to miss at least two to three weeks after the appendectomy and it looks as if he'll be missing at least the next three Sabres games. After the Chicago game on Thursday Buffalo heads back home for to face Winnipeg on Saturday and Philadelphia on Tuesday next week. After that they travel for a quick southern sojourn for a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes beginning next Thursday.
Buffalo will have three to five more games to see if the lineup Bylsma constructed is one that he'll move forward with.
The make-up of a playmaker in Reinhart between two fast powerforwards with skill is very intriguing. With his two assists last night Reinhart upped his total to 15 on the season and only trails Rasmus Ristolainen (22) on the team. Kane has been hot lately with six goals in his last 10 games and looks every bit the player GM Tim Murray traded for nearly two years ago. Bailey had 20 goals in his first pro season in Rochester and he finally broke through in his 12th NHL game. He'd have had two last night but the rocket he beat Henrik Lundqvist with in the third period chimed off of the post.
Girgensons at third-line center brings the same two-way traits as Larsson did but with much more speed and a bit more skill. Couple that with the extremely fast Carrier and the veteran saavy of Gionta and the trio showed they could both create and find open spaces.
While watching last night, I couldn't help but wonder what this team might be like if O'Reilly was moved to the wing on the Eichel/Kyle Okposo line.
I get that a lot of the hub-bub in Colorado came from O'Reilly playing on the wing as he prefers to play center, but O'Reilly/Eichel/Okposo would be a formidable trio. Nothing against Marcus Foligno who's played admirably in the top-six this season, but he's not a top-line winger.
There are plenty of games between the Ranger game and O'Reilly's return to find out if last night's game was an aberration or something to build upon, but that's an intriguing line if Bylsma ever decides to give it a whirl.
***
It seems as if Gionta gets a lot of grief from many on these boards, but much of it is unwarranted. Sure, at 37 yrs. old he's not the same speedy goal-scorer he was in New Jersey and the early part of his Montreal tenure, but the dude has some serious veteran savvy that he doesn't get credit for.
Last season with the Sabres struggling, Bylsma formed the line of Larsson with Foligno and Gionta. Both Larsson and Foligno proceeded to have strong finishes to the season. This season Bylsma moved Kane out of the top-six and onto a line with Larsson and Gionta. Kane proceeded to come out of his post-injury funk and now has six goals in his last 10 games and is second on the team with nine goals overall. His eight goals at full strength is by far the most on the team.
Last night Girgensons lit the lamp and Carrier got on of the assists with Gionta the other on some real nice work on the forecheck. It was the first time this trio had skated on the same line.
It remains to be seen how long the present forward make-up lasts, but it doesn't seem to matter who is on Gionta's line, he just quietly gets them in the proper place on the ice playing the proper game to create opportunities.
***
Eichel's frustrations after the back-to-back Bruins losses is well documented and he may have needed to find some new equipment after slammed it around in Boston. As they said on the NBCSN telecast last night, Eichel is a proud guy. Having the team and himself lay an egg in his hometown didn't sit well with the feisty 20 yr. old and he wasn't afraid to let it out after the game.
As mentioned before, I wish the whole team had his passion and hatred for losing.
After scoring Buffalo's fourth goal last night Eichel skated towards the corner not with his usual one-leg up goal scoring celebration, but with fists in front of him and a fierce look of resolution. It was redemption for him and the Sabres as he was on the ice for the Rangers late second period goal that narrowed Buffalo's lead to 3-1.
The Rangers goal came on a delayed penalty to Cody Franson as he tripped up a Rangers player in their own zone. Franson immediately put his arms up proclaiming innocence as the play continued and you could see a frustration in Eichel as he pouted on the play. The Rangers whipped around the puck and defenseman Nick Holden blasted on past Buffalo goalie Anders Nilsson while Eichel provided a screen.
It was the type of sequence we've seen all to often as harbinger of things to come in a Buffalo loss.
Not unlike the Boston games, Eichel had a personal connection to this game against the Rangers as he was playing against his off-season workout buddy, Jimmy Vesey. If you'll recall , the Sabres traded for Vesey's rights after the college player decided he wouldn't be playing for the team that drafted him, the Nashville Predators. Buffalo made it's case over the summer but Vesey signed with the NY Rangers.
Most assuredly Eichel did not want to lose this game and that late second period goal by the Rangers could've been a disaster. Fortunately for Eichel and the Sabres, Vesey went off for hooking only :18 seconds into the third period and Eichel would score less than a minute later.
Yeah, there was definitely some added incentive in Eichel's goal as his buddy's penalty and the resulting goal pretty much sealed the Rangers fate. To add injury to insult, Buffalo's Derek Grant caught Vesey looking at the puck in his skates and flattened him with a bone-jarring check. One would think Eichel had a bit of a smile watching that one.
***
Interesting stats.
Nilsson is 2-0 against the Rangers this season allowing four goals on 50 shots against for a .920 save percentage.
His countryman counterpart Lundqvist is 0-2 against Buffalo giving up eight goals on 53 shots for a .849 Sv%.
The teams meet one more time at Buffalo on February 2.
Wonder who'll get the start for the Sabres?
Let me preface this by saying the Buffalo Sabres have been maddeningly inconsistent this season and although their 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden vs. the NY Rangers on national TV was impressive in many ways, one game won't be indicative of future results. Buffalo has an incredibly tough matchup on Thursday as they travel to the Madhouse on Madison to take on the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that's about as close to a dynasty as on can get in the cap-era.
Injuries have been the main contributor to the Sabres inconsistencies this season as they've not only been injury riddled, but the IR for Buffalo has been filled with significant injuries to some of their top players. Most recently, their top two-way center in Ryan O'Reilly was sidelined due to an emergency appendectomy on Christmas day while third-line center Johan Larsson went heavily into the boards against the Boston Bruins on Saturday dislocating both his elbow and wrist and is out for the season.
The Larsson injury compelled head coach Dan Bylsma to revamp his forward group and move another forward back to his natural center position as Zemgus Girgensons joined Sam Reinhart in the middle. Both players were drafted as centers but with Buffalo's depth their ended up on the wing. Reinhart took O'Reilly's spot as No. 2 center while Girgensons was moved into Larsson's spot as the team's No. 3.
Both Reinhart and Girgensons had been on the same line for much of the three games post Christmas break, with not much happening. Larsson had been centering a pretty successful trio Evander Kane and Brian Gionta on his wing but his injury would open the door for Girgensons to move back to center. Last night Reinhart was between Kane and rookie Justin Bailey who'd been called up for the Boston game on Saturday to replace injured rookie Will Carrier. Bylsma put Reinhart between the bookend powerforwards and formed a line of Girgensons centering Carrier and Gionta.
It proved to be very successful on the scoresheet for the Sabres. Girgensons (from Carrier and Gionta) put the team on the board just under eight minutes into the first period and the Sabres went up 2-0 on as Kane buried a rebound off of a Reinhart shot very late in the period. In all every player from both lines would hit the scoresheet with Bailey scoring the first goal of his NHL career just over a minute into the second period to put the Sabres up 3-0. Of note, it was officially an unassisted goal but both Reinhart and Kane got unofficial assists as shown in this from NHL.
Just as important for the Sabres, however, is that this group as constructed held the Rangers without a shot for almost a full 10 minutes to begin the game and held them without a shot through almost 15 minutes to begin the third period. The Rangers had one good period where they produced 15 shots but had very few premium opportunites. This was by far the most complete game of Girgensons season as his strong skating and two-way acumen were on display all game while every player on the team skated hard and this time, unlike the Boston game on December 29, they didn't blow a 2-0 lead.
The big thing for Buffalo, of course, is consistency and playing the same game against the Blackhawks would be a huge step in that direction. One game does not make a season nor does it mean they'll go on any kind of run, but every run begins with one game and often times it can begin with the lines clicking.
They sure did so last night.
***
O'Reilly was expected to miss at least two to three weeks after the appendectomy and it looks as if he'll be missing at least the next three Sabres games. After the Chicago game on Thursday Buffalo heads back home for to face Winnipeg on Saturday and Philadelphia on Tuesday next week. After that they travel for a quick southern sojourn for a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes beginning next Thursday.
Buffalo will have three to five more games to see if the lineup Bylsma constructed is one that he'll move forward with.
The make-up of a playmaker in Reinhart between two fast powerforwards with skill is very intriguing. With his two assists last night Reinhart upped his total to 15 on the season and only trails Rasmus Ristolainen (22) on the team. Kane has been hot lately with six goals in his last 10 games and looks every bit the player GM Tim Murray traded for nearly two years ago. Bailey had 20 goals in his first pro season in Rochester and he finally broke through in his 12th NHL game. He'd have had two last night but the rocket he beat Henrik Lundqvist with in the third period chimed off of the post.
Girgensons at third-line center brings the same two-way traits as Larsson did but with much more speed and a bit more skill. Couple that with the extremely fast Carrier and the veteran saavy of Gionta and the trio showed they could both create and find open spaces.
While watching last night, I couldn't help but wonder what this team might be like if O'Reilly was moved to the wing on the Eichel/Kyle Okposo line.
I get that a lot of the hub-bub in Colorado came from O'Reilly playing on the wing as he prefers to play center, but O'Reilly/Eichel/Okposo would be a formidable trio. Nothing against Marcus Foligno who's played admirably in the top-six this season, but he's not a top-line winger.
There are plenty of games between the Ranger game and O'Reilly's return to find out if last night's game was an aberration or something to build upon, but that's an intriguing line if Bylsma ever decides to give it a whirl.
***
It seems as if Gionta gets a lot of grief from many on these boards, but much of it is unwarranted. Sure, at 37 yrs. old he's not the same speedy goal-scorer he was in New Jersey and the early part of his Montreal tenure, but the dude has some serious veteran savvy that he doesn't get credit for.
Last season with the Sabres struggling, Bylsma formed the line of Larsson with Foligno and Gionta. Both Larsson and Foligno proceeded to have strong finishes to the season. This season Bylsma moved Kane out of the top-six and onto a line with Larsson and Gionta. Kane proceeded to come out of his post-injury funk and now has six goals in his last 10 games and is second on the team with nine goals overall. His eight goals at full strength is by far the most on the team.
Last night Girgensons lit the lamp and Carrier got on of the assists with Gionta the other on some real nice work on the forecheck. It was the first time this trio had skated on the same line.
It remains to be seen how long the present forward make-up lasts, but it doesn't seem to matter who is on Gionta's line, he just quietly gets them in the proper place on the ice playing the proper game to create opportunities.
***
Eichel's frustrations after the back-to-back Bruins losses is well documented and he may have needed to find some new equipment after slammed it around in Boston. As they said on the NBCSN telecast last night, Eichel is a proud guy. Having the team and himself lay an egg in his hometown didn't sit well with the feisty 20 yr. old and he wasn't afraid to let it out after the game.
As mentioned before, I wish the whole team had his passion and hatred for losing.
After scoring Buffalo's fourth goal last night Eichel skated towards the corner not with his usual one-leg up goal scoring celebration, but with fists in front of him and a fierce look of resolution. It was redemption for him and the Sabres as he was on the ice for the Rangers late second period goal that narrowed Buffalo's lead to 3-1.
The Rangers goal came on a delayed penalty to Cody Franson as he tripped up a Rangers player in their own zone. Franson immediately put his arms up proclaiming innocence as the play continued and you could see a frustration in Eichel as he pouted on the play. The Rangers whipped around the puck and defenseman Nick Holden blasted on past Buffalo goalie Anders Nilsson while Eichel provided a screen.
It was the type of sequence we've seen all to often as harbinger of things to come in a Buffalo loss.
Not unlike the Boston games, Eichel had a personal connection to this game against the Rangers as he was playing against his off-season workout buddy, Jimmy Vesey. If you'll recall , the Sabres traded for Vesey's rights after the college player decided he wouldn't be playing for the team that drafted him, the Nashville Predators. Buffalo made it's case over the summer but Vesey signed with the NY Rangers.
Most assuredly Eichel did not want to lose this game and that late second period goal by the Rangers could've been a disaster. Fortunately for Eichel and the Sabres, Vesey went off for hooking only :18 seconds into the third period and Eichel would score less than a minute later.
Yeah, there was definitely some added incentive in Eichel's goal as his buddy's penalty and the resulting goal pretty much sealed the Rangers fate. To add injury to insult, Buffalo's Derek Grant caught Vesey looking at the puck in his skates and flattened him with a bone-jarring check. One would think Eichel had a bit of a smile watching that one.
***
Interesting stats.
Nilsson is 2-0 against the Rangers this season allowing four goals on 50 shots against for a .920 save percentage.
His countryman counterpart Lundqvist is 0-2 against Buffalo giving up eight goals on 53 shots for a .849 Sv%.
The teams meet one more time at Buffalo on February 2.
Wonder who'll get the start for the Sabres?
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