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:
Showing posts with label Nick Baptiste. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Baptiste. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2018
Thursday, July 12, 2018
What's in store for Botterill's six qualified RFA's? Today, Nicolas Baptiste
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-11-2018
Late last month Sabres GM Jason Botterill qualified six Buffalo restricted free agents. According to the Buffalo News, these were the players, their salaries last season and their qualifying offers:
--F Justin Bailey $650,000/$715,000
--F Nick Baptiste $750,000/$787,500
--F Sean Malone $750,000/$787,500
--F Danny O’Regan $832,500/$874,125
--F Sam Reinhart $832,500/$874,125
--F C.J. Smith $832,500/$874,125
Today we look at F, Nicolas Baptiste.
The story of Baptiste covers three Sabres GM's. He was selected by the Sabres in the third round (69th-overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft as Darcy Regier was nearing the end of his long tenure in Buffalo. When Tim Murray took over in January 2014, one of his earlier moves came in May when he signed Baptiste to his entry-level deal. Present GM Jason Botterill took over from Murray in May, 2017 and he qualified the restricted free agent this year.
Baptiste has a helluva package as a prospect that GM's can easily fall in love. He has size and skill and a great set of hands and is an extremely fast skater. Some of those traits are on display here, via sabres.com, as he scores his first goal of the 2017-18 season for the Blue and Gold:
That's the Baptiste that's so intriguing. He hits the afterburners in the neutral zone, skates in all alone and deposits the puck with ease.
Having not been able to remember when that goal was scored I had to do a little research and unfortunately, it was relatively easy to find and that's the downside to Baptiste--he only scored four goals in 33 games this season. For his career he Baptiste has 10 points (7+3) in 47 NHL games.
This is a big year for both Baptiste and fellow 2013 draft pick Justin Bailey as they're out of waiver options. The duo will be given every opportunity at camp to meaningfully contribute to the Sabres this season and it's up to them to get the job done.
A player like Baptiste who has blazing speed should be drooling at the opportunity to possibly play on a line with Jack Eichel. It's a situation he got a taste of in the OHL back in 2014-15 after the Erie Otters acquired him from the Sudbury Wolves. Baptiste was traded to the team that had Connor McDavid and although he had minimal playing time on McDavid's wing, Baptiste ended up tallying 53 points (26+27) in 41 games.
It's really all there for Baptiste from a skill and skating perspective but what's missing is consistency and confidence. One would be hard-pressed to see Botterill offer more than a one year deal to Baptiste as this is a 'show me' year, but even if it's stretched out to two years, we're probably looking at a $700K salary at best.
Late last month Sabres GM Jason Botterill qualified six Buffalo restricted free agents. According to the Buffalo News, these were the players, their salaries last season and their qualifying offers:
--F Justin Bailey $650,000/$715,000
--F Nick Baptiste $750,000/$787,500
--F Sean Malone $750,000/$787,500
--F Danny O’Regan $832,500/$874,125
--F Sam Reinhart $832,500/$874,125
--F C.J. Smith $832,500/$874,125
Today we look at F, Nicolas Baptiste.
The story of Baptiste covers three Sabres GM's. He was selected by the Sabres in the third round (69th-overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft as Darcy Regier was nearing the end of his long tenure in Buffalo. When Tim Murray took over in January 2014, one of his earlier moves came in May when he signed Baptiste to his entry-level deal. Present GM Jason Botterill took over from Murray in May, 2017 and he qualified the restricted free agent this year.
Baptiste has a helluva package as a prospect that GM's can easily fall in love. He has size and skill and a great set of hands and is an extremely fast skater. Some of those traits are on display here, via sabres.com, as he scores his first goal of the 2017-18 season for the Blue and Gold:
That's the Baptiste that's so intriguing. He hits the afterburners in the neutral zone, skates in all alone and deposits the puck with ease.
Having not been able to remember when that goal was scored I had to do a little research and unfortunately, it was relatively easy to find and that's the downside to Baptiste--he only scored four goals in 33 games this season. For his career he Baptiste has 10 points (7+3) in 47 NHL games.
This is a big year for both Baptiste and fellow 2013 draft pick Justin Bailey as they're out of waiver options. The duo will be given every opportunity at camp to meaningfully contribute to the Sabres this season and it's up to them to get the job done.
A player like Baptiste who has blazing speed should be drooling at the opportunity to possibly play on a line with Jack Eichel. It's a situation he got a taste of in the OHL back in 2014-15 after the Erie Otters acquired him from the Sudbury Wolves. Baptiste was traded to the team that had Connor McDavid and although he had minimal playing time on McDavid's wing, Baptiste ended up tallying 53 points (26+27) in 41 games.
It's really all there for Baptiste from a skill and skating perspective but what's missing is consistency and confidence. One would be hard-pressed to see Botterill offer more than a one year deal to Baptiste as this is a 'show me' year, but even if it's stretched out to two years, we're probably looking at a $700K salary at best.
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Dahlin-Day in Buffalo plus 7 forward prospects to keep an eye on
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-22-2018
It's a beautiful day, and it will be an even better night once GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres entourage head up to the podium in Dallas, TX to select Rasmus Dahlin first-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
For the organization, it's the opportunity to put seven years of rebuilding angst, anger and frustration in the rear view mirror and start heading towards the future. It was a stretch that hopefully will be forgotten soon and like a bad relationship that went on way too long, time will have healed all wounds with the pain and apathy of those years reduced to an unpleasant memory.
Forgive me for waxing poetic. I know I've been there before when we thought we said goodbye to the tank years with the 2015 draft-day makeover highlighted by the selection of Jack Eichel second overall. It didn't work, and with the trades that former GM Tim Murray made to augment Eichel and 2014 second-overall pick Sam Reinhart being moved on from, it's Botterill's gig and things seem to be going very well for him.
In the last two blogs we looked at a very thin prospect pool in goal, which will be taxed even further as the Sabres will not qualify RFA starting goalie Robin Lehner, and a pretty thin collection of defensemen. Luckily for Buffalo they won the lottery and the selection of Dahlin will not only help the d-corps fall into place, the Sabres also have the option of keeping their top d-prospect, Brendan Guhle in Rochester at least for some of the season.
The forward group has been much maligned for their lack of top-level talent and overall speed. While the latter is true from a physical standpoint, they may have been more the victim of playing the game slower. Most forwards on the Sabres last season had NHL skating ability, but the mess that was the team, which included a rookie coach in Phil Housley wouldn't allow for playing the game at a faster pace.
That will change beginning this season as the forward group should see an influx of both speed and talent, albeit those two traits being mutually exclusive in some of the players that will be in Buffalo next season. Who will be a part of the opening day roster is still up in the air beginning with Ryan O'Reilly and stretching down to Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson.
For as much grief as Murray got for his trades, and it's warranted as all three of his big-time acquisitions may be gone after only three years, his drafting was pretty solid. That includes the aforementioned Guhle (2015, second round) plus D, Will Borgen (2015, fourth round) and a few players that are apart of our Top-7 forwards to keep an eye on.
Having said that, the top forward prospect that has all of Sabreland quite excited is a 2017 pick from Botterill's first draft as a GM.
C, Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th-overall)
How many times have you heard "I can't believe he dropped to us there" when talking about a prospect at the draft. Such was the case with Mittelstadt as many viewed him as a top-five pick but the Sabres were able to land him at No. 8.
The 2017 Mr. Hockey winner from Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota joined the NCAA's Minnesota Golden Gophers for one season before signing his entry-level deal with the Sabres in March. He played in six games for Buffalo registering his first NHL goal and adding four assists.
There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to Mittelstadt and what he has to offer. He's got size (6'0" 199 lbs.) and plenty of skill (11 goals and 30 points in 34 games as a freshman for the Gophers) to go along with his excellent skating ability. Although he isn't the fastest he's pretty quick to areas and his hockey sense allows him to play the game at a faster pace. Mittelstadt faced a lot of rugged defensive hockey in the BIG 10 last season and had plenty of gumption to get where he needed to go, which were often the dirty areas of the ice, and find the player in open space.
Where he plays next year in Buffalo is wholly dependent upon O'Reilly. Should they trade the veteran center, Mittelstadt will be looked to as the team's No. 2 center but should O'Reilly stay, it's likely that he'll be moved to third-line center. Although I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of him getting time on the wing in that scenario.
The Sabres will be adding two high-end prospects this season in Dahlin and Mittelstadt. It's a duo that has those of us in Sabreland pretty excited.
C, Sean Malone (2013, 159th)
Is Malone the No. 2 forward prospect for Buffalo? No, not by any stretch, but this isn't about ranking prospects, its about prospects to keep an eye on and he looks like he'll be knocking on the door of the NHL this coming season.
The West Seneca, NY native was more that a token local pick when the Sabres snagged him in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. The solid 6' 0" 190 lb two-way center left Nichols High School and embarked on a collegiate career at Harvard. While with the Crimson he scored 42 goals and 99 points in 115 games which included a 18-goal, 42-point breakout in his senior season. Malone got a one game taste of the NHL at the end of the 2017-17 season and spent last year in Rochester.
After adjusting to the speed of the pro game, Malone ramped up his game to the point where he said he felt like himself. That player he's talking about plays a 200' game with a lot of speed and determination. Although he doesn't have the skill-level to crack the top-six or even top-nine, once he gets up to speed at the NHL level, Malone has the ability to be a stalwart and clutch faceoff guy in a fourth-line checking role.
LW, C.J. Smith (2017, FA)
Smith is another player who isn't top-three amongst the prospect rankings, but one we should keep an eye on heading into the season.
The Sabres have no left wingers to speak of and the U-Mass Lowell product showed plenty of skill and speed to be considered for the openings on Buffalo's left side. At 5'11" 185 lbs. Smith doesn't have ideal NHL size, but he proved last season he could hang with the big boys at the pro level. Smith tied for second on the Amerks with 17 goals and was third on the team in scoring with 44 points, which tied him for 10th amongst rookies in the AHL.
In addition to his skills on offense, Smith plays a solid two-way game and is strong on the defensive side of the equation. What he has to offer at the NHL level is still unknown but he has a nice foundation with which to build upon, quite possibly in a third-line left wing role for the Sabres.
LW, Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th)
What was said about Smith's opportunity on the left side in Buffalo is also true for Nylander. So why is an eighth-overall pick behind a free agent who plays the same position? It's how the two seem to have approached the game in Rochester. As a free agent, Smith had a lot to prove whereas Nylander comes off as a player who's been in prima donna mode.
Nylander may have had the highest skill-level at the 2016 NHL Draft but the knock on him was that he disappeared, something we've seen in Rochester the last two seasons. In 116 games for the Amerks he's scored only 18 goals and 55 points. Put that up against what Smith has done in less than half the games.
Having said that, it's still a bit too early to give up on him. Nylander is an extremely gifted hockey player who has all the tools to take a spot in the top-six. But until he gets his head on straight, he's looking more like a bust than he is an NHL player.
C, Rasmus Asplund (2016, 33rd)
There has been a lot of anticipation with Asplund and when he would finally arrive in North America and the reason for it was his exceptional play at the pro level in his native Sweden.
Asplund won't wow you with his stats (8+20 in 50 games for Färjestad BK last season) but he does everything else extremely well. "He's quick and shifty, using his speed and turning ability to gaine time and space," reported The Draft Analyst, and he plays a full 200' game. Asplund is not afraid of the dirty areas on the ice and has a high compete-level.
Should he continue to develop properly, Asplund has all the attributes of a top-end, third-line center.
RW, Nicholas Baptiste (2013, 69th)
The right side of Buffalo's forward group is pretty full right now with Reinhart, Kyle Okposo and Jason Pominville in the top nine and Baptiste hasn't had much time, if any, on the left side. That makes for a pretty tough road to hoe for him.
At this point in his career, the 22 yr. old Baptiste is out of waiver options so if the Sabres want to keep him, he'll need to stay in Buffalo or they risk losing him. It's been a pretty choppy ride for Baptiste thus far in his pro career as he's spent most of it in Rochester. His AHL stats are decent (38+31 in 121 games) and he's managed seven goals (plus four assists) in 47 NHL games. But he just hasn't been able to break through quite yet.
We've seen spurts of what Baptiste can be as he has plenty of speed and can score from all areas using a wide array of shots. It's consistency that's lacking in his game, which is typical of young player and if he ever gets that ironed out, because of the speed and skill he has, Baptiste could be a force in the top-nine or even top-six.
He's got a lot riding on this season and it would behoove him to have a great camp and bust his way into the top nine.
RW, Victor Oloffson (2014, 181st)
Although there hasn't been much anticipation about Olofsson making his North American debut prior to last season, the numbers he put up in 2017-18 certainly raised some eyebrows.
Olofsson was a beast in Sweden with Frolunda as he lead the SHL with 27 goals while finishing with 43 points. It took the 5'11" 172 lb. sniper three full seasons to break out in Sweden's top league but did so in style as he finished with the Håkan Loob Trophy for most goals scored in the season.
Frolunda used him in the circle on the powerplay where Olofsson unleashed a deadly shot and there's no doubt that he's one of the most skilled shooters in the Sabres prospect pool. Can he find his place in Rochester playing on the smaller North American rink is one of the questions with Olofsson as is how he'll be able to keep his smaller frame out of trouble with the bigger, stronger, heavier competition in the AHL.
That said, having an influx of talent like his should bring good things for the Amerks and hopefully , Buffalo as well.
It's a beautiful day, and it will be an even better night once GM Jason Botterill and the Buffalo Sabres entourage head up to the podium in Dallas, TX to select Rasmus Dahlin first-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
For the organization, it's the opportunity to put seven years of rebuilding angst, anger and frustration in the rear view mirror and start heading towards the future. It was a stretch that hopefully will be forgotten soon and like a bad relationship that went on way too long, time will have healed all wounds with the pain and apathy of those years reduced to an unpleasant memory.
Forgive me for waxing poetic. I know I've been there before when we thought we said goodbye to the tank years with the 2015 draft-day makeover highlighted by the selection of Jack Eichel second overall. It didn't work, and with the trades that former GM Tim Murray made to augment Eichel and 2014 second-overall pick Sam Reinhart being moved on from, it's Botterill's gig and things seem to be going very well for him.
In the last two blogs we looked at a very thin prospect pool in goal, which will be taxed even further as the Sabres will not qualify RFA starting goalie Robin Lehner, and a pretty thin collection of defensemen. Luckily for Buffalo they won the lottery and the selection of Dahlin will not only help the d-corps fall into place, the Sabres also have the option of keeping their top d-prospect, Brendan Guhle in Rochester at least for some of the season.
The forward group has been much maligned for their lack of top-level talent and overall speed. While the latter is true from a physical standpoint, they may have been more the victim of playing the game slower. Most forwards on the Sabres last season had NHL skating ability, but the mess that was the team, which included a rookie coach in Phil Housley wouldn't allow for playing the game at a faster pace.
That will change beginning this season as the forward group should see an influx of both speed and talent, albeit those two traits being mutually exclusive in some of the players that will be in Buffalo next season. Who will be a part of the opening day roster is still up in the air beginning with Ryan O'Reilly and stretching down to Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson.
For as much grief as Murray got for his trades, and it's warranted as all three of his big-time acquisitions may be gone after only three years, his drafting was pretty solid. That includes the aforementioned Guhle (2015, second round) plus D, Will Borgen (2015, fourth round) and a few players that are apart of our Top-7 forwards to keep an eye on.
Having said that, the top forward prospect that has all of Sabreland quite excited is a 2017 pick from Botterill's first draft as a GM.
C, Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th-overall)
How many times have you heard "I can't believe he dropped to us there" when talking about a prospect at the draft. Such was the case with Mittelstadt as many viewed him as a top-five pick but the Sabres were able to land him at No. 8.
The 2017 Mr. Hockey winner from Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota joined the NCAA's Minnesota Golden Gophers for one season before signing his entry-level deal with the Sabres in March. He played in six games for Buffalo registering his first NHL goal and adding four assists.
There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to Mittelstadt and what he has to offer. He's got size (6'0" 199 lbs.) and plenty of skill (11 goals and 30 points in 34 games as a freshman for the Gophers) to go along with his excellent skating ability. Although he isn't the fastest he's pretty quick to areas and his hockey sense allows him to play the game at a faster pace. Mittelstadt faced a lot of rugged defensive hockey in the BIG 10 last season and had plenty of gumption to get where he needed to go, which were often the dirty areas of the ice, and find the player in open space.
Where he plays next year in Buffalo is wholly dependent upon O'Reilly. Should they trade the veteran center, Mittelstadt will be looked to as the team's No. 2 center but should O'Reilly stay, it's likely that he'll be moved to third-line center. Although I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of him getting time on the wing in that scenario.
The Sabres will be adding two high-end prospects this season in Dahlin and Mittelstadt. It's a duo that has those of us in Sabreland pretty excited.
C, Sean Malone (2013, 159th)
Is Malone the No. 2 forward prospect for Buffalo? No, not by any stretch, but this isn't about ranking prospects, its about prospects to keep an eye on and he looks like he'll be knocking on the door of the NHL this coming season.
The West Seneca, NY native was more that a token local pick when the Sabres snagged him in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. The solid 6' 0" 190 lb two-way center left Nichols High School and embarked on a collegiate career at Harvard. While with the Crimson he scored 42 goals and 99 points in 115 games which included a 18-goal, 42-point breakout in his senior season. Malone got a one game taste of the NHL at the end of the 2017-17 season and spent last year in Rochester.
After adjusting to the speed of the pro game, Malone ramped up his game to the point where he said he felt like himself. That player he's talking about plays a 200' game with a lot of speed and determination. Although he doesn't have the skill-level to crack the top-six or even top-nine, once he gets up to speed at the NHL level, Malone has the ability to be a stalwart and clutch faceoff guy in a fourth-line checking role.
LW, C.J. Smith (2017, FA)
Smith is another player who isn't top-three amongst the prospect rankings, but one we should keep an eye on heading into the season.
The Sabres have no left wingers to speak of and the U-Mass Lowell product showed plenty of skill and speed to be considered for the openings on Buffalo's left side. At 5'11" 185 lbs. Smith doesn't have ideal NHL size, but he proved last season he could hang with the big boys at the pro level. Smith tied for second on the Amerks with 17 goals and was third on the team in scoring with 44 points, which tied him for 10th amongst rookies in the AHL.
In addition to his skills on offense, Smith plays a solid two-way game and is strong on the defensive side of the equation. What he has to offer at the NHL level is still unknown but he has a nice foundation with which to build upon, quite possibly in a third-line left wing role for the Sabres.
LW, Alexander Nylander (2016, 8th)
What was said about Smith's opportunity on the left side in Buffalo is also true for Nylander. So why is an eighth-overall pick behind a free agent who plays the same position? It's how the two seem to have approached the game in Rochester. As a free agent, Smith had a lot to prove whereas Nylander comes off as a player who's been in prima donna mode.
Nylander may have had the highest skill-level at the 2016 NHL Draft but the knock on him was that he disappeared, something we've seen in Rochester the last two seasons. In 116 games for the Amerks he's scored only 18 goals and 55 points. Put that up against what Smith has done in less than half the games.
Having said that, it's still a bit too early to give up on him. Nylander is an extremely gifted hockey player who has all the tools to take a spot in the top-six. But until he gets his head on straight, he's looking more like a bust than he is an NHL player.
C, Rasmus Asplund (2016, 33rd)
There has been a lot of anticipation with Asplund and when he would finally arrive in North America and the reason for it was his exceptional play at the pro level in his native Sweden.
Asplund won't wow you with his stats (8+20 in 50 games for Färjestad BK last season) but he does everything else extremely well. "He's quick and shifty, using his speed and turning ability to gaine time and space," reported The Draft Analyst, and he plays a full 200' game. Asplund is not afraid of the dirty areas on the ice and has a high compete-level.
Should he continue to develop properly, Asplund has all the attributes of a top-end, third-line center.
RW, Nicholas Baptiste (2013, 69th)
The right side of Buffalo's forward group is pretty full right now with Reinhart, Kyle Okposo and Jason Pominville in the top nine and Baptiste hasn't had much time, if any, on the left side. That makes for a pretty tough road to hoe for him.
At this point in his career, the 22 yr. old Baptiste is out of waiver options so if the Sabres want to keep him, he'll need to stay in Buffalo or they risk losing him. It's been a pretty choppy ride for Baptiste thus far in his pro career as he's spent most of it in Rochester. His AHL stats are decent (38+31 in 121 games) and he's managed seven goals (plus four assists) in 47 NHL games. But he just hasn't been able to break through quite yet.
We've seen spurts of what Baptiste can be as he has plenty of speed and can score from all areas using a wide array of shots. It's consistency that's lacking in his game, which is typical of young player and if he ever gets that ironed out, because of the speed and skill he has, Baptiste could be a force in the top-nine or even top-six.
He's got a lot riding on this season and it would behoove him to have a great camp and bust his way into the top nine.
RW, Victor Oloffson (2014, 181st)
Although there hasn't been much anticipation about Olofsson making his North American debut prior to last season, the numbers he put up in 2017-18 certainly raised some eyebrows.
Olofsson was a beast in Sweden with Frolunda as he lead the SHL with 27 goals while finishing with 43 points. It took the 5'11" 172 lb. sniper three full seasons to break out in Sweden's top league but did so in style as he finished with the Håkan Loob Trophy for most goals scored in the season.
Frolunda used him in the circle on the powerplay where Olofsson unleashed a deadly shot and there's no doubt that he's one of the most skilled shooters in the Sabres prospect pool. Can he find his place in Rochester playing on the smaller North American rink is one of the questions with Olofsson as is how he'll be able to keep his smaller frame out of trouble with the bigger, stronger, heavier competition in the AHL.
That said, having an influx of talent like his should bring good things for the Amerks and hopefully , Buffalo as well.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Impressions of, and questions concerning--RW, Nicholas Baptiste
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-15-2018
Right Wing--Nicholas Baptiste
DOB: August 4, 1995 (Age, 22)
Draft: 2013, 3d round (69th-overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: June 5, 2014 (ELC w/slide,) 3yr./$2.725
Final year of contract: 2017-18
2017-18 Stats: 33 games played | 4 goals | 2 assists | 6 points | -4 | 9:58 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 47 games | 7 goals | 3 assists | 10 points | -3 | 9:45 ATOI
Right Wing--Nicholas Baptiste
DOB: August 4, 1995 (Age, 22)
Draft: 2013, 3d round (69th-overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: June 5, 2014 (ELC w/slide,) 3yr./$2.725
Final year of contract: 2017-18
2017-18 Stats: 33 games played | 4 goals | 2 assists | 6 points | -4 | 9:58 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 47 games | 7 goals | 3 assists | 10 points | -3 | 9:45 ATOI
Monday, March 19, 2018
The Sabres future got a little brighter yesterday.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-18-2018
Perhaps it might be best to qualify that statement by saying that the near-term future of the Buffalo Sabres might be tied to how well their top two centers mesh beginning now and into next season.
Jack Eichel was back on the ice for the Sabres after missing over a month. The third-year pro was having another good season--22 goals and 31 assists in 55 games--until he was felled by a high-ankle sprain. In Eichel's absence center Ryan O'Reilly upped his game to 15 points (4+11) and was a plus-4 in those 16 games.
Eichel and O'Reilly are two very different hockey players. One is a highly fast, skilled, offensive-minded superstar in the making who was picked second-overall and came from the NCAA D-1 Men's hockey ranks. The other has definitive offensive skills is strong on the puck, great on the faceoff dot and is known for a consistent, two-way game. A simplistic view would have the former in Eichel in a top-line scoring role with the latter, O'Reilly, doing what he does anchoring the second line in a two-way role.
After Eichel's rookie season, things seemed headed in that direction. However, internal discord cast a pall over their particular roles on the team, which included who was the better fit for the vacant captaincy. The season went down hill, there were rumors of sides being taken, and it eventually lead to the firing of head coach Dan Bylsma.
This season has been a disaster under rookie coach Phil Housley, although there are some signs of light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, with the captaincy still open, definitive roles still haven't been fully defined. There's no doubt that when Eichel was drafted the Sabres were considered his team, but as of yet he hasn't shown the maturity of his counterpart in O'Reilly. And for his part, although he may fully believe, and justifiably so, that he does have leadership qualities that Eichel lacks, O'Reilly's overall maturity level should be tied to how he handles playing second fiddle.
The team needs to iron this out this off season and one would hope that both players can move on in their respective roles. The center position is extremely important and Buffalo has a legit one-two punch down the middle, which is something we haven't seen here since Chris Drury and Daniel Briere were co-captains for the Sabres. Having a legit top-two center combo was the reason for Buffalo's tank in 2014-15 and then GM Tim Murray's trade for O'Reilly at the 2015 NHL Draft.
Yesterday afternoon Eichel was on the ice and everything was back to normal as the team faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks. He dazzled with his speed and stickwork, which is something that O'Reilly mentioned after the game. O'Reilly scored a gritty goal on the powerplay by muscling in an Eichel rebound that was sitting in the blue paint and he was also forced a turnover with Buffalo ahead 4-3 and fed Sam Reinhart for the easy empty-netter.
There's an old saying, "check your egos in at the door," which is a simple way of saying that the team comes first. If the team wants one player or the other as their captain, or even if they want to go the co-captain route, something that this blogger doesn't mind at all, then let it be. But it needs to be done this off season.
*****
Forward Evan Rodrigues has been back in the lineup for two games and Housley has used him as a third-line center. Rodrigues is best known for riding shotgun on Eichel's wing at Boston University but the organization had been using him a lot at center throughout most of his time in Rochester and Buffalo. Housley had used him on the wing with thoughts of keeping him there, but it sure looks like Rodrigues could be a No. 3 center behind Eichel and O'Reilly.
In his last four games at center, two games each on either side if his injury, Rodrigues has five points (2+3) playing with the likes of Kyle Okposo, Scott Wilson, Jason Pominville, Benoit Pouliot, Zemgus Girgensons and Nicolas Baptiste.
*****
Speaking of Baptiste, the 22 yr.old rookie showed some nice stickwork yesterday when he connected on two tip-ins for his third an fourth goals of the season.
Baptiste was selected with the 69th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and one of the first things that Murray did after taking over as Buffalo's GM in January 2014 was to sign him to his three-year entry-level deal. That deal will finish at season's end and with him being out of waiver exemptions next season, he'll either be with the Sabres or somewhere else.
At 6'1" 205 lbs., Baptiste has NHL size and he also has plenty of speed to play at today's fast pace. What has gone mostly unnoticed while he's been paying his dues at the AHL level for the last three seasons, is his hands. Baptiste has an array of shots he uses to score from anywhere on the ice and yesterday he showed deft hand-eye coordination on those two tips.
What he hasn't been able to figure out at the NHL level, at least on a consistent basis, is the how and where he'll be able to score with those skills.
Although he shouldn't be christened as the next top-six winger on Buffalo, Baptiste seems to be progressing well while getting consistent minutes. With the Amerks virtually a lock for the playoffs and the Sabres being able to take a good long look at some of their prospects with an eye towards next season, Baptiste is one of those players who can almost secure a spot in the top-nine if he continues with good habits and develops some consistency.
*****
The Minnesota Golden Gophers only needed one of six NCAA D-1 teams to win their title game to make the tournament. Unfortunately for the college, "victories by Boston University (Hockey East), Princeton (ECAC), Air Force (Atlantic Hockey), Michigan Tech (WCHA), Denver (NCHC) and Notre Dame (Big Ten) for automatic spots dropped the Gophers to No. 13," according to Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune.
What's bad for the college may be good for the Buffalo Sabres and/or Rochester Americans.
The Sabres selected center Casey Mittelstadt with the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft and the Minnesota freshman had a very solid campaign for the Gophers with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games. In addition to that success, Mittelstadt was also named MVP of this year's World Junior Championship which was held in Buffalo.
The World Juniors was particularly intriguing as the 19 yr. old scored four goals and added seven assists for the bronze medal winning USA team while on his way to MVP honors, but what might really have stood out was his work in adverse conditions during the outdoor game against rival Team Canada.
With the US down 3-1 in the third period and Mittelstadt already with a primary assist, the Minnesota native used deft work in snow to set up two more goals as Team USA tied the game before winning it in the shootout. Here are the highlights via USA HOCKEY:
There's a lot of discontent in Minnesota as the Gophers were left out of the tournament. According to Johnson's article, "the future of coach Don Lucia will be a hot topic. The Gophers have missed the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years and haven't won an NCAA game since the 2014 national semifinals. Lucia has one year left on his contract, and athletic director Mark Coyle last week wouldn't say whether Lucia would be back."
A turnover in the coaching staff could have an adverse affect on Mittlestadt's future at Minnesota and could be what puts him in the NHL as soon as this season.
It's something to keep an eye on and for Sabres fans, something definitely to look forward to.
Perhaps it might be best to qualify that statement by saying that the near-term future of the Buffalo Sabres might be tied to how well their top two centers mesh beginning now and into next season.
Jack Eichel was back on the ice for the Sabres after missing over a month. The third-year pro was having another good season--22 goals and 31 assists in 55 games--until he was felled by a high-ankle sprain. In Eichel's absence center Ryan O'Reilly upped his game to 15 points (4+11) and was a plus-4 in those 16 games.
Eichel and O'Reilly are two very different hockey players. One is a highly fast, skilled, offensive-minded superstar in the making who was picked second-overall and came from the NCAA D-1 Men's hockey ranks. The other has definitive offensive skills is strong on the puck, great on the faceoff dot and is known for a consistent, two-way game. A simplistic view would have the former in Eichel in a top-line scoring role with the latter, O'Reilly, doing what he does anchoring the second line in a two-way role.
After Eichel's rookie season, things seemed headed in that direction. However, internal discord cast a pall over their particular roles on the team, which included who was the better fit for the vacant captaincy. The season went down hill, there were rumors of sides being taken, and it eventually lead to the firing of head coach Dan Bylsma.
This season has been a disaster under rookie coach Phil Housley, although there are some signs of light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, with the captaincy still open, definitive roles still haven't been fully defined. There's no doubt that when Eichel was drafted the Sabres were considered his team, but as of yet he hasn't shown the maturity of his counterpart in O'Reilly. And for his part, although he may fully believe, and justifiably so, that he does have leadership qualities that Eichel lacks, O'Reilly's overall maturity level should be tied to how he handles playing second fiddle.
The team needs to iron this out this off season and one would hope that both players can move on in their respective roles. The center position is extremely important and Buffalo has a legit one-two punch down the middle, which is something we haven't seen here since Chris Drury and Daniel Briere were co-captains for the Sabres. Having a legit top-two center combo was the reason for Buffalo's tank in 2014-15 and then GM Tim Murray's trade for O'Reilly at the 2015 NHL Draft.
Yesterday afternoon Eichel was on the ice and everything was back to normal as the team faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks. He dazzled with his speed and stickwork, which is something that O'Reilly mentioned after the game. O'Reilly scored a gritty goal on the powerplay by muscling in an Eichel rebound that was sitting in the blue paint and he was also forced a turnover with Buffalo ahead 4-3 and fed Sam Reinhart for the easy empty-netter.
There's an old saying, "check your egos in at the door," which is a simple way of saying that the team comes first. If the team wants one player or the other as their captain, or even if they want to go the co-captain route, something that this blogger doesn't mind at all, then let it be. But it needs to be done this off season.
*****
Forward Evan Rodrigues has been back in the lineup for two games and Housley has used him as a third-line center. Rodrigues is best known for riding shotgun on Eichel's wing at Boston University but the organization had been using him a lot at center throughout most of his time in Rochester and Buffalo. Housley had used him on the wing with thoughts of keeping him there, but it sure looks like Rodrigues could be a No. 3 center behind Eichel and O'Reilly.
In his last four games at center, two games each on either side if his injury, Rodrigues has five points (2+3) playing with the likes of Kyle Okposo, Scott Wilson, Jason Pominville, Benoit Pouliot, Zemgus Girgensons and Nicolas Baptiste.
*****
Speaking of Baptiste, the 22 yr.old rookie showed some nice stickwork yesterday when he connected on two tip-ins for his third an fourth goals of the season.
Baptiste was selected with the 69th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and one of the first things that Murray did after taking over as Buffalo's GM in January 2014 was to sign him to his three-year entry-level deal. That deal will finish at season's end and with him being out of waiver exemptions next season, he'll either be with the Sabres or somewhere else.
At 6'1" 205 lbs., Baptiste has NHL size and he also has plenty of speed to play at today's fast pace. What has gone mostly unnoticed while he's been paying his dues at the AHL level for the last three seasons, is his hands. Baptiste has an array of shots he uses to score from anywhere on the ice and yesterday he showed deft hand-eye coordination on those two tips.
What he hasn't been able to figure out at the NHL level, at least on a consistent basis, is the how and where he'll be able to score with those skills.
Although he shouldn't be christened as the next top-six winger on Buffalo, Baptiste seems to be progressing well while getting consistent minutes. With the Amerks virtually a lock for the playoffs and the Sabres being able to take a good long look at some of their prospects with an eye towards next season, Baptiste is one of those players who can almost secure a spot in the top-nine if he continues with good habits and develops some consistency.
*****
The Minnesota Golden Gophers only needed one of six NCAA D-1 teams to win their title game to make the tournament. Unfortunately for the college, "victories by Boston University (Hockey East), Princeton (ECAC), Air Force (Atlantic Hockey), Michigan Tech (WCHA), Denver (NCHC) and Notre Dame (Big Ten) for automatic spots dropped the Gophers to No. 13," according to Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune.
What's bad for the college may be good for the Buffalo Sabres and/or Rochester Americans.
The Sabres selected center Casey Mittelstadt with the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft and the Minnesota freshman had a very solid campaign for the Gophers with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games. In addition to that success, Mittelstadt was also named MVP of this year's World Junior Championship which was held in Buffalo.
The World Juniors was particularly intriguing as the 19 yr. old scored four goals and added seven assists for the bronze medal winning USA team while on his way to MVP honors, but what might really have stood out was his work in adverse conditions during the outdoor game against rival Team Canada.
With the US down 3-1 in the third period and Mittelstadt already with a primary assist, the Minnesota native used deft work in snow to set up two more goals as Team USA tied the game before winning it in the shootout. Here are the highlights via USA HOCKEY:
There's a lot of discontent in Minnesota as the Gophers were left out of the tournament. According to Johnson's article, "the future of coach Don Lucia will be a hot topic. The Gophers have missed the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years and haven't won an NCAA game since the 2014 national semifinals. Lucia has one year left on his contract, and athletic director Mark Coyle last week wouldn't say whether Lucia would be back."
A turnover in the coaching staff could have an adverse affect on Mittlestadt's future at Minnesota and could be what puts him in the NHL as soon as this season.
It's something to keep an eye on and for Sabres fans, something definitely to look forward to.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Sabres find a formula (and PP) in win against the NHL's best team.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-14-2018
For those of us who remember, Games 2 & 3 of the Buffalo Sabres season were utter disasters. A new coach with a different philosophy and a remade defense tried to go stride for stride with two fast, talented teams early in the season and it didn't work out very well. In trying to match the pace of the NY Islanders, and especially the NJ Devils, the Sabres got buried like a mudder on a fast track against a Kentucky Derby favorite.
From then on it's been a season of discontent and misery as this edition of the Buffalo Sabres has vainly tried to find themselves. They have a coach in Phil Housley who wanted an uptempo game, but had only a few players who could actually play that way. He had players who could push the pace but with the rest a step or so behind, often times we were witness to disjointed play and ugly results.
The Sabres are starting to find themselves, and maybe Housley himself has finally figured out how to pull the proper levers at the right time. Buffalo laid out a gameplan last night against the league's best team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and came out on top at home. It was a dogged effort but not without adversity as the calls were not going there way through much of the early portion of the game. Despite that they were able to overcome, even when self-inflicted minor penalties seconds apart gave the league's second-best powerplay heading into the game a 5-on-3 for 1:53.
Buffalo made it through that and ended up with a 5-3 win over the Lightning much to the delight of a sparse crowd at KeyBank Center.
There was no way Buffalo was going to run stride for stride with Tampa so instead of feeding their transition with attempts to carry the puck into the Lighting zone, the Sabres played a game of dump and chase. They got the puck in deep, got on the forecheck, and even when there was a change of possession, Tampa still had 200' of ice to cross to get to the Sabres net.
It worked.
Buffalo jumped out early on Nicolas Baptiste's second goal of the season at the 6:25 mark of the first period. Baptiste and Zemgus Girgensons kicked it into overdrive before using a nice give and go along the half-wall to spring Baptiste. The 22 yr. old, who was just called up from Rochester on Sunday, cut to the front of the net and went five-hole for the goal.
Baptiste especially, but Girgensons as well, added a ton of speed to the fourth line and it showed on that goal.
Third line winger Scott Wilson would also get in on the scoring for the Sabres. The sequence started with the Evan Rodrigues line as they sustained some heavy pressure in the offensive zone. Tampa was force to dump it up ice but the Sabres came through the neutral zone with speed and established the forecheck again. Jason Pominville got it out to the left point where defenseman Victor Antipin swung it to the right. D-partner Casey Nelson sent it to the net where Wilson was there for the redirect.
That goal put Buffalo back on top 3-2 and was a nice answer to a fluke goal that saw Buffalo goalie Chad Johnson miscommunicate with Antipin and an ill-advised clear in front of his own net went directly to Tampa's Vadislav Namestinkov who deposited into a wide open net.
Secondary scoring has been non-existent for the most part this season for Buffalo so having two in one game was a pleasant surprise, as was how well the powerplay looked without Jack Eichel.
Eichel went down with a high-ankle sprain against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night and with a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, there was no time to work somebody in. Evander Kane filled in against the Avalanche and it was a mess going 1/5 with their only goal being scored 5-on-3.
Housley moved Rodrigues into Eichel's spot and it looked as if the first powerplay unit never missed a beat, save for Eichel's blistering shot from the circle.
Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart have been the two principles on the powerplay all season and once again they were the driving force in Buffalo going 2/3 with the man advantage last night. Reinhart scored off of an O'Reilly rebound while O'Reilly scored his own while pouncing a wide shot off the stick of Kyle Okposo.
O'Reilly has been a beast these last two games without Eichel. He had a goal and two primary assists in the 5-4 loss to Colorado and duplicated that last night against the Lightning. Those six points hurtled him past Kane and into second place on the Sabres in scoring. But probably more important is that those points are the product of the Ryan O'Reilly former GM Tim Murray fell in love with before trading for him.
Since coming to Buffalo in a trade at the 2015 NHL Draft, he's either lead the team in scoring (60 points in 2015-16) or has been second (55 points last season.) Those six points the last two games puts him on a pace for right around 60 points again and dependent upon when Eichel gets back in the lineup, O'Reilly could end up leading the team in scoring again.
But that's not the whole story with him. The points are a product of how determined his play has been. Unfortunately for him and the Sabres, he's been inconsistent in that department. O'Reilly has always had the capacity to take over a game and that's why Murray wasn't hesitant in giving him a long-term contract with a $7.5 million cap-hit. He's a beast on the faceoff dot but hasn't dominated the game as much as that cap-hit would indicate he could.
Why, is the big question with him, but when we see him in games like this, and when we see a player like Eichel taking over games on a more often, the Sabres with those two at center should have a much better record these past two seasons than 50-67-22 over the last two season. Sure, their defense hasn't been the greatest and goaltending, specifically this season, has been erratic, but with those two there really is no reason why they should be bottom-five in scoring two years running.
Last night was the fourth game in a row the Sabres have scored four or more goals and they went 3-1-0 in the process. The last time Buffalo scored four more goals per game for a four-game stretch was November 27-December 15, 2015. They went 3-0-1 with a shootout loss.
It's great to see smiles on the faces of Sabres' players post game and it was downright thrilling to hear the chants of "Let's Go Buffalo!" throughout KeyBank Center last night. Although sparse, the crowd last night was clearly appreciative of what the Sabres were doing and showed that they were into the game early as they vociferously booed some bad calls against their team.
For far too long the Sabres players have wanted to put on a show for the home crowd and often times it's resulted in ugly losses. Last night they kept it simple, as if playing a road game. Low and behold they scored some goals, got the crowd into it and skated away with the 'W'.
Not a bad formula.
For those of us who remember, Games 2 & 3 of the Buffalo Sabres season were utter disasters. A new coach with a different philosophy and a remade defense tried to go stride for stride with two fast, talented teams early in the season and it didn't work out very well. In trying to match the pace of the NY Islanders, and especially the NJ Devils, the Sabres got buried like a mudder on a fast track against a Kentucky Derby favorite.
From then on it's been a season of discontent and misery as this edition of the Buffalo Sabres has vainly tried to find themselves. They have a coach in Phil Housley who wanted an uptempo game, but had only a few players who could actually play that way. He had players who could push the pace but with the rest a step or so behind, often times we were witness to disjointed play and ugly results.
The Sabres are starting to find themselves, and maybe Housley himself has finally figured out how to pull the proper levers at the right time. Buffalo laid out a gameplan last night against the league's best team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and came out on top at home. It was a dogged effort but not without adversity as the calls were not going there way through much of the early portion of the game. Despite that they were able to overcome, even when self-inflicted minor penalties seconds apart gave the league's second-best powerplay heading into the game a 5-on-3 for 1:53.
Buffalo made it through that and ended up with a 5-3 win over the Lightning much to the delight of a sparse crowd at KeyBank Center.
There was no way Buffalo was going to run stride for stride with Tampa so instead of feeding their transition with attempts to carry the puck into the Lighting zone, the Sabres played a game of dump and chase. They got the puck in deep, got on the forecheck, and even when there was a change of possession, Tampa still had 200' of ice to cross to get to the Sabres net.
It worked.
Buffalo jumped out early on Nicolas Baptiste's second goal of the season at the 6:25 mark of the first period. Baptiste and Zemgus Girgensons kicked it into overdrive before using a nice give and go along the half-wall to spring Baptiste. The 22 yr. old, who was just called up from Rochester on Sunday, cut to the front of the net and went five-hole for the goal.
Baptiste especially, but Girgensons as well, added a ton of speed to the fourth line and it showed on that goal.
Third line winger Scott Wilson would also get in on the scoring for the Sabres. The sequence started with the Evan Rodrigues line as they sustained some heavy pressure in the offensive zone. Tampa was force to dump it up ice but the Sabres came through the neutral zone with speed and established the forecheck again. Jason Pominville got it out to the left point where defenseman Victor Antipin swung it to the right. D-partner Casey Nelson sent it to the net where Wilson was there for the redirect.
That goal put Buffalo back on top 3-2 and was a nice answer to a fluke goal that saw Buffalo goalie Chad Johnson miscommunicate with Antipin and an ill-advised clear in front of his own net went directly to Tampa's Vadislav Namestinkov who deposited into a wide open net.
Secondary scoring has been non-existent for the most part this season for Buffalo so having two in one game was a pleasant surprise, as was how well the powerplay looked without Jack Eichel.
Eichel went down with a high-ankle sprain against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night and with a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, there was no time to work somebody in. Evander Kane filled in against the Avalanche and it was a mess going 1/5 with their only goal being scored 5-on-3.
Housley moved Rodrigues into Eichel's spot and it looked as if the first powerplay unit never missed a beat, save for Eichel's blistering shot from the circle.
Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart have been the two principles on the powerplay all season and once again they were the driving force in Buffalo going 2/3 with the man advantage last night. Reinhart scored off of an O'Reilly rebound while O'Reilly scored his own while pouncing a wide shot off the stick of Kyle Okposo.
O'Reilly has been a beast these last two games without Eichel. He had a goal and two primary assists in the 5-4 loss to Colorado and duplicated that last night against the Lightning. Those six points hurtled him past Kane and into second place on the Sabres in scoring. But probably more important is that those points are the product of the Ryan O'Reilly former GM Tim Murray fell in love with before trading for him.
Since coming to Buffalo in a trade at the 2015 NHL Draft, he's either lead the team in scoring (60 points in 2015-16) or has been second (55 points last season.) Those six points the last two games puts him on a pace for right around 60 points again and dependent upon when Eichel gets back in the lineup, O'Reilly could end up leading the team in scoring again.
But that's not the whole story with him. The points are a product of how determined his play has been. Unfortunately for him and the Sabres, he's been inconsistent in that department. O'Reilly has always had the capacity to take over a game and that's why Murray wasn't hesitant in giving him a long-term contract with a $7.5 million cap-hit. He's a beast on the faceoff dot but hasn't dominated the game as much as that cap-hit would indicate he could.
Why, is the big question with him, but when we see him in games like this, and when we see a player like Eichel taking over games on a more often, the Sabres with those two at center should have a much better record these past two seasons than 50-67-22 over the last two season. Sure, their defense hasn't been the greatest and goaltending, specifically this season, has been erratic, but with those two there really is no reason why they should be bottom-five in scoring two years running.
Last night was the fourth game in a row the Sabres have scored four or more goals and they went 3-1-0 in the process. The last time Buffalo scored four more goals per game for a four-game stretch was November 27-December 15, 2015. They went 3-0-1 with a shootout loss.
It's great to see smiles on the faces of Sabres' players post game and it was downright thrilling to hear the chants of "Let's Go Buffalo!" throughout KeyBank Center last night. Although sparse, the crowd last night was clearly appreciative of what the Sabres were doing and showed that they were into the game early as they vociferously booed some bad calls against their team.
For far too long the Sabres players have wanted to put on a show for the home crowd and often times it's resulted in ugly losses. Last night they kept it simple, as if playing a road game. Low and behold they scored some goals, got the crowd into it and skated away with the 'W'.
Not a bad formula.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Wake up! There's a Sabres game this afternoon.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-20-2018
Sure is. The Buffalo Sabres are hosting the Dallas Stars at 1 pm today and it's a game they have a good chance of winning. Despite the huge disparity in points (Dallas-56 and Buffalo-31) and the Sabres lackluster 3-7-0 record vs. Dallas in their last 10, Buffalo is 7-2-1 vs. the Stars at home. During the last four seasons, which includes the 2013-15 tank years, the Sabres are 2-2-0 vs Dallas alternating losses and wins beginning October, 2013.
The Sabres may have gotten a break today as the Stars are starting Kari Lehtonen in net as Dallas finishes up a four-game road-trip. Starter Ben Bishop was in net for Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss at Columbus and with the Stars going 2-0-1 on the trip so far and set to face a struggling Sabres team, Lehtonen gets the call. Not that it's any worry for the Stars as they thumped Buffalo 5-1 back in November with Lehtonen in net, but Bishop is 10-0-0 vs. Buffalo over the last five years allowing only 16 goals in the process.
It's no secret that the Sabres have had trouble scoring goals for...well...years and this matchup doesn't look all that great. But Sabres fans should take some solace in that it's a home game vs. the Stars and that their own star, Jack Eichel, is really heating up. The No. 2 overall pick in 2015 is on a three-game multi-point streak (3 goals + 4 assists) and has racked up 10 goals and nine assists in his last 13 games.
Sabres winger Kyle Okposo is also on a three-game multi-point streak (2+5) and seems to have finally recovered from his health-scare last April. Okposo has eight points (3+8) in his last nine games.
Buffalo is coming off of a tough loss at NY vs. the Rangers on Thursday night. Three times they battled back from a one-goal deficit to tie the score but the eventually lost 4-3. The Sabres came off of their bye week a little slow but found their legs as the game progressed and made it very difficult on the Rangers. Were it not for some stellar goaltending by future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, the game may have gone to overtime.
Despite the loss, the takeaway from that game should be that they found a way to beat a premier goalie who was on his game. For years the Sabres have been having trouble beating both starwers and back-ups mainly due to their insistence on perimeter play. From Lindy Ruff to Ted Nolan to Dan Bylsma to Phil Housley, coaches have begged them to get to the dirty areas and create some havoc in front of the net. When the players did so, good things would happen but when they didn't, which has happened far too often, Buffalo ended up on the wrong end of the score.
Against Lundqvist and the Rangers, the Sabres had a strong net-front presence resulted in two of the Sabres goals from defensemen (Justin Falk and Rasmus Ristolainen) through traffic. They also had great movement on the powerplay as they went 2/4 with the man advantage.
Things are starting to click a bit more with the Sabres and despite their 11-25-9 record, as the Rangers found out, they're not a pushover when playing to their individual skill-levels.
*****
The Sabres recalled winger Nicolas Baptiste yesterday, but it doesn't look as if he'll be in the lineup this afternoon. According to Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com Housley's going with the same lineup he had vs. the Rangers:
Pouliot-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O'Reilly-Pominville
Girgensons-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Wilson-Larsson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
McCabe-Falk
Gorges-Nelson
Robin Lehner looks to get the start for the Sabres.
Baptiste said yesterday about his call-up that he's been doing the right things away from the puck in Rochester and that it got the attention of the coaching staff in Buffalo as well. "I've definitely improved my game, I think, defensively and on the walls and penalty killing and all those things," Baptiste said yesterday to the gathered media at KeyBank Center. "I'm up here to show Coach Housley that he can trust me in the D-zone and I think that's part of the reason I'm up here.
"I don't think it's a change in my role. I think it's finding a way to play at this level and being able, if you're not scoring, being able to provide physical play, speed and helping in my D-zone. I think I've just developed my game."
Both he and defenseman Victor Antipin, who has been out of the lineup since December as a healthy scratch and because of the flu, are in the press box today.
Sure is. The Buffalo Sabres are hosting the Dallas Stars at 1 pm today and it's a game they have a good chance of winning. Despite the huge disparity in points (Dallas-56 and Buffalo-31) and the Sabres lackluster 3-7-0 record vs. Dallas in their last 10, Buffalo is 7-2-1 vs. the Stars at home. During the last four seasons, which includes the 2013-15 tank years, the Sabres are 2-2-0 vs Dallas alternating losses and wins beginning October, 2013.
The Sabres may have gotten a break today as the Stars are starting Kari Lehtonen in net as Dallas finishes up a four-game road-trip. Starter Ben Bishop was in net for Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss at Columbus and with the Stars going 2-0-1 on the trip so far and set to face a struggling Sabres team, Lehtonen gets the call. Not that it's any worry for the Stars as they thumped Buffalo 5-1 back in November with Lehtonen in net, but Bishop is 10-0-0 vs. Buffalo over the last five years allowing only 16 goals in the process.
It's no secret that the Sabres have had trouble scoring goals for...well...years and this matchup doesn't look all that great. But Sabres fans should take some solace in that it's a home game vs. the Stars and that their own star, Jack Eichel, is really heating up. The No. 2 overall pick in 2015 is on a three-game multi-point streak (3 goals + 4 assists) and has racked up 10 goals and nine assists in his last 13 games.
Sabres winger Kyle Okposo is also on a three-game multi-point streak (2+5) and seems to have finally recovered from his health-scare last April. Okposo has eight points (3+8) in his last nine games.
Buffalo is coming off of a tough loss at NY vs. the Rangers on Thursday night. Three times they battled back from a one-goal deficit to tie the score but the eventually lost 4-3. The Sabres came off of their bye week a little slow but found their legs as the game progressed and made it very difficult on the Rangers. Were it not for some stellar goaltending by future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, the game may have gone to overtime.
Despite the loss, the takeaway from that game should be that they found a way to beat a premier goalie who was on his game. For years the Sabres have been having trouble beating both starwers and back-ups mainly due to their insistence on perimeter play. From Lindy Ruff to Ted Nolan to Dan Bylsma to Phil Housley, coaches have begged them to get to the dirty areas and create some havoc in front of the net. When the players did so, good things would happen but when they didn't, which has happened far too often, Buffalo ended up on the wrong end of the score.
Against Lundqvist and the Rangers, the Sabres had a strong net-front presence resulted in two of the Sabres goals from defensemen (Justin Falk and Rasmus Ristolainen) through traffic. They also had great movement on the powerplay as they went 2/4 with the man advantage.
Things are starting to click a bit more with the Sabres and despite their 11-25-9 record, as the Rangers found out, they're not a pushover when playing to their individual skill-levels.
*****
The Sabres recalled winger Nicolas Baptiste yesterday, but it doesn't look as if he'll be in the lineup this afternoon. According to Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com Housley's going with the same lineup he had vs. the Rangers:
Pouliot-Eichel-Okposo
Kane-O'Reilly-Pominville
Girgensons-Rodrigues-Reinhart
Wilson-Larsson-Nolan
Scandella-Ristolainen
McCabe-Falk
Gorges-Nelson
Robin Lehner looks to get the start for the Sabres.
Baptiste said yesterday about his call-up that he's been doing the right things away from the puck in Rochester and that it got the attention of the coaching staff in Buffalo as well. "I've definitely improved my game, I think, defensively and on the walls and penalty killing and all those things," Baptiste said yesterday to the gathered media at KeyBank Center. "I'm up here to show Coach Housley that he can trust me in the D-zone and I think that's part of the reason I'm up here.
"I don't think it's a change in my role. I think it's finding a way to play at this level and being able, if you're not scoring, being able to provide physical play, speed and helping in my D-zone. I think I've just developed my game."
Both he and defenseman Victor Antipin, who has been out of the lineup since December as a healthy scratch and because of the flu, are in the press box today.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Game night: Washington Capitals
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-7-2017
Just the facts, ma'am.
From Buffalo Sabres PR:
Washington Capitals--8-6-1 overall; 5-3-1 on the road
Buffalo Sabres--4-8-2 overall; 1-3-1 at home
The Capitals are 4-1-0 in their last five games and are undefeated in their last three. Buffalo is 2-3-0 in their last five.
Washington is on the second game of a back-to-back having defeated the Arizona Coyotes at home in overtime. The Caps are 0-3-0 so far this season in the second game of a back-to-back. They went 3-0-0 against the Sabres last season and are 7-2-0 over the last three seasons.
Alexander Ovechkin leads a Washington powerplay that is 16th-overall in the NHL (18.4%) but 4th-overall on the road (7/24, 29.2%.) However, the Caps penalty kill is vulnerable as they're 27th overall (75.8%) and 20th on the road (78.4%.)
After an 0-4-1 start, the Sabres have evened things out by going 4-4-1. They've been blown out four times in 14 games but are 3-2-2 in one-goal games. They come into this game with a sagging powerplay (6/48, 12.5%) overall although they're slightly better at home (14.3%.)
However, the Sabres penalty kill has been good overall with an 81.4% kill-rate and they're perfect at home stopping all 17 powerplays against.
Buffalo injuries and projected linuep
According to reports from the rink, Buffalo's defensemen continue to drop like flies. The Sabres welcomed the return of defenseman Justin Falk last week but lost top-pairing defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. With Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges skating against, Matt Tennyson was felled in practice yesterday by a Jack Eichel shot that hit him in the ankle. Head coach Phil Housley listed Tennyson as day-to-day and the team called up Zach Redmond today.
The lineup on defense looks should look like this:
Scandella-Falk
McCabe-Fedun
Antipin-Redmond
Most of the forward lineup we saw on their two-game road trip last week remains intact save for the insertion of Nicolas Baptiste into the lineup. The odd man out looks to be Matt Moulson who has zero points and is a minus-7 while averaging 10:27 of ice-time through 10 games this season. According to the media at the rink this morning, these will probably be the lines:
Kane-Eichel-Pominville
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Griffith-Reinhart-Baptiste
Girgensons-Larson-Nolan
Robin Lehner looks to get his 11 start in net for the Sabres.
Brendan Guhle
With all the injuries the Sabres have had on defense and with no goals yet from the Buffalo bleuliners, why would an offensive-minded defenseman like 20 yr. old Brendan Guhle not get the call. Guhle's been playing well lately with two goals and four assists in his last five starts.
When asked by the gathered media after practice today whey Guhle didn't get the call, Housley said that the decision is up to GM Jason Botterill and furthered what Botterill had been saying all alnong about player development. "I think [Guhle's] doing a great job developing where he is right now, " Housley said of the 20 yr. old Rochester rookie. "It's fair to say we don't want to rush him. He's in a good spot, he's playing well, he's getting the minutes right now that I think are going to help carry his game and develop him.
"We want to have him develop in the right area and continue to make strides in his development."
That's a fair assessment and a rather noble gesture to the future of the franchise although it really doesn't sit well with a lot of Buffalo fans who are looking for some relief right now. A slow start and four blowout losses, the most recent one on Saturday at Dallas, has left many queasy and uneasy about where this season is headed. Sabres fans have seen what the defense-corps has to offer and it hasn't been pretty.
Regardless of who's stepping in on defense, the Sabres need their best players to step up, most notably Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. We've heard the talk but have yet to see the walk. Buffalo could really use a win tonight and they're playing a Caps team tonight that should be vulnerable. The Sabres have been playing relatively better as of late, when compared to the train wreck we witnessed the first couple of weeks, but they need to show it on the scoreboard.
Both Eichel and O'Reilly are at or near the top of the Sabres leaderboard in scoring at 13 and 12 points, respectively, but they have one of those letter's sewn on their sweater. The team is begging for leadership right now and wearing an 'A' on a team without a designated captain means they're the ones that need to lead.
This would be a good game to show it.
Just the facts, ma'am.
From Buffalo Sabres PR:
Washington Capitals--8-6-1 overall; 5-3-1 on the road
Buffalo Sabres--4-8-2 overall; 1-3-1 at home
The Capitals are 4-1-0 in their last five games and are undefeated in their last three. Buffalo is 2-3-0 in their last five.
Washington is on the second game of a back-to-back having defeated the Arizona Coyotes at home in overtime. The Caps are 0-3-0 so far this season in the second game of a back-to-back. They went 3-0-0 against the Sabres last season and are 7-2-0 over the last three seasons.
Alexander Ovechkin leads a Washington powerplay that is 16th-overall in the NHL (18.4%) but 4th-overall on the road (7/24, 29.2%.) However, the Caps penalty kill is vulnerable as they're 27th overall (75.8%) and 20th on the road (78.4%.)
After an 0-4-1 start, the Sabres have evened things out by going 4-4-1. They've been blown out four times in 14 games but are 3-2-2 in one-goal games. They come into this game with a sagging powerplay (6/48, 12.5%) overall although they're slightly better at home (14.3%.)
However, the Sabres penalty kill has been good overall with an 81.4% kill-rate and they're perfect at home stopping all 17 powerplays against.
Buffalo injuries and projected linuep
According to reports from the rink, Buffalo's defensemen continue to drop like flies. The Sabres welcomed the return of defenseman Justin Falk last week but lost top-pairing defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. With Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges skating against, Matt Tennyson was felled in practice yesterday by a Jack Eichel shot that hit him in the ankle. Head coach Phil Housley listed Tennyson as day-to-day and the team called up Zach Redmond today.
The lineup on defense looks should look like this:
Scandella-Falk
McCabe-Fedun
Antipin-Redmond
Most of the forward lineup we saw on their two-game road trip last week remains intact save for the insertion of Nicolas Baptiste into the lineup. The odd man out looks to be Matt Moulson who has zero points and is a minus-7 while averaging 10:27 of ice-time through 10 games this season. According to the media at the rink this morning, these will probably be the lines:
Kane-Eichel-Pominville
Pouliot-O'Reilly-Okposo
Griffith-Reinhart-Baptiste
Girgensons-Larson-Nolan
Robin Lehner looks to get his 11 start in net for the Sabres.
Brendan Guhle
With all the injuries the Sabres have had on defense and with no goals yet from the Buffalo bleuliners, why would an offensive-minded defenseman like 20 yr. old Brendan Guhle not get the call. Guhle's been playing well lately with two goals and four assists in his last five starts.
When asked by the gathered media after practice today whey Guhle didn't get the call, Housley said that the decision is up to GM Jason Botterill and furthered what Botterill had been saying all alnong about player development. "I think [Guhle's] doing a great job developing where he is right now, " Housley said of the 20 yr. old Rochester rookie. "It's fair to say we don't want to rush him. He's in a good spot, he's playing well, he's getting the minutes right now that I think are going to help carry his game and develop him.
"We want to have him develop in the right area and continue to make strides in his development."
That's a fair assessment and a rather noble gesture to the future of the franchise although it really doesn't sit well with a lot of Buffalo fans who are looking for some relief right now. A slow start and four blowout losses, the most recent one on Saturday at Dallas, has left many queasy and uneasy about where this season is headed. Sabres fans have seen what the defense-corps has to offer and it hasn't been pretty.
Regardless of who's stepping in on defense, the Sabres need their best players to step up, most notably Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. We've heard the talk but have yet to see the walk. Buffalo could really use a win tonight and they're playing a Caps team tonight that should be vulnerable. The Sabres have been playing relatively better as of late, when compared to the train wreck we witnessed the first couple of weeks, but they need to show it on the scoreboard.
Both Eichel and O'Reilly are at or near the top of the Sabres leaderboard in scoring at 13 and 12 points, respectively, but they have one of those letter's sewn on their sweater. The team is begging for leadership right now and wearing an 'A' on a team without a designated captain means they're the ones that need to lead.
This would be a good game to show it.
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 19, 2017
Sabres win a thriller, creep up the standings
Published by hockeybuzz.com 2-18-2017
Allowing a short-handed goal while trying to increase their 3-1 lead late in the third period wasn't exactly what the Buffalo Sabres had in mind while trying to finish off St. Louis Blues. Nor did a Robin Lehner tripping penalty make things easy on the 18,000 plus fans in attendance at KeyBank Center. However, the Sabres eeked out a victory with some clutch penalty killing and walked out with the "W."
As has been par for the course lately, when one player returns from injury, another one goes down. Today we saw the return of defenseman Cody Franson but the Sabres were without the services of forward Sam Reinhart was ruled out due to an illness. With Franson returning the Sabres had eight d-men on the roster so they waived Taylor Fedun. However, if you watched the Blues' shortie in the third, perhaps you were hoping it was Franson who was waived.
With the puck in the St. Louis zone, Scottie Upshall jumped on a puck heading towards Franson then blew by him for the breakaway goal. Lehner, as we've been finding out throughout the year, soulcn't come up with the save on the breakaway and the Blues cut Buffalo's lead to 3-2 with just under five minutes to play in the third period.
Things remained hairy for Buffalo as a couple of icing calls, both somewhat questionable, kept a group of Sabres on the ice for a extended length forcing head coach Dan Bylsma to use their time out. Buffalo controlled the draw and got a desperately needed change in, but the Blues would not go away putting pressure on the Sabres to the point where Lehner eventually took a penalty with 1:12 remaining. It was another questionable call as Lehner was smack-dab in the middle of his crease when he was called for tripping.
The Blues ended up getting their goalie pulled for the extra attacker and despite some pressure, just could not get the equalizer.
The 3-2 win gives the Sabres their third three-game winning streak of the season and their second such streak in the last four weeks. Buffalo has yet to go on a four game winning streak this season, but they'll have an opportunity to do so tomorrow evening when the Chicago Blackhawks visit KeyBank center for a nationally televised 6 pm game on NBCSN.
With the win the Sabres now have 62 points on the season and as they left the ice they're only one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second wild card spot in the east. Granted, they've played more games than all three teams ahead of them and are looking at their mandated bye week beginning Monday, but for a team that's been trying to dig out of a deep hole all season, it doesn't matter. Just looking at that one-point difference should give them at least a semblance of satisfaction.
Buffalo's best players were their best players beginning with Lehner who stopped all but two goals on 39 shots against and Evander Kane who continues to score. With his this afternoon Kane now has 20 goals in his last 35 games. His 20 goals match his output from all of last year (65 games) and they lead the team.
Ryan O'Reilly was all over the place scoring a goal and playing a strong end-to-end, two-way game. And then there was Jack Eichel who was a beast. Speed, skill, vision, stick-work, it's all there for Eichel and it was all on display on Buffalo's first goal as he gained the attention of both Blues d-men then sent a sweet little saucer pass to rookie Nick Baptiste who was barreling towards the crease. The 21 yr. old calmly received the puck and sent a back-hand five-hole to tie the score at 1-1.
Baptistse joined rookies Justin Bailey and Evan Rodrigues in Buffalo and the trio have the look as if they're NHL'ers.
Props to the penalty kill which came through in the clutch at the end while holding the Blues scoreless on three opportunities.
Allowing a short-handed goal while trying to increase their 3-1 lead late in the third period wasn't exactly what the Buffalo Sabres had in mind while trying to finish off St. Louis Blues. Nor did a Robin Lehner tripping penalty make things easy on the 18,000 plus fans in attendance at KeyBank Center. However, the Sabres eeked out a victory with some clutch penalty killing and walked out with the "W."
As has been par for the course lately, when one player returns from injury, another one goes down. Today we saw the return of defenseman Cody Franson but the Sabres were without the services of forward Sam Reinhart was ruled out due to an illness. With Franson returning the Sabres had eight d-men on the roster so they waived Taylor Fedun. However, if you watched the Blues' shortie in the third, perhaps you were hoping it was Franson who was waived.
With the puck in the St. Louis zone, Scottie Upshall jumped on a puck heading towards Franson then blew by him for the breakaway goal. Lehner, as we've been finding out throughout the year, soulcn't come up with the save on the breakaway and the Blues cut Buffalo's lead to 3-2 with just under five minutes to play in the third period.
Things remained hairy for Buffalo as a couple of icing calls, both somewhat questionable, kept a group of Sabres on the ice for a extended length forcing head coach Dan Bylsma to use their time out. Buffalo controlled the draw and got a desperately needed change in, but the Blues would not go away putting pressure on the Sabres to the point where Lehner eventually took a penalty with 1:12 remaining. It was another questionable call as Lehner was smack-dab in the middle of his crease when he was called for tripping.
The Blues ended up getting their goalie pulled for the extra attacker and despite some pressure, just could not get the equalizer.
The 3-2 win gives the Sabres their third three-game winning streak of the season and their second such streak in the last four weeks. Buffalo has yet to go on a four game winning streak this season, but they'll have an opportunity to do so tomorrow evening when the Chicago Blackhawks visit KeyBank center for a nationally televised 6 pm game on NBCSN.
With the win the Sabres now have 62 points on the season and as they left the ice they're only one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second wild card spot in the east. Granted, they've played more games than all three teams ahead of them and are looking at their mandated bye week beginning Monday, but for a team that's been trying to dig out of a deep hole all season, it doesn't matter. Just looking at that one-point difference should give them at least a semblance of satisfaction.
Buffalo's best players were their best players beginning with Lehner who stopped all but two goals on 39 shots against and Evander Kane who continues to score. With his this afternoon Kane now has 20 goals in his last 35 games. His 20 goals match his output from all of last year (65 games) and they lead the team.
Ryan O'Reilly was all over the place scoring a goal and playing a strong end-to-end, two-way game. And then there was Jack Eichel who was a beast. Speed, skill, vision, stick-work, it's all there for Eichel and it was all on display on Buffalo's first goal as he gained the attention of both Blues d-men then sent a sweet little saucer pass to rookie Nick Baptiste who was barreling towards the crease. The 21 yr. old calmly received the puck and sent a back-hand five-hole to tie the score at 1-1.
Baptistse joined rookies Justin Bailey and Evan Rodrigues in Buffalo and the trio have the look as if they're NHL'ers.
Props to the penalty kill which came through in the clutch at the end while holding the Blues scoreless on three opportunities.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Notes as the Sabres hit Beantown this New Year's Eve
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-31-2016
The Sabres are in Boston today for the second game of a home and home with the rival Bruins at TD Garden. This marks the fourth and final time these two Atlantic Division foes will meet this season and Boston has already made it's mark by winning the other three games all in regulation. Nary a point was gathered by Buffalo in this season series and as they head into this afternoon's 1 p.m. matinee, the Sabres find themselves behind the Bruins by eight points.
In Thursday's meeting Buffalo stormed out with a dominating first period to take a 2-0 lead only to have Boston slowly turn the tide before scoring the game-winning goal with less than four minutes left in regulation. The Bruins tacked on an empty net goal for the 4-2 final score.
An interesting analogy was put forth by one of the mainstream media members who likened the last game as one between a lesser D-1 school with a game against power conference. In it the lesser team plays a perfect quarter or half but doesn't have the horses to hang with a powerhouse and eventually they're defeated. Quite apropos, actually, dependent upon how one views Buffalo's talent as compared to Boston.
From a talent perspective, I don't think there's a huge gap although the absence of Ryan O'Reilly didn't help matters for Buffalo. The Bruins aren't the Blackhawks or Penguins nor are the Sabres the AHL-level team they were two years ago. Boston, however, has a style that's engrained in the Spoked-B and they played it to a 'T', youngsters and veterans alike. Conversely, the Sabres found themselves in the first period, but got thrown off their game by the Bruins early in the second and had very few answers the rest of the game. Even when they did, Boston goalie Tuukka Rask would have none of it as he stymied the Sabres at every turn.
Head coach Dan Bylsma said it felt as if these two games was like a playoff series with Boston and in a way it is, at least for Buffalo. The Sabres can't afford to lose this one. If so the season will be in great peril as they'll fall 10 points behind Boston and numerous points behind the other four teams they're staring up at in the division.
It will be interesting to see who has the mettle for this one.
***
If you can take anything from blowing that Boston game it's that the Sabres were pissed afterwards. During a post-game interview with Marcus Foligno in the Buffalo locker room, you could hear a player in the background, screaming obscenities in frustration.
From Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:
"The players and staff were angrier than they have been after any game all season -- and probably after any game in several seasons.
"The anger after Thursday's meltdown against Boston was palpable. There was Jack Eichel pounding his stick on the ice at the final buzzer and sitting steely eyed in the locker room while shaking his head and talking to captain Brian Gionta. There was the screaming voice of an unidentified player in a restricted area of the room letting the profanity fly. And there was the clenched jaw of coach Dan Bylsma as he appeared for his post-game news conference, trying to decipher what had happened."
This is a good thing.
Eichel, a Boston suburb native, hadn't played his hometown team yet this season and he came out flying in the first period. But to have it end like it did? Maybe it's a good thing he wasn't available for the post-game interview although I really would have liked to have heard what he thought went wrong. Buffalo played the final two periods with much less aggression than it did in the first and it eventually got to them.
Passion has been lacking on this team for a long time. Perhaps they can bring those emotions into this game today.
***
The Sabres recalled forward Justin Bailey for the trip to Beantown as forward Will Carrier is sidelined with a hand injury. It's the second stint for Bailey this season having played in two games earlier. Bailey has played in 10 games total for Buffalo but has yet to hit the scoresheet.
The Williamsville, NY native earned the call up on the strength of a four-game goal streak and a five game point-streak overall (5g +1a.)
At one point in the off season I'd gotten wind that some within the Sabres organization weren't too keen on the big winger who could fly up and down the ice. In my season preview I had Bailey filling a hole on the third line based upon the strides he made in Rochester and his strong, albeit pointless eight games with the Sabres last season. But he was amongst the first cuts at camp and when he did get a shot in Buffalo, it was for just two games.
Bailey said he's ready to make the most of this opportunity and if he can get into the flow a little bit, just maybe he can break through for a goal thereby tying what Carrier was able to accomplish in 24 games while playing a good chunk on the top line. And if Bailey can light the lamp at least once, it will put him ahead of Derek Grant who has yet to score a goal in 71 NHL games.
Bailey needs to be a force and he'll need to do so while at least starting on the fourth line with Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers who has yet to score a goal in 14 games this season. If the scoring winger plays to Bylsma's liking he may work his way up to playing with a top-six talent like Eichel, so says Bylsma. If he doesn't, it might be a couple of games on the fourth line and then back down.
We'll see.
***
Rochester winger Nick Baptiste had a good stint with Buffalo earlier in the season scoring two goals in his first 12 NHL games. He was sent back down the Amerks and proceeded to tear it up before he fell into a five-game funk prior to last night's game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI.)
Perhaps Baptiste was a bit ticked because Bailey got the call to Buffalo on Friday and not him but whatever the case, the 6'1" 205 lb. winger assisted on three of the Amerks four goals last night in their 4-3 win over the Phantoms in overtime. Two of Baptiste's assists were primary ones. The first came when he powered the puck into the offensive zone and fed a hard-charging Cal O'Reilly for a tap-in at the crease for the opening goal. His other primary assist came in overtime as he and Taylor Fedun controlled the puck during an Amerks 4-on-3 powerplay before Fedun wristed home the game winner on a feed from Baptiste.
Post-game he told Amerks TV that he "was just playing his game." Baptiste noted that he had seven shots on goal and didn't score but that he was also "doing his thing, trying to play confident."
"I was in a bit of a lull for a few games," he continued, "but [this game] was obviously a builder for me and I just have to keep things going."
Lehigh Valley is one of the top teams in the AHL and like the Sabres, Rochester left after the first period with a 2-0 lead only to have the Phantoms tie it up just over six minutes into the second period. But unlike Buffalo, the Amerks were able to score goal No. 3 when Baptiste's heavy shot fell into the Phantoms crease and was eventually buried by Cole Schneider. Baptiste was credited with the secondary assist. Lehigh Valley tied it in the third but the Amerks prevailed in overtime.
The learning curve for Baptiste has been a fairly long one with many pitfalls along the way. But after 98 professional games it looks as if he's rounding into form. As mentioned in the previous blog, there's room on the Sabres roster right now for the size, speed and skill that both Bailey and Baptiste have to offer. If those in charge care to make the room.
Simply put, those two can't do much worse than a couple of roster players who've yet to score this year.
And the Sabres need scoring.
***
New Year's Eve 2016 has plenty of sports on the docket which includes the beginning of the college football playoffs today at 3:00 p.m.
The Sabres play at 1 p.m. while Team USA faces off against Team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championship at 3:30 p.m. No problem there as fans can just make the switch after the Sabres game. However, they may need to do some jumping around if the want to catch two Sabres prospects who are playing for Team Sweden.
The Swedes take on the Czech Republic at 1 p.m. as well and it features a red-hot Alexander Nylander, the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft by Buffalo. Nylander is tied for second in scoring at the tournament with seven points (3+4) in three games and he's leading a tourney favorite into the final game of the preliminary round.
Also on Team Sweden is center Rasmus Asplund whom the Sabres traded up for in the Mark Pysyk/Dmitry Kulikov trade with the Florida Panthers at the 2016 NHL Draft. Asplund was taken with the 33rd-overall pick last year.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald (NCAA) plays for the U.S.
The Sabres are in Boston today for the second game of a home and home with the rival Bruins at TD Garden. This marks the fourth and final time these two Atlantic Division foes will meet this season and Boston has already made it's mark by winning the other three games all in regulation. Nary a point was gathered by Buffalo in this season series and as they head into this afternoon's 1 p.m. matinee, the Sabres find themselves behind the Bruins by eight points.
In Thursday's meeting Buffalo stormed out with a dominating first period to take a 2-0 lead only to have Boston slowly turn the tide before scoring the game-winning goal with less than four minutes left in regulation. The Bruins tacked on an empty net goal for the 4-2 final score.
An interesting analogy was put forth by one of the mainstream media members who likened the last game as one between a lesser D-1 school with a game against power conference. In it the lesser team plays a perfect quarter or half but doesn't have the horses to hang with a powerhouse and eventually they're defeated. Quite apropos, actually, dependent upon how one views Buffalo's talent as compared to Boston.
From a talent perspective, I don't think there's a huge gap although the absence of Ryan O'Reilly didn't help matters for Buffalo. The Bruins aren't the Blackhawks or Penguins nor are the Sabres the AHL-level team they were two years ago. Boston, however, has a style that's engrained in the Spoked-B and they played it to a 'T', youngsters and veterans alike. Conversely, the Sabres found themselves in the first period, but got thrown off their game by the Bruins early in the second and had very few answers the rest of the game. Even when they did, Boston goalie Tuukka Rask would have none of it as he stymied the Sabres at every turn.
Head coach Dan Bylsma said it felt as if these two games was like a playoff series with Boston and in a way it is, at least for Buffalo. The Sabres can't afford to lose this one. If so the season will be in great peril as they'll fall 10 points behind Boston and numerous points behind the other four teams they're staring up at in the division.
It will be interesting to see who has the mettle for this one.
***
If you can take anything from blowing that Boston game it's that the Sabres were pissed afterwards. During a post-game interview with Marcus Foligno in the Buffalo locker room, you could hear a player in the background, screaming obscenities in frustration.
From Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News:
"The players and staff were angrier than they have been after any game all season -- and probably after any game in several seasons.
"The anger after Thursday's meltdown against Boston was palpable. There was Jack Eichel pounding his stick on the ice at the final buzzer and sitting steely eyed in the locker room while shaking his head and talking to captain Brian Gionta. There was the screaming voice of an unidentified player in a restricted area of the room letting the profanity fly. And there was the clenched jaw of coach Dan Bylsma as he appeared for his post-game news conference, trying to decipher what had happened."
This is a good thing.
Eichel, a Boston suburb native, hadn't played his hometown team yet this season and he came out flying in the first period. But to have it end like it did? Maybe it's a good thing he wasn't available for the post-game interview although I really would have liked to have heard what he thought went wrong. Buffalo played the final two periods with much less aggression than it did in the first and it eventually got to them.
Passion has been lacking on this team for a long time. Perhaps they can bring those emotions into this game today.
***
The Sabres recalled forward Justin Bailey for the trip to Beantown as forward Will Carrier is sidelined with a hand injury. It's the second stint for Bailey this season having played in two games earlier. Bailey has played in 10 games total for Buffalo but has yet to hit the scoresheet.
The Williamsville, NY native earned the call up on the strength of a four-game goal streak and a five game point-streak overall (5g +1a.)
At one point in the off season I'd gotten wind that some within the Sabres organization weren't too keen on the big winger who could fly up and down the ice. In my season preview I had Bailey filling a hole on the third line based upon the strides he made in Rochester and his strong, albeit pointless eight games with the Sabres last season. But he was amongst the first cuts at camp and when he did get a shot in Buffalo, it was for just two games.
Bailey said he's ready to make the most of this opportunity and if he can get into the flow a little bit, just maybe he can break through for a goal thereby tying what Carrier was able to accomplish in 24 games while playing a good chunk on the top line. And if Bailey can light the lamp at least once, it will put him ahead of Derek Grant who has yet to score a goal in 71 NHL games.
Bailey needs to be a force and he'll need to do so while at least starting on the fourth line with Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers who has yet to score a goal in 14 games this season. If the scoring winger plays to Bylsma's liking he may work his way up to playing with a top-six talent like Eichel, so says Bylsma. If he doesn't, it might be a couple of games on the fourth line and then back down.
We'll see.
***
Rochester winger Nick Baptiste had a good stint with Buffalo earlier in the season scoring two goals in his first 12 NHL games. He was sent back down the Amerks and proceeded to tear it up before he fell into a five-game funk prior to last night's game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI.)
Perhaps Baptiste was a bit ticked because Bailey got the call to Buffalo on Friday and not him but whatever the case, the 6'1" 205 lb. winger assisted on three of the Amerks four goals last night in their 4-3 win over the Phantoms in overtime. Two of Baptiste's assists were primary ones. The first came when he powered the puck into the offensive zone and fed a hard-charging Cal O'Reilly for a tap-in at the crease for the opening goal. His other primary assist came in overtime as he and Taylor Fedun controlled the puck during an Amerks 4-on-3 powerplay before Fedun wristed home the game winner on a feed from Baptiste.
Post-game he told Amerks TV that he "was just playing his game." Baptiste noted that he had seven shots on goal and didn't score but that he was also "doing his thing, trying to play confident."
"I was in a bit of a lull for a few games," he continued, "but [this game] was obviously a builder for me and I just have to keep things going."
Lehigh Valley is one of the top teams in the AHL and like the Sabres, Rochester left after the first period with a 2-0 lead only to have the Phantoms tie it up just over six minutes into the second period. But unlike Buffalo, the Amerks were able to score goal No. 3 when Baptiste's heavy shot fell into the Phantoms crease and was eventually buried by Cole Schneider. Baptiste was credited with the secondary assist. Lehigh Valley tied it in the third but the Amerks prevailed in overtime.
The learning curve for Baptiste has been a fairly long one with many pitfalls along the way. But after 98 professional games it looks as if he's rounding into form. As mentioned in the previous blog, there's room on the Sabres roster right now for the size, speed and skill that both Bailey and Baptiste have to offer. If those in charge care to make the room.
Simply put, those two can't do much worse than a couple of roster players who've yet to score this year.
And the Sabres need scoring.
***
New Year's Eve 2016 has plenty of sports on the docket which includes the beginning of the college football playoffs today at 3:00 p.m.
The Sabres play at 1 p.m. while Team USA faces off against Team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championship at 3:30 p.m. No problem there as fans can just make the switch after the Sabres game. However, they may need to do some jumping around if the want to catch two Sabres prospects who are playing for Team Sweden.
The Swedes take on the Czech Republic at 1 p.m. as well and it features a red-hot Alexander Nylander, the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft by Buffalo. Nylander is tied for second in scoring at the tournament with seven points (3+4) in three games and he's leading a tourney favorite into the final game of the preliminary round.
Also on Team Sweden is center Rasmus Asplund whom the Sabres traded up for in the Mark Pysyk/Dmitry Kulikov trade with the Florida Panthers at the 2016 NHL Draft. Asplund was taken with the 33rd-overall pick last year.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald (NCAA) plays for the U.S.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Nicolas Baptiste serving notice
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-15-2016
A month ago forward Nick Baptiste was being sent down to the Rochester Americans after his first NHL stint with the Buffalo Sabres. A 69th-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Baptiste was entering his second pro season and had played in 12 games for the Sabres scoring his first two NHL goals while averaging 8:45 of ice-time per game with the big club.
Baptiste was sent to Rochester on the morning of November 13 and proceeded to score a pair of goals against the Springfield Falcons that afternoon. He has played in 13 games for the Amerks since being sent down and has lit the lamp for 11 goals total topped off by a hat trick last night against the rival Toronto Marlies. Baptiste actually scored four goals last night, but one of the goals was disallowed for some reason.
From Maple Leafs hotstove (since the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle decided to lay off beat writer Kevin Oklobzija and "staff reports" offer bare-minimum coverage,) "It looked for all the world as though the Amerks had scored a third goal after a terrific shot (by Baptiste) above [Kari] Ramo’s right shoulder. Immediately waived off by the officials, the home team and crowd were infuriated. A review was asked for, but it seemed pointless; it was clear to everyone watching that the puck had crossed the line. Why the goal wasn’t allowed remains a mystery."
Baptiste, however, did cap his night off with an empty-netter for the hatty and in doing so should have really caught the eyes of Sabres GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
Murray has always known what the 6'1" 205 lb. Ottawa, Ontario native had to offer. That's why the new GM of the Buffalo Sabres didn't waste any time in signing a third-round pick of the former regime to his entry-level contract in May, 2014 while he still had a year left of junior eligibility. Baptiste has the heft to be able to play a rugged game and get into the dirty areas to score goals while he also has an array of shots that allow him to score in different ways from all areas of the ice as his first two NHL goals will attest to.
In only his second NHL game at Vancouver back in October, Baptiste followed his own shot on goal and barreled to the net outmuscling a Canuck to the puck along the goal line. He sent a pass to the crease where Nicolas Deslauriers was in a battle but the puck pin-balled into the net off of a couple of 'Nucks players. Deslauriers was credited with the goal until well after the game when it was determined that the last Sabres player to touch the puck was actually Baptiste. His second NHL goal came off of a quick feed around the face off dot as he wasted no time in snapping the puck low, far-side.
Baptiste is a Murray hybrid in that not only does he have the size to be one of the "heavies" the GM was attracted to when he took the job in Buffalo, but he also has speed. "You see it all over," said Bylsma as he talked about the speed of the NHL and how the recently called-up Baptiste fits in. "You see it from young kids that are bringing it, providing it, and Nick is of that ilk. He has that speed, that power to his game and with the strong preseason that he's had he has a chance to do it here with us."
The Sabres have been playing well as late, even prior to Jack Eichel's return. Beginning with a 2-1 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was four games prior to Eichel coming back, Buffalo is 6-3-2. Rookie William Carrier got his first NHL goal in that Pittsburgh game and although he's been playing very well, with plenty of top-line minutes as of late, he's only managed one assist in his last 10 games.
It's hard to see management messing with a lineup that looks as if it's beginning to gel a bit, but Baptiste is serving notice that he's ready to graduate to the big club.
If his past is any indication, playing a top-six role with highly skilled players around him brings out his skill as well. In junior he was with the Erie Otters featuring the likes of Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat, all 100 pt. scorers. Baptiste had scored 26 goals and added 27 assists in 41 games after the trade to Erie. He was put in a scoring role this season in Rochester playing alongside the Amerks leading scorers in Cal O'Reilly and Cole Schneider and Baptiste has responded well. Including his latest hot streak Baptiste has 18 points (14g+4a) in 18 games good for third on the team.
Although opportunity may not knock soon, Baptiste is showing he'll be ready for it when it happens. In the mean time, he and Justin Bailey can continue with their kids cooking show which will surely be a hit this holiday season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFdta5759e4
A month ago forward Nick Baptiste was being sent down to the Rochester Americans after his first NHL stint with the Buffalo Sabres. A 69th-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Baptiste was entering his second pro season and had played in 12 games for the Sabres scoring his first two NHL goals while averaging 8:45 of ice-time per game with the big club.
Baptiste was sent to Rochester on the morning of November 13 and proceeded to score a pair of goals against the Springfield Falcons that afternoon. He has played in 13 games for the Amerks since being sent down and has lit the lamp for 11 goals total topped off by a hat trick last night against the rival Toronto Marlies. Baptiste actually scored four goals last night, but one of the goals was disallowed for some reason.
From Maple Leafs hotstove (since the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle decided to lay off beat writer Kevin Oklobzija and "staff reports" offer bare-minimum coverage,) "It looked for all the world as though the Amerks had scored a third goal after a terrific shot (by Baptiste) above [Kari] Ramo’s right shoulder. Immediately waived off by the officials, the home team and crowd were infuriated. A review was asked for, but it seemed pointless; it was clear to everyone watching that the puck had crossed the line. Why the goal wasn’t allowed remains a mystery."
Baptiste, however, did cap his night off with an empty-netter for the hatty and in doing so should have really caught the eyes of Sabres GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma.
Murray has always known what the 6'1" 205 lb. Ottawa, Ontario native had to offer. That's why the new GM of the Buffalo Sabres didn't waste any time in signing a third-round pick of the former regime to his entry-level contract in May, 2014 while he still had a year left of junior eligibility. Baptiste has the heft to be able to play a rugged game and get into the dirty areas to score goals while he also has an array of shots that allow him to score in different ways from all areas of the ice as his first two NHL goals will attest to.
In only his second NHL game at Vancouver back in October, Baptiste followed his own shot on goal and barreled to the net outmuscling a Canuck to the puck along the goal line. He sent a pass to the crease where Nicolas Deslauriers was in a battle but the puck pin-balled into the net off of a couple of 'Nucks players. Deslauriers was credited with the goal until well after the game when it was determined that the last Sabres player to touch the puck was actually Baptiste. His second NHL goal came off of a quick feed around the face off dot as he wasted no time in snapping the puck low, far-side.
Baptiste is a Murray hybrid in that not only does he have the size to be one of the "heavies" the GM was attracted to when he took the job in Buffalo, but he also has speed. "You see it all over," said Bylsma as he talked about the speed of the NHL and how the recently called-up Baptiste fits in. "You see it from young kids that are bringing it, providing it, and Nick is of that ilk. He has that speed, that power to his game and with the strong preseason that he's had he has a chance to do it here with us."
The Sabres have been playing well as late, even prior to Jack Eichel's return. Beginning with a 2-1 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was four games prior to Eichel coming back, Buffalo is 6-3-2. Rookie William Carrier got his first NHL goal in that Pittsburgh game and although he's been playing very well, with plenty of top-line minutes as of late, he's only managed one assist in his last 10 games.
It's hard to see management messing with a lineup that looks as if it's beginning to gel a bit, but Baptiste is serving notice that he's ready to graduate to the big club.
If his past is any indication, playing a top-six role with highly skilled players around him brings out his skill as well. In junior he was with the Erie Otters featuring the likes of Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat, all 100 pt. scorers. Baptiste had scored 26 goals and added 27 assists in 41 games after the trade to Erie. He was put in a scoring role this season in Rochester playing alongside the Amerks leading scorers in Cal O'Reilly and Cole Schneider and Baptiste has responded well. Including his latest hot streak Baptiste has 18 points (14g+4a) in 18 games good for third on the team.
Although opportunity may not knock soon, Baptiste is showing he'll be ready for it when it happens. In the mean time, he and Justin Bailey can continue with their kids cooking show which will surely be a hit this holiday season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFdta5759e4
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Injuries equal tough sledding, a change of style and opportunity
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-15-2016
The Buffalo Sabres have three games on tap in the next five days--at the St. Louis Blues tonight, vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins on Satrurday. All three teams have a better record than the Sabres and all represent a pretty big challenge for an injury-depleted Buffalo roster.
The injury list for the Sabres for tonight's game:
C-Jack Eichel--out all season
D-Zach Bogosian--out tonight (seventh consecutive)--nine games played
F-Tyler Ennis--out tonight (fourth consecutive)--12 games played
D-Dmitry Kulikov--out tonight (third consecutive)--12 games played
C- Ryan O'Reilly--out tonight--13 games played
Add it all up and the Sabres head into Scottrade Center tonight missing their top-two centers, two two-four defensemen and a top-nine forward. We might want to add in that Buffalo is 2-7-1 in their last 10 vs. the Blues, 1-5-4 in St. Louis and that Buffalo is winless in their last four (0-2-2) and are 2-3-2 so far in the month of November.
Kinda makes for a pretty tall order.
Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 this morning and after telling the hosts about having to basically keep O'Reilly from playing so that a lingering injury can properly heal, host Howard Simon asked just how much of an adjustment it is to play without Eichel and O'Reilly. "It's a big adjustment," said Bylsma, "to have those types of guys out of our lineup. They do so much, they provide so much.
"You can't ask the players--the Derek Grant's of the world and the [Johan] Larsson's of the world--to play differently and be different. They can't be Jack, they can't be Ryan so we're going to have to play like a third and fourth-line team to grind out plays to have success and grind out victories."
Simply put, without Eichel and O'Reilly, the Sabres don't have the horses to play the style of game Bylsma has geared his system to.
For those watching the games this month, Buffalo has scored nine goals and given up 15 in seven November games. No wonder fans are filing out of the KeyBank Center early. It's classic, grind-it-out defensive hockey similar to what former Ted Nolan once did, but without the supreme on-ice motivation the former coach provided.
Although nobody in the organization will make excuses, missing four of your top-10 skaters does bring down the talent-level and although some teams have made do without players of that ilk, the young Sabres (third-youngest team in the league according to nhlnumbers.com,) have a good chunk of their skilled-players still in developmental leagues.
That said, those injured players must be replaced somebody and Amerks players have a golden opportunity in front of them to make an impression.
Forward William Carrier has done that. The 21 yr. old rookie got the call five games ago and worked his way up the ladder to the point where he may be skating on the top line tonight with Sam Reinhart at center and Kyle Okposo at right wing. Carrier was originally drafted by the Blues in the second round (57th-overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was a part of the Ryan Miller to St. Louis trade February 28, 2014.
Although Carrier has yet to hit the score sheet, Bylsma had nothing but great things to say about him. "Will has played extremely, extremely well, been really effective," he said to the gathered media. "Speed, he's been really physical, and he has gotten in the mix on offensive chances … Whether he plays on a line with Sam and Kyle or he's playing on the fourth line or playing on the third line, which he did for two of the games, he needs to continue to play that way."
Another 2013 draft pick is winger Nicolas Baptiste. The 21 yr. old was drafted 69th overall that year by the Sabres and will be appearing in his 11th game for the club this season. Baptiste is another speedy winger who has good size but he also has definitive sniping abilities. After being returned to Rochester following a back-to-back for Buffalo against the New Jersey Devils, Baptiste played a third game in a row on Sunday at Springfield, MA and recorded two goals and an assist against the Thunderbirds (FLA.) He is on his third recall for the Sabres and has scored two goals so far for Buffalo in 10 previous games.
Journeyman defenseman Justin Falk got the call from Buffalo as well to replace the injured Kulikov. Falk has plenty of NHL experience and his gritty, defensive style of play seems to fit well with the grinding style of play Bylsma wants his team to play.
Forward Evan Rodrigues was also called up for the St. Louis game. It's his first recall of the season, second of his career. Late last season Rodrigues got a shot and had a goal and an assist in two games for Buffalo while finishing a plus-2 in those games. Rodrigues finished strong in Rochester late last season and is off to a solid start for the Amerks so far this season with three goals and five assists in 13 games.
According to WGR's Paul Hamilton, the Sabres first powerplay unit at the morning skate had Matt Moulson (tied for second in the league with five PP goals,) Reinhart, Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe while the second unit had captain Brian Gionta, Johan Larsson (with Baptiste working in,) Evander Kane, Cody Franson and rookie Casey Nelson.
Game time is 8 p.m. ET tonight.
The Buffalo Sabres have three games on tap in the next five days--at the St. Louis Blues tonight, vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins on Satrurday. All three teams have a better record than the Sabres and all represent a pretty big challenge for an injury-depleted Buffalo roster.
The injury list for the Sabres for tonight's game:
C-Jack Eichel--out all season
D-Zach Bogosian--out tonight (seventh consecutive)--nine games played
F-Tyler Ennis--out tonight (fourth consecutive)--12 games played
D-Dmitry Kulikov--out tonight (third consecutive)--12 games played
C- Ryan O'Reilly--out tonight--13 games played
Add it all up and the Sabres head into Scottrade Center tonight missing their top-two centers, two two-four defensemen and a top-nine forward. We might want to add in that Buffalo is 2-7-1 in their last 10 vs. the Blues, 1-5-4 in St. Louis and that Buffalo is winless in their last four (0-2-2) and are 2-3-2 so far in the month of November.
Kinda makes for a pretty tall order.
Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR550 this morning and after telling the hosts about having to basically keep O'Reilly from playing so that a lingering injury can properly heal, host Howard Simon asked just how much of an adjustment it is to play without Eichel and O'Reilly. "It's a big adjustment," said Bylsma, "to have those types of guys out of our lineup. They do so much, they provide so much.
"You can't ask the players--the Derek Grant's of the world and the [Johan] Larsson's of the world--to play differently and be different. They can't be Jack, they can't be Ryan so we're going to have to play like a third and fourth-line team to grind out plays to have success and grind out victories."
Simply put, without Eichel and O'Reilly, the Sabres don't have the horses to play the style of game Bylsma has geared his system to.
For those watching the games this month, Buffalo has scored nine goals and given up 15 in seven November games. No wonder fans are filing out of the KeyBank Center early. It's classic, grind-it-out defensive hockey similar to what former Ted Nolan once did, but without the supreme on-ice motivation the former coach provided.
Although nobody in the organization will make excuses, missing four of your top-10 skaters does bring down the talent-level and although some teams have made do without players of that ilk, the young Sabres (third-youngest team in the league according to nhlnumbers.com,) have a good chunk of their skilled-players still in developmental leagues.
That said, those injured players must be replaced somebody and Amerks players have a golden opportunity in front of them to make an impression.
Forward William Carrier has done that. The 21 yr. old rookie got the call five games ago and worked his way up the ladder to the point where he may be skating on the top line tonight with Sam Reinhart at center and Kyle Okposo at right wing. Carrier was originally drafted by the Blues in the second round (57th-overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was a part of the Ryan Miller to St. Louis trade February 28, 2014.
Although Carrier has yet to hit the score sheet, Bylsma had nothing but great things to say about him. "Will has played extremely, extremely well, been really effective," he said to the gathered media. "Speed, he's been really physical, and he has gotten in the mix on offensive chances … Whether he plays on a line with Sam and Kyle or he's playing on the fourth line or playing on the third line, which he did for two of the games, he needs to continue to play that way."
Another 2013 draft pick is winger Nicolas Baptiste. The 21 yr. old was drafted 69th overall that year by the Sabres and will be appearing in his 11th game for the club this season. Baptiste is another speedy winger who has good size but he also has definitive sniping abilities. After being returned to Rochester following a back-to-back for Buffalo against the New Jersey Devils, Baptiste played a third game in a row on Sunday at Springfield, MA and recorded two goals and an assist against the Thunderbirds (FLA.) He is on his third recall for the Sabres and has scored two goals so far for Buffalo in 10 previous games.
Journeyman defenseman Justin Falk got the call from Buffalo as well to replace the injured Kulikov. Falk has plenty of NHL experience and his gritty, defensive style of play seems to fit well with the grinding style of play Bylsma wants his team to play.
Forward Evan Rodrigues was also called up for the St. Louis game. It's his first recall of the season, second of his career. Late last season Rodrigues got a shot and had a goal and an assist in two games for Buffalo while finishing a plus-2 in those games. Rodrigues finished strong in Rochester late last season and is off to a solid start for the Amerks so far this season with three goals and five assists in 13 games.
According to WGR's Paul Hamilton, the Sabres first powerplay unit at the morning skate had Matt Moulson (tied for second in the league with five PP goals,) Reinhart, Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe while the second unit had captain Brian Gionta, Johan Larsson (with Baptiste working in,) Evander Kane, Cody Franson and rookie Casey Nelson.
Game time is 8 p.m. ET tonight.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Rochester reset, three returned to the Amerks. Sabres get a quick break
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-13-2016
Forwards Nicolas Baptiste and Cole Schneider along with defenseman Justin Falk have been returned to the Rochester Americans this morning according to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are off until Tuesday when they travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues and sending them down affords any or all three an opportunity to get another game in today.
Baptiste had the longest stint of the trio as he joined the team for their two-game, mid-continent road trip beginning in Winnipeg on October 30. With Hudson Fasching hitting the injured list after the Jets game, Baptiste played in eight games and skated roughly 9:00 minutes a night. He scored a goal and finished with a plus-one rating. The speedy 6'1" 206 lb. power forward was called up from Rochester after scoring three goals and two assists in five games for the Amerks.
Injuries up-front in Buffalo also opened the door for Cole Schneider who still leads the Amerks in scoring with 15 points (7+8) in 10 games. Schneider immediately got into the groove with a primary assist (his first NHL point) in his first game against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday then sat out Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Last night against the Devils he skated 10 shifts for Buffalo and registered three shots on goal.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov being sidelined with an undisclosed injury after the Ottawa game, so the Sabres called up Falk from Rochester. The 28 yr. old who's entering his ninth pro season had been steady in Rochester and with 171 NHL games on his resume' Buffalo gave him the call. The 6'5" 222 lb. defensive defenseman was on the third pairing for the back-to-back games with the Devils and heads back to the Amerks after a minus-1 rating with the Sabres.
The Amerks are in Springfield, Massachusetts today to take on the Falcons, the new AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. The game begins at 3:05 ET making it questionable as to whether any or all of the trio will be playing. Springfield is just 150 miles from Newark, NJ where the Sabres just played and all three are accustomed to three-game weekends so it wouldn't be surprising to see one or three of them in the lineup for Rochester.
Through 12 games Rochester has a 6-6-0 record placing them fourth in the North Division and tenth in the AHL's Eastern Conference. The Amerks have been alternating wins and losses for eight consecutive games and are coming off of a 7-2 loss last night to the Syracuse Crunch (TBL.) As goaltending goes, so goes Rochester. The Amerks have given up 20 goals in their four losses during that stretch while allowing only six goals in their wins. And unlike their parent club, Rochester has managed to score 17 goals in the four wins while scoring 27 goals total over that eight-game stretch (3.38 goals/game.)
In 15 games so far this season, the Buffalo Sabres have scored a total of 29 goals or just less than two goals per game and Buffalo has not scored more than two goals in a game since the October 30th contest against at Winnipeg. During that seven-game stretch goaltending managed to save Buffalo from a total disaster as the Sabres somehow came away with a 2-3-2 record.
Injuries have really hurt as Jack Eichel remains out until next month and Ryan O'Reilly missed two of the last three games after being listed as day-to-day. O'Reilly is tied for the team lead in points with nine (4+5) in 13 games played. Also iced due to injury is Tyler Ennis who will be out for months after sports hernia surgery. Evander Kane, who scored 20 goals in 65 games for Buffalo last season missed 11 games because of broken ribs and has yet to register a point in four games since his return.
And after 15 games, no Buffalo defenseman has scored a goal.
Buffalo's a long way from wielding swords on offense as they've been more like a butter knife lately. Although it's not close to the start of the 2014-15 season when head coach Ted Nolan and his talent-challenged team scored only 19 goals through the first 15 games, this edition of the Sabres has some serious work to do. They'll have a welcomed two days off to ready for the Blues after playing a stretch of seven games in 11 nights. There will be no rest for the weary, however. Beginning in St. Louis Buffalo will play every other night for six games in 10 nights.
Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma was asked post-game last night if the team needed a break. "We've played a lot of games, a lot of road games (four out of the last seven,)" he told the gathered media, "the schedule has been one after another in terms of every other day or so." But he didn't lay the blame for last night's 4-2 loss at New Jersey on scheduling. You do, however, get the sense the next two days are very welcome. "We'll now get a break and have to come back for the game against St. Louis."
Forwards Nicolas Baptiste and Cole Schneider along with defenseman Justin Falk have been returned to the Rochester Americans this morning according to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are off until Tuesday when they travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues and sending them down affords any or all three an opportunity to get another game in today.
Baptiste had the longest stint of the trio as he joined the team for their two-game, mid-continent road trip beginning in Winnipeg on October 30. With Hudson Fasching hitting the injured list after the Jets game, Baptiste played in eight games and skated roughly 9:00 minutes a night. He scored a goal and finished with a plus-one rating. The speedy 6'1" 206 lb. power forward was called up from Rochester after scoring three goals and two assists in five games for the Amerks.
Injuries up-front in Buffalo also opened the door for Cole Schneider who still leads the Amerks in scoring with 15 points (7+8) in 10 games. Schneider immediately got into the groove with a primary assist (his first NHL point) in his first game against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday then sat out Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Last night against the Devils he skated 10 shifts for Buffalo and registered three shots on goal.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov being sidelined with an undisclosed injury after the Ottawa game, so the Sabres called up Falk from Rochester. The 28 yr. old who's entering his ninth pro season had been steady in Rochester and with 171 NHL games on his resume' Buffalo gave him the call. The 6'5" 222 lb. defensive defenseman was on the third pairing for the back-to-back games with the Devils and heads back to the Amerks after a minus-1 rating with the Sabres.
The Amerks are in Springfield, Massachusetts today to take on the Falcons, the new AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. The game begins at 3:05 ET making it questionable as to whether any or all of the trio will be playing. Springfield is just 150 miles from Newark, NJ where the Sabres just played and all three are accustomed to three-game weekends so it wouldn't be surprising to see one or three of them in the lineup for Rochester.
Through 12 games Rochester has a 6-6-0 record placing them fourth in the North Division and tenth in the AHL's Eastern Conference. The Amerks have been alternating wins and losses for eight consecutive games and are coming off of a 7-2 loss last night to the Syracuse Crunch (TBL.) As goaltending goes, so goes Rochester. The Amerks have given up 20 goals in their four losses during that stretch while allowing only six goals in their wins. And unlike their parent club, Rochester has managed to score 17 goals in the four wins while scoring 27 goals total over that eight-game stretch (3.38 goals/game.)
In 15 games so far this season, the Buffalo Sabres have scored a total of 29 goals or just less than two goals per game and Buffalo has not scored more than two goals in a game since the October 30th contest against at Winnipeg. During that seven-game stretch goaltending managed to save Buffalo from a total disaster as the Sabres somehow came away with a 2-3-2 record.
Injuries have really hurt as Jack Eichel remains out until next month and Ryan O'Reilly missed two of the last three games after being listed as day-to-day. O'Reilly is tied for the team lead in points with nine (4+5) in 13 games played. Also iced due to injury is Tyler Ennis who will be out for months after sports hernia surgery. Evander Kane, who scored 20 goals in 65 games for Buffalo last season missed 11 games because of broken ribs and has yet to register a point in four games since his return.
And after 15 games, no Buffalo defenseman has scored a goal.
Buffalo's a long way from wielding swords on offense as they've been more like a butter knife lately. Although it's not close to the start of the 2014-15 season when head coach Ted Nolan and his talent-challenged team scored only 19 goals through the first 15 games, this edition of the Sabres has some serious work to do. They'll have a welcomed two days off to ready for the Blues after playing a stretch of seven games in 11 nights. There will be no rest for the weary, however. Beginning in St. Louis Buffalo will play every other night for six games in 10 nights.
Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma was asked post-game last night if the team needed a break. "We've played a lot of games, a lot of road games (four out of the last seven,)" he told the gathered media, "the schedule has been one after another in terms of every other day or so." But he didn't lay the blame for last night's 4-2 loss at New Jersey on scheduling. You do, however, get the sense the next two days are very welcome. "We'll now get a break and have to come back for the game against St. Louis."
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Sabres and Devils begin a back-to-back at Buffalo tonight
Published by hockeybuzz.com 11-11-2016
Odds are that the back-to-back, home-and-home games between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils beginning tonight could be a snooze-fest. The Devils are traditionally know for playing a tight game while the Sabres, have been without Jack Eichel all season and were missing Evander Kane for 12 games until he returned to action against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Those two top-six forwards combined for 43 goals last season so a big chunk of the Sabres offense has been on the sidelines.
Having Kane come back on Wednesday against Ottawa was a plus for Buffalo but that was countered when top center Ryan O'Reilly was felled by an upper body injury that kept him out of the game. O'Reilly lead the Sabres in scoring last season with 60 points (21+39) and is in a three-way tie for the team-lead this season with eight points. Head coach Dan Bylsma has O'Reilly listed as day-to-day.
The Sabres were also without Tyler Ennis against the Senators and will be without him for weeks after he underwent groin surgery yesterday. Ennis has had a tough go of it the last two seasons having played in only 35 games total. He suffered two concussions last season limiting him to 12 games.
All of those injuries, however, have opened up opportunities for others.
Center Derek Grant found himself on the top-line between Kane and Buffalo's leading goal-scorer, Kyle Okposo, at times vs. Ottawa on Wednesday. Bylsma told the gathered media after yesterday's skate that he had Grant up there for his faceoff prowess. Grant ranks second on the team (100 faceoffs or more) behind O'Reilly with a 59.5% win percentage.
Grant has been carving out a spot on the roster as a defensive specialist for the club. He is second on the club amongst forwards in penalty kill TOI with 2:25/game while centering the fourth line. The role he's playing is what 35 yr. old David Legwand played last season. The Sabres had the ninth best kill last season at 82.6% and while this year so far they rank 19th at 80.4%.
Because of his defense, the 26 yr. old Grant has been garnering a lot of attention from the Sabres despite having only one point so far this season. It was a secondary assist after winning a faceoff (of course) against Ottawa on Wednesday. He has yet to score an NHL goal in 53 games.
With the injuries to regulars Nick Baptiste is getting an extended look in Buffalo. Baptiste joined the Sabres for an early Western Canada swing and in two games recorded his first NHL goal. The 21 yr. old was sent back down to Rochester but was recalled late last month. He remained solid in his fourth line role despite not hitting the score sheet but broke through with his second goal of the season against Ottawa. In eight games with Buffalo the speedy winger has two goals and has a plus-two plus/minus rating.
Winger Cole Schneider finally got the call to Buffalo after leading the AHL with 15 points in 12 games. He registered his first NHL point vs. Ottawa when he jumped on the faceoff win by Grant and tapped it to Batiste who sent a quick shot home to light the lamp. It was only the third NHL game for the 26 yr. old.
To say the Sabres are having trouble scoring is an understatement. Their only goal against the Senators in the 2-1 shootout loss to the Senators came from the fourth line. Okposo has five goals while O'Reilly has four. Matt Moulson also has four but none have been at even strength and he hasn't scored a goal in eight games. With Kane returning to the lineup Bylsma dropped Moulson to the third line last game.
In all the Sabres are averaging only two goals per game tying them for 28th in the league. No doubt injuries have played a big part but they've also been unable to finish. Brian Gionta, who has three goals and Zemgus Girgensons (one goal) both had opportunities in overtime against Ottawa but were victims of the iron.
Without the goal scoring the Sabres have been forced to focus a lot more on defense in an effort to win, something the New Jersey Devils have done for decades. When they meet tonight it will be a game featuring teams with the fourth and fifth best goals against in the league. The Sabres have allowed an average of 2.23 goals/game while the Devils chime in at 2.25. New Jersey, by the way, is averaging 2.33 goals per game this season ranking them 25th in the league.
Traditionally when these two meet, one should expect a match akin to two heavyweight wrestlers going at it. The two sides plod along with not much happening until one side makes a mistake. In the nine meetings between the two teams over the past three years they scored a combined 31 goals or 3.44 goals/game. During that stretch the Sabres are 3-4-2 against New Jersey scoring a grand total of 14 goals and three players who are out of tonight's game--Eichel, Ennis and O'Reilly--scored eight of those.
In the last two seasons the Sabres have managed only three points against New Jersey--a win late last season and shootout loss midway through the 2014-15 season. During that six-game stretch they're 1-4-1 against the Devils. With the entertainment value down, fans should expect a battle of attrition for two points in the standings. The Devils have 15 points (6-3-3) in 12 games placing them fourth in a tough Metropolitan Division while Buffalo has accumulated 13 points in 13 games placing them in a tie with Toronto for seventh place in the Atlantic Division.
Odds are that the back-to-back, home-and-home games between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils beginning tonight could be a snooze-fest. The Devils are traditionally know for playing a tight game while the Sabres, have been without Jack Eichel all season and were missing Evander Kane for 12 games until he returned to action against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Those two top-six forwards combined for 43 goals last season so a big chunk of the Sabres offense has been on the sidelines.
Having Kane come back on Wednesday against Ottawa was a plus for Buffalo but that was countered when top center Ryan O'Reilly was felled by an upper body injury that kept him out of the game. O'Reilly lead the Sabres in scoring last season with 60 points (21+39) and is in a three-way tie for the team-lead this season with eight points. Head coach Dan Bylsma has O'Reilly listed as day-to-day.
The Sabres were also without Tyler Ennis against the Senators and will be without him for weeks after he underwent groin surgery yesterday. Ennis has had a tough go of it the last two seasons having played in only 35 games total. He suffered two concussions last season limiting him to 12 games.
All of those injuries, however, have opened up opportunities for others.
Center Derek Grant found himself on the top-line between Kane and Buffalo's leading goal-scorer, Kyle Okposo, at times vs. Ottawa on Wednesday. Bylsma told the gathered media after yesterday's skate that he had Grant up there for his faceoff prowess. Grant ranks second on the team (100 faceoffs or more) behind O'Reilly with a 59.5% win percentage.
Grant has been carving out a spot on the roster as a defensive specialist for the club. He is second on the club amongst forwards in penalty kill TOI with 2:25/game while centering the fourth line. The role he's playing is what 35 yr. old David Legwand played last season. The Sabres had the ninth best kill last season at 82.6% and while this year so far they rank 19th at 80.4%.
Because of his defense, the 26 yr. old Grant has been garnering a lot of attention from the Sabres despite having only one point so far this season. It was a secondary assist after winning a faceoff (of course) against Ottawa on Wednesday. He has yet to score an NHL goal in 53 games.
With the injuries to regulars Nick Baptiste is getting an extended look in Buffalo. Baptiste joined the Sabres for an early Western Canada swing and in two games recorded his first NHL goal. The 21 yr. old was sent back down to Rochester but was recalled late last month. He remained solid in his fourth line role despite not hitting the score sheet but broke through with his second goal of the season against Ottawa. In eight games with Buffalo the speedy winger has two goals and has a plus-two plus/minus rating.
Winger Cole Schneider finally got the call to Buffalo after leading the AHL with 15 points in 12 games. He registered his first NHL point vs. Ottawa when he jumped on the faceoff win by Grant and tapped it to Batiste who sent a quick shot home to light the lamp. It was only the third NHL game for the 26 yr. old.
To say the Sabres are having trouble scoring is an understatement. Their only goal against the Senators in the 2-1 shootout loss to the Senators came from the fourth line. Okposo has five goals while O'Reilly has four. Matt Moulson also has four but none have been at even strength and he hasn't scored a goal in eight games. With Kane returning to the lineup Bylsma dropped Moulson to the third line last game.
In all the Sabres are averaging only two goals per game tying them for 28th in the league. No doubt injuries have played a big part but they've also been unable to finish. Brian Gionta, who has three goals and Zemgus Girgensons (one goal) both had opportunities in overtime against Ottawa but were victims of the iron.
Without the goal scoring the Sabres have been forced to focus a lot more on defense in an effort to win, something the New Jersey Devils have done for decades. When they meet tonight it will be a game featuring teams with the fourth and fifth best goals against in the league. The Sabres have allowed an average of 2.23 goals/game while the Devils chime in at 2.25. New Jersey, by the way, is averaging 2.33 goals per game this season ranking them 25th in the league.
Traditionally when these two meet, one should expect a match akin to two heavyweight wrestlers going at it. The two sides plod along with not much happening until one side makes a mistake. In the nine meetings between the two teams over the past three years they scored a combined 31 goals or 3.44 goals/game. During that stretch the Sabres are 3-4-2 against New Jersey scoring a grand total of 14 goals and three players who are out of tonight's game--Eichel, Ennis and O'Reilly--scored eight of those.
In the last two seasons the Sabres have managed only three points against New Jersey--a win late last season and shootout loss midway through the 2014-15 season. During that six-game stretch they're 1-4-1 against the Devils. With the entertainment value down, fans should expect a battle of attrition for two points in the standings. The Devils have 15 points (6-3-3) in 12 games placing them fourth in a tough Metropolitan Division while Buffalo has accumulated 13 points in 13 games placing them in a tie with Toronto for seventh place in the Atlantic Division.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Some takeaways from the 2-1 SO loss vs. Ottawa
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-10-2016
The Buffalo Sabres came home after a pretty brutal performance at Boston on Monday night to host Atlantic Division rival Ottawa for the second time in less than a week. Prior to the game Buffalo was greeted with some good news and some not so good news.
The good news is that forward Evander Kane he of the four broken ribs sustained in the season opener was back on the ice for the club. There was no easing him into the game by head coach Dan Bylsma nor did Kane take a cautious approach to his first game in a month. He lead all forwards with 22:09 of ice time and laid out a couple of hits for good measure.
However, top-line center Ryan O'Reilly missed the game as did forward Tyler Ennis. Rookie forward Hudson Fasching, who was recovering from a groin injury was apparently healthy enough to be sent down to Rochester while Cole Schneider got the call-up. Schneider is off to an outstanding start in the American Hockey League with 15 points which has him tied for the league lead. His seven goals ranks him tied for third while his eight assists places him in a tie for eighth and leads the Amerks with a plus-five, plus/minus rating.
The Williamsville, NY native was playing in his third NHL game and he immediately had an impact getting the primary assists on Buffalo's only goal of the night. Fourth-line center Derek Grant won the draw with the puck moving barely beyond the dot. Schneider made a nice, simple play and tipped it to Nick Baptiste who's quick snap shot beat Ottawa's Mike Condon.
Schneider was part of multi-player trade of minor leaguers between Buffalo and Ottawa last season and since he's been in Rochester he's scored 29 points (11+18) in 29 games. Injuries create opportunity and the 26 yr. old Schneider has certainly gotten himself noticed.
For the 21 yr. old Baptiste it was his second goal in eight games for the Sabres this year. His first one came in a rather fluky manner at Vancouver where his pass to the front of the net caromed off of a couple of Canucks players before crossing the goal line. He didn't receive credit for his first NHL goal until after the game. Tonight there was no mistaking as he sent it by Condon with a quick release.
In junior the 6'1" 205 lb. Ottawa native scored from anywhere on the ice in a variety of ways with a variety of shots. Baptiste was signed by GM Tim Murray not even six months after taking the Sabres position. Murray liked Baptiste's speed, hard work and hands and didn't hesitate signing the 2013 third-round pick (69th-overall) to his three-year entry-level deal in June, 2014.
The Sabres have been inconsistent both in-game and going from game to game but it looks as if they're in tune with Bylsma's expectations. From Kyle Okposo to the Johan Larsson line, from Zemgus Girgensons to Grant, they seem to be taking their roles to heart.
But those roles will change as the walking wounded come back.
The return of Kane already bumped Matt Moulson down to the third line with Girgensons and William Carrier, a 6'2" 212 lb. fast and tenacious forchecker who came to Buffalo as a part of the Ryan Miller to St. Louis trade.
When Jack Eichel comes back sometime in December, another forward will be bumped on down, probably to the fourth line as Larsson, Brian Gionta and Marcus Foligno compose a line that Bylsma may not want to break up.
All of this is a good thing for the Sabres as they're adding quality depth that eventually will stretch down to Rochester.
Hang in there, Sabres fans, it's getting there.
***
Robin Lehner has been outstanding in net lately for the Sabres. Take out the 4-0 team loss where nobody seemed to get it right and Lehner has not allowed more than two goals since October 18th at Calgary. Lehner's movement has been brilliant. He's a big guy (6'4", 239 lbs.) and he's been playing big to but he's also more nimble than he's ever been thanks to some off season MMA training.
But...
When it comes to the shootouts, let's just say he just ain't got it for some reason.
I'm not sure what it is but he just can't lock in and transfer his regulation confidence and movements to the shootout.
It's an Achilles heel for this club that may need to be addressed, maybe have a "relief-goalie" situation where Anders Nilsson comes in for the shootout. Sure, he's coming in cold, but Lehner really struggles in that aspect of the game.
***
Buffalo Sabres defensemen have not scored a goal in, now, 13 games this season thanks to their 0-fer last night. It's a troubling stat in light of the Sabres miniscule goal-production so far this sesaon. Bylsma said pregame that he wanted his defensemen more involved in the offensive zone and they responded well. Jack McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen each managed four shots on goal with a couple of McCabe's shots being somewhat challenging for Condon.
Jumping into the play is great, but getting their shots through to the net needs some work as well. Through 13 games Cody Franson has taken a total of 41 shots with only 22 of them on goal. He's had 14 blocked and missed on another five. That's about 54% of his shots getting on net which is the best amongst Sabres defensemen taking 25 shots or more.
Ristolainen has taken the most shots of any Buffalo d-man (58) and has gotten 24 through (41%.) McCabe is next at 32% (8/25) while Dmitry Kulikov is at 20% (6/30.)
Raw data like that doesn't tell the whole story, but it gives us an idea as to why the d-men might be having trouble scoring or even why the powerplay has gone powerless lately.
The Buffalo Sabres came home after a pretty brutal performance at Boston on Monday night to host Atlantic Division rival Ottawa for the second time in less than a week. Prior to the game Buffalo was greeted with some good news and some not so good news.
The good news is that forward Evander Kane he of the four broken ribs sustained in the season opener was back on the ice for the club. There was no easing him into the game by head coach Dan Bylsma nor did Kane take a cautious approach to his first game in a month. He lead all forwards with 22:09 of ice time and laid out a couple of hits for good measure.
However, top-line center Ryan O'Reilly missed the game as did forward Tyler Ennis. Rookie forward Hudson Fasching, who was recovering from a groin injury was apparently healthy enough to be sent down to Rochester while Cole Schneider got the call-up. Schneider is off to an outstanding start in the American Hockey League with 15 points which has him tied for the league lead. His seven goals ranks him tied for third while his eight assists places him in a tie for eighth and leads the Amerks with a plus-five, plus/minus rating.
The Williamsville, NY native was playing in his third NHL game and he immediately had an impact getting the primary assists on Buffalo's only goal of the night. Fourth-line center Derek Grant won the draw with the puck moving barely beyond the dot. Schneider made a nice, simple play and tipped it to Nick Baptiste who's quick snap shot beat Ottawa's Mike Condon.
Schneider was part of multi-player trade of minor leaguers between Buffalo and Ottawa last season and since he's been in Rochester he's scored 29 points (11+18) in 29 games. Injuries create opportunity and the 26 yr. old Schneider has certainly gotten himself noticed.
For the 21 yr. old Baptiste it was his second goal in eight games for the Sabres this year. His first one came in a rather fluky manner at Vancouver where his pass to the front of the net caromed off of a couple of Canucks players before crossing the goal line. He didn't receive credit for his first NHL goal until after the game. Tonight there was no mistaking as he sent it by Condon with a quick release.
In junior the 6'1" 205 lb. Ottawa native scored from anywhere on the ice in a variety of ways with a variety of shots. Baptiste was signed by GM Tim Murray not even six months after taking the Sabres position. Murray liked Baptiste's speed, hard work and hands and didn't hesitate signing the 2013 third-round pick (69th-overall) to his three-year entry-level deal in June, 2014.
The Sabres have been inconsistent both in-game and going from game to game but it looks as if they're in tune with Bylsma's expectations. From Kyle Okposo to the Johan Larsson line, from Zemgus Girgensons to Grant, they seem to be taking their roles to heart.
But those roles will change as the walking wounded come back.
The return of Kane already bumped Matt Moulson down to the third line with Girgensons and William Carrier, a 6'2" 212 lb. fast and tenacious forchecker who came to Buffalo as a part of the Ryan Miller to St. Louis trade.
When Jack Eichel comes back sometime in December, another forward will be bumped on down, probably to the fourth line as Larsson, Brian Gionta and Marcus Foligno compose a line that Bylsma may not want to break up.
All of this is a good thing for the Sabres as they're adding quality depth that eventually will stretch down to Rochester.
Hang in there, Sabres fans, it's getting there.
***
Robin Lehner has been outstanding in net lately for the Sabres. Take out the 4-0 team loss where nobody seemed to get it right and Lehner has not allowed more than two goals since October 18th at Calgary. Lehner's movement has been brilliant. He's a big guy (6'4", 239 lbs.) and he's been playing big to but he's also more nimble than he's ever been thanks to some off season MMA training.
But...
When it comes to the shootouts, let's just say he just ain't got it for some reason.
I'm not sure what it is but he just can't lock in and transfer his regulation confidence and movements to the shootout.
It's an Achilles heel for this club that may need to be addressed, maybe have a "relief-goalie" situation where Anders Nilsson comes in for the shootout. Sure, he's coming in cold, but Lehner really struggles in that aspect of the game.
***
Buffalo Sabres defensemen have not scored a goal in, now, 13 games this season thanks to their 0-fer last night. It's a troubling stat in light of the Sabres miniscule goal-production so far this sesaon. Bylsma said pregame that he wanted his defensemen more involved in the offensive zone and they responded well. Jack McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen each managed four shots on goal with a couple of McCabe's shots being somewhat challenging for Condon.
Jumping into the play is great, but getting their shots through to the net needs some work as well. Through 13 games Cody Franson has taken a total of 41 shots with only 22 of them on goal. He's had 14 blocked and missed on another five. That's about 54% of his shots getting on net which is the best amongst Sabres defensemen taking 25 shots or more.
Ristolainen has taken the most shots of any Buffalo d-man (58) and has gotten 24 through (41%.) McCabe is next at 32% (8/25) while Dmitry Kulikov is at 20% (6/30.)
Raw data like that doesn't tell the whole story, but it gives us an idea as to why the d-men might be having trouble scoring or even why the powerplay has gone powerless lately.
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