The kids are alright in Sabreland

It's taken a few weeks, but the Buffalo Sabres have gotten rid of the stench left by former head coach Ralph Krueger. The defensive, systemic load that Krueger shoveled for the entirety of his 97 games as Buffalo's bench boss has been sent to the incinerator of extreme ineptitude and has been replaced by a refreshing dose of speed and puck control with an emphasis on driving play and creating offense. 

And Sabreland couldn't be happier.

Time for the Buffalo Sabres to strip it down...again

It's the perpetual question in Sabreland, how many failures will we go through before this organization to finally gets it right? It gets tiring having to revisit the amount of turnover that's existed since Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres in 2011 so we'll make it as quick as possible: numerous changes in upper management including a very brief, four-month stint for a hockey operations vice president, a fourth general manager, this one with no pro hockey administrative experience and after a recent firing of their head coach, the Sabres are on their seventh bench boss who is interim status means (we suspect) an eighth one is coming soon.

Then there's figuring out the identity of the team which, seemingly, will transform again (if there ever really was a fully conceptualized one to begin with). Again, we'll try to keep it brief: two tank years followed by a focus on a western conference, heavy style, which was followed up by an eastern conference stretch-the-ice, offensive style and, most recently, a defense-will-lead-to-offense philosophical approach.

Got that?

The Covid-19 shortened 2021 hockey season may go down as the worst season in Buffalo Sabres history. This despite a small core of upper-end talent augmented by the signings a former League MVP and and aging, but still productive (until this season) Stanley Cup winner. 

It was an epic fail.

As written here, this Sabres team was not built for the rugged 2021 MassMutual East Division which was part of an NHL restructuring with coronavirus travel limitations in mind. The sad part about this team as constructed is that even if they were in their regular Atlantic Division instead of the rugged east as constructed this for this season, they'd be bottom-three at best and undoubtedly barreling towards a 10 consecutive season outside the playoffs and yet another high draft choice.

Rasmus Dahlin could end up being a Buffalo Sabre for next decade

Covid-19 is running rampant throughout the world, but especially in the United States where cases, hospitalizations and deaths are reaching unprecedented levels.

That statement isn't political, it's simply fact.

In addition to this pandemic taking nearly 250,000 American lives (about 1.3 million world wide) as of this writing, which is brutal in and of itself, as well as placing an immense strain on front-line workers, especially in the health care field (among many other things,) the economic engine that has driven the U.S. is beginning to sputter. Although it's unlikely that the U.S. will see a shutdown like we had last spring, the economy is set to slow to a crawl as we try and deal with a pandemic that's getting worse by the day.

That said, there is good news on the horizon as at least one vaccine with a high efficacy rate looks poised to be available within the next two months with more to follow as they finish their trials. 

Those are also facts.

Every aspect of the economy has been effected including the sporting world as major professional leagues have either not allowed fans to attend games (hockey and basketball,) have allowed fans for games late in the playoffs (baseball) or have allowed fans based upon state regulations (football.) And Even the behemoth that is the National Football League, which has more television revenue ($9.5 billion) than over 50 countries (according to worldometer.com,) is feeling the pinch. The 2020 NFL salary cap was $198 million for 2020 and was expected to reach $210 million for 2021, pre-pandemic. Revenue projections for next year, however, plummeted which could have preceded a drop in the 2021 cap to $130 million until the league and the NFL Players Association got together to reach an agreement in July where they would spread out losses over the next three seasons with minimal cap-reduction consequences.

Unlike the NFL, the gold standard of the North American big-four professional sports, the National Hockey League is a gate-driven league and without fans in the seats, they've been getting hit particularly hard by the pandemic. To keep it simple, the 2019-20 NHL salary cap of $81.5 million will be the same this year and will remain the same in 2021-22 before inching upward the following season (if possible.) 

Relatively speaking, that's a big win, especially when you consider that approximately 37% of the NHL's revenue come from the gate (as opposed to 16% for the NFL.)

Many NHL teams will be struggling under the weight of these financial pressures but the Buffalo Sabres may not struggle as much. Were this the mid-latter 2000's we might be singing a different tune as ownership then had a dictate of "just break even," which in the present environment would be impossible. Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of the Sabres since 2011, have stated time and again that they will pump resources into the team and they backed it up with a projected salary expenditure for this season of over $77 million with a team cap-hit that stands at just over $78 million right now, according to CapFriendly. That could change but right now the Pegulas are projecting an image of wanting any dollars to be spent wisely, which includes cutting back certain areas while backing the roster with financial resources.

The assumption here, simply based on the NHL's salary cap projections for the next two seasons, is that there will be a 2020-21 season and that over the course of the next two seasons the NHL will slowly be getting back to a sense of normalcy. They and the NHLPA will need to do some financial juggling and individual teams will need to figure out for themselves how they want to approach these extremely difficult times, but overall there's an optimism here that beginning with the 2022-23 season sports in general, and the NHL in particular, will have begun to regain their financial footing.

Until then, it's not that far-fetched to believe that player's salaries will remain relatively in check and this is particularly good for the Sabres as they have a franchise defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin that will be coming off of his entry-level deal at the end of this season.

Dahlin is still on course to hit his franchise-defenseman designation. Despite some flaws, his impressive display of skating and offensive skills have already been on display as a teenager for the last two seasons and he still has a high ceiling. He's still filling out his 6'3" frame and continuing to gain experience playing against the best players in the world while continuing to show growth and Dahlin has already proven that he's the type of player that any team wouldn't hesitate to sign to a long-term deal.

Prior to the pandemic, there were thoughts being expressed in Sabreland about Dahlin's next deal and whether the team should pursue a short-term deal or dive right into an eight-year, max contract. The opinion here at the time was that of the latter but the pandemic has changed things and it's possible that the Sabres could stretch two deals into a decade-long association.

Dependent upon what kind of season Dahlin has, he and the team might simply come to the conclusion that an eight-year deal is the best way to go with a projected price-tag of anywhere from $6-8 million. Using the high figure, Dahlin's new contract would take him to unrestricted free agency at age 29 at a total of $64 million. Barring anything weird happening while assuming that he continues on his trajectory and NHL revenue will continue to climb post-pandemic, it's not that far-fetched to think that his following contract will see at least a 50-75% increase which would take him to a cap-hit in the $12-14 million range, a figure that might be a little conservative. It's also not that far-fetched to think that his term will be 7-8 years dependent upon who he signs with with that final year coming in his mid-latter 30's.

That's a long way into the future and a lot can happen between now and then. In saying that, Buffalo could very well think (relatively) shorter term now and end up locking Dahlin up for the next decade.

Because of the financial ramifications wrought by the pandemic, the trend right now has been for smaller salaries and generally shorter terms. St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup captain Alex Pietrangelo, was the prime free agent on the market this off season. The defenseman was coming off of a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $6.5 million. Most projected the UFA to sign a long-term deal for at least $9 million in the off season. He signed for just under that at $8.8 million/season. Winger Taylor Hall was the unequivocal best forward on the market and most believed the 2018 league MVP would be signing a long-term deal in the $8-9 million range. He signed a one-year deal with Buffalo for $8 million. 

There's little reason to believe something similar won't happen next season as the league still doesn't know when it can start the 2020-21 season, how long it might be or whether there will be at least some paying customers in the stands.

As we look at Dahlin, the Sabres could go for the short-term deal in the one or two-year range and worry about the long-term deal later. Once again, if everything goes as projected, the team might be able to sign Dahlin to a two-year deal somewhere in the $6 million range while still retaining the rights of the then 23 yr. old defenseman at the end of the 2022-23 season. Circling back to projections made by the NHL, the salary cap at that time may be around $82.5 million, or only $1 million more than the prior three seasons because of the pandemic. 

Following that season, Buffalo and Dahlin could be looking at an eight-year deal, which would probably fall in the $10 million range. At the end of that deal Dahlin would still be in his prime at 31 years of age.

It's a pay me now or pay me later situation leaving the Sabres with this: do they pursue go a max deal now and pay a premium later and hope that he'll re-sign as a UFA? Or is a two-year bridge followed by a max deal in order?

Both scenarios would have been bantered around regardless of the pandemic, but the financial ramifications of Covid-19 make the latter presumably much more team-friendly and they could have their franchise defenseman locked up for 10 years.

Not a bad deal for the team and the defenseman.

Three-game Sabres recap Jan. 14-18

Buffalo bench-boss Ralph Krueger and the Sabres, via general manager Jason Botterill prior to the Vegas Golden Knights game, said that the goal is to win two of three games for a playoff push. Going back to the beginning of 2020, the Sabres had 41 points in 41 games to start the new year and using the Krueger formula, garnering four points per three games would give them 52 points in 39 games for a 93-point total with two games left to play. One of those games is on the road against the New Jersey Devils with the season finale' coming at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they could be battling for a playoff spot.

So far so good in 2020 as they went won two of three in the first three games and replicated it the next three. 

Life without Jack Eichel proved pretty ugly for the Sabres last night

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-20-2019 I had an interesting little twitter exchange with a Leafs fan the other day after the Buffalo Sabres lost 5-3 at Toronto. It started with this tweet from Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analysis: "All I heard on the radio today was how Jack Eichel's better than Auston Matthews and he (Matthews) doesn't dominate games etc. Two goals against a surging division rival (Buffalo) and (now) one point out of 2nd place. Huge win. Huge Performance. You should try to give the kid some credit every now and again."

Calgary in town, Johansson back, Krueger's blender, plus Dahlin/Sobotka

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-27-2019


The Calgary Flames have been struggling as much as the Buffalo Sabres this season. After taking the Western Conference crown last season with 107 points, Calgary is off to a rather pedestrian start to 2019-20 and finds themselves off the pace out west. They're 11-12-4 record is good for 26 points which places them in the middle of the pack just outside a playoff spot but they've played more games than anyone else in the conference and if you take a peek at their points-percentage, you'll find they're third-last.

Buffalo is very similar in the standings as they took a dive after a fast start. The Sabres are 11-10-3 on the season with their 25 points placing them 11th in the Eastern Conference and are only a little better than the Flames with a .521 point-percentage as opposed to Calgary's .481.

Sabres getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment, again, in game at TBL

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-26-2019


First off, anyone who thinks some celluloid hero-type tough guy is gonna descend from the clouds and save the "damsel in distress" that is the Buffalo Sabres right now is sadly mistaken. It ain't gonna happen. If this team wants to move forward, they'll need to do so as constructed (at least near-term) with the players whose temperament fits the ideals of management and ultimately, ownership.

As we started to see last season when the Sabres 10-game win streak was stopped by the Tampa Bay Lightning, there's a rivalry brewing between the two clubs. Sure, right now it's like an uptown highbrow versus some riff raff from the projects, but the fact that the Lightning need to resort to dirty tactics against Buffalo at least that they feel somewhat threatened by the Sabres. Then again Tampa Bay just might have some highfalutin contemptuousness directed towards a Buffalo team, organization and city that couldn't be more of a polar-opposite from them.

Sabres Notes

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-23-2019


There's not a Sabres writer out there who enjoys writing something akin to the following:  The Buffalo Sabres played an excellent game against the Boston Bruins and did everything but win. Buffalo outshot Boston 38-27 at TD Garden on Thursday night including a first period where they pumped 14 shots on goal before the Bruins registered their first shot (to a Bronx cheer from the home crowd) 12:11 into the game. The Sabres boasted a very robust 62.22% CF percentage with no individual player below 50% and totaled 69 shots directed at Boston goalie Tukka Rask (38 on-goal, 17 blocked, 14 missed) compared to the 44 shots (27+11+6) sent Linus Ullmark's way.

This was a game they should have won and would have won except for...Rask. The Boston netminder, and the game's deserved first star, stole one for the Bruins and the Sabres were left with this from defenseman Brandon Montour, "We played a little better," he said to the gathered media post game, "but in the end, it's another loss.

"We have to start winning some hockey games."

True dat.

Eichel-4 Sens-2. Plus, on the Rasmus Dahlin benching, Rasmus Asplund and more

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-17-2019


Jack Eichel has had some big games for the Sabres dating back to December 26, 2016 in Boston where as a rookie he led the charge (2 goals, 2 assists) in a come from behind 6-3 win against his hometown Bruins. the 23 yr. old Eichel has a had hat trick before and has had more four-point games before, which includes two already this year (both games 2+2.) However, he reached another level in last night's four-goal game in the Sabres 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It's not just the fact that he scored four goals or that he outscored Ottawa himself, Eichel carried his team on his back when they needed it most.

The Sabres have been struggling since getting off to a torrid start to the season, came into the game on a six-game winless streak (0-4-2) and as a team couldn't beat Sens goalie Craig Anderson last night. It's a movie Buffalo hockey fans have seen over and over again for over a decade, one in which they played a team they could or should beat, but in the end were left to lament that they worked hard and had the chances but just couldn't finish and/or didn't have puck luck. For the Sabres other 17 skaters on the ice against last night, that part of the equation was true.

What those previous teams didn't have was a player like Eichel who has the skill-level to defy that scenario.

Ralph Krueger's handling of Rasmus Dahlin plus line notes

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-13-19


Sabres bench boss Ralph Krueger sat sophomore defenseman Rasmus Dahlin the final eight-plus minutes of their 3-2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers on Friday night and his reasoning had a lot of truth packed into it. "We've gone 11 days in a row without a day off to start the season," Krueger told the media postgame. "There's been a lot of effort invested in getting the results we've had and we could see a few guys tapering off. We just thought we were protecting him in that little stretch. We knew Florida was going to push hard and we went with a little more experience there.

"Rasmus has played outstanding and is learning and growing every day," the coach continued, "and there's going to be moments like that were we're going to reduce the lineup to go with the guys we think we have the best chance of closing and he will definitely be in that mix eventually."

Building the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster--LD, Rasmus Dahlin

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-26-2019


In this series we build the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster one by one leading up to the season opener on October 3.


LHD--Rasmus Dahlin
19 yrs. old
6'3" 190 lbs.

2018 first-overall

Career Stats:  82 games | 9 goals | 35 assists | 44 points | -13


Picture yourself as an 18 yr. old defenseman from across the pond coming to the National Hockey League with a team that just finished last in the league. For some of us older folk it might be a little more difficult to take oneself back to run around in the shoes of an 18 yr. old, but for most being a teenager transitioning to adulthood was difficult enough. Rasmus Dahlin did just that last season. The first-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft came to North America after playing two pro seasons in his native Sweden and jumped right into the fire of the NHL.

Dahlin was touted as a franchise defensemen with some using the word 'generational' and calling him the best d-prospect since Denis Potvin. As we got a glimpse of him during Buffalo's Prospect Challenge and deep into training camp, we began to see first-hand why he was touted as such. With fluid skating and the poise of a veteran, Dahlin made all those projections come to life and left most in awe of his potential.

A mid-July look at the Buffalo Sabres NHL depth-chart on defense

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-19-2019


Please note the hyphenated word, "mid-July" as things could change with training camp still two months away. It also should be noted that the Buffalo Sabres traded for Jeff Skinner (CAR) on August 2 which goes to show that trades can happen at any time.

Buffalo's roster for 2019-20 will (must) change. As we saunter through the dog days of summer the Sabres have a full roster if you include the probable signings of three restricted free agents and two defensemen, Zach Bogosian and Lawrence Pilut, eventually coming back from off-season surgery. Bogosian is expected to be back for the start of the season while Pilut will take a little longer and will probably be spending time in Rochester before trekking into his sophomore campaign.

A crowded Sabres d-corps has eight NHL players already signed, another in Jake McCabe who's unsigned and filed for arbitration, and two more in Pilut and recently acquired Henri Jokiharju (CHI,) who played a significant time in the NHL last season. It's a good situation to be in as it's never a bad idea to have an overabundance of NHL-caliber defensemen but it will also force Buffalo to make some decisions.

For the sake of the following exercise we're going to move ahead under the premise that McCabe will re-sign with Buffalo.

Botterill picks Cozens and Johnson and NHL Draft, builds around Eichel and Dahlin

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 6-22-2019


While those of us in Sabreland may have been screaming for Buffalo to draft an elite-playmaker like Trevor Zegras or a pure goal-scorer in the diminutive Cole Caufield with the seventh-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, general manger Jason Botterill went in a little different direction by drafting center Dylan Cozens. Although his skill-set lacks the dynamics of the other two, Cozens has the traits the Sabres are looking for in a future top-six player. His skating is exceptional, he has a high compete level, he has great size, plays a 200' game and does his scoring 5v5 which has been a focus of Botterill's since he took the Sabres GM position (see Jeff Skinner.)

As fans it’s pretty easy to get caught up in immediate needs of a bottom-feeding team at the draft and as we look at the Sabres they need certain things right now, like scoring. And, as is often the case, we the fanbase of a team that hasn't made the playoffs in eight seasons scoff at patience while forgetting that players drafted outside the top-three or so usually take while to incubate and most won't hope to have an impact for at least a few years. Although it doesn't offer immediate relief, Sabres fans should take solace in, and be reminded of, the fact that they have two premier pieces in place and that the future holds great promise if Botterill builds this thing properly.

Buffalo's window is just beginning to open again after it was shut on the fingers some two years ago. Coming out of the tank years and taking a couple steps back from where they want to be is going to take some time regardless of how quickly we want it. Yes, we know, the clock is ticking on Jack Eichel's contract and a three-year build into (hopefully) a Stanley Cup contender means that half of it will have been wasted. However, should everything fall into place in the latter part of his contract, methinks Eichel will have no problem leading the parade down Delaware Avenue after captaining Buffalo’s first Cup-winning team.

That’s the dream and as we found out with the previous general manager there are no short-cuts, as a host of Cup-winning teams this decade have proven.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Rasmus Dahlin

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-16-2019

Defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin

DOB:  April 13,2000 (age, 18)

Draft:  2018, 1st-overall

How acquired:  Drafted by Buffalo

Last contract signed:  3y./$11.25 million ELC ($925K/yr. base salary)

Final year of contract: 2020-21

2018-19Stats:  82 games | 9 goals | 35 assists | 44 points | -13 | 21:09 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  Rookie

What we wrote preseason:  This should be the one and only time that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will be placed this low (second-pairing) in the lineup heading into a season. When Dahlin hit the ice in Buffalo for development camp the skills he displayed were that of a forward with skating that was fluid and fast. For those who were seeing him for the first time live, it was a wonder to behold his hip movement, stickwork and angles on defense showing that he's not just a pure offensive-defenseman.

As an 18 yr. old rookie, Dahlin will have a lot to work on and will go through a lot of growing pains but his skating alone will ease the workload and dull some of the pains. He has a poised demeanor on the ice (and off the ice as well) projecting a confidence in himself and his skill-level. Hockey, unlike other North American pro sport, is usually spot on when they dub draft prospects as franchise-changers. They don't come along that often but when they do, if you're lucky you'll be in a position to land one.

What we wrote mid-season:   Most of the time we forget how young Dahlin is while marveling at some of the things he does on the ice. The top overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft is only a few months into his NHL career but the way he's adapted to the game has been impressive. The Sabres have eased the 18 yr. old into more ice-time and more responsibility and Dahlin has impressed every step of the way. Although he has made rookie mistakes, sometimes many of them in one game, he keeps on keepin' on and plays an extremely poised game. Dahlin is mobile and smooth-skating, has a high hockey IQ, is a wizard with his stick and has an overall skill-level worthy the all the pre-draft hype thrust his way. He already has 20 points on the season (4+16) which is good for second on the team amongst defensemen and third in the league amongst all rookies and though he still has a lot of learning to do, Dahlin has the wherewithal and drive to get there. Perhaps the biggest hurdle he's facing right now is dealing with the grind of an 82-game NHL season and some of that began to show a few games ago. Coach Phil Housley dialed things back a bit with a third-pairing designation in Saturday's game and Dahlin came through with a plus-1 rating an his first goal at home.

Impressions on his play this year:  Yeah, he's all that, and it was a pleasure to watch what he had to offer which included incredible poise for a teenager playing a big role on the blueline. As one would expect from an 18 yr. old, Dahlin did get burned on a number of occasions most of which had to do with underestimating the speed of his competition and not taking the proper angles, something that every rookie NHL d-man struggles with. Other problems Dahlin faced had to do with his puck-carrying which centered around him trying to do too much like going 1-on-3 or more on the rush when it might have been better to get teammates involved. When he tried to force the issue like that, most times it ended up with a turnover. 

Having said that, Dahlin played in all 82 games, the first time an 18 yr. old defenseman has ever done that in the NHL and his 44 points were second all-time for an 18 yr. old behind only his coach, Phil Housley (57) a defenseman who's defense was so bad as a rookie that Hall of Fame head coach Scotty Bowman moved him up to wing for a portion of the season. Dahlin has all the offensive upside Housley displayed as an 18 yr. old and is already better in his own zone.

Questions moving forward:  Can he shrug off the turbulence of a losing season while also seeing his coach fired? Who will the new head coach be? Will said coach be able to refine Dahlin's game a bit beginning next season? How much can he improve in the defensive zone? How will he handle the brunt of carrying the d-corps as a 19 yr. old? Did he get a good feel for the grind of an NHL season and how will he manage it better next season? 

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.

Sabres singing the blues vs. Chicago

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-7-2019


A lot is being made of the Buffalo Sabres recent record in Chicago, as well it should. The Sabres haven't beaten the Blackhawks on the road in over 12 years and are only 2-6-2 in their last 10 games at United Center dating back to the pre-lockout 2003-04 season. Buffalo beat the 'Hawks 3-2 on December 3, 2003 then followed it up with another win (2-1) on January 10, 2007 in two seasons where Chicago finished 29th and 26th in the NHL, respectively. After that, it was all downhill for the Sabres.

The Blackhawks at the time were in the midst of a brutal transition beginning in 1997-98 where they finished third or worst in the division in 10 straight seasons and missed the playoffs in all but one of them. However, during those losing times they were able to build a future with a nucleus of Duncan Keith (2002, 54th-overall,) Jonathan Toews (2006, 3rd) and South Buffalo, NY native Patrick Kane (2007, 1st.) That trio would eventually lead Chicago to three Stanley Cup titles in six seasons (2010, 2013, 2015) with the first one breaking Cup-drought dating back to 1961.

Buffalo won two of three meetings from 2007-10 but since the Blackhawks broke their Cup-drought the Sabres have a 1-9-3 record, which includes a 12-game losing streak (0-9-3) from October, 2010 to December, 2017. In light of that record, which includes seven regulation losses in a row, the Sabres have tried to stem the tide of losing to Blackhawks in the post-tank/Jack Eichel era. Buffalo finally managed to get into the win column last March and have 1-3-3 record over the past seven meetings.  A win tonight would mean a series split for the second season in a row and although it might not look like much, its a start.

Sabres recap

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-20-2019

The Sabres just finished a three-game western Canada road swing that pretty much turned the Corsi-loving faction of the analytics community on it's head. In Buffalo's 4-3 OT win at Calgary, they were outshot 33-23 and sent only 37 shots the Flames' way while seeing 61 shots attempts at them. Their two losses were just the opposite.

The Sabres got smoked in Edmonton 7-2 to kick off the road trip but were sending all kinds of rubber the Oilers way. Buffalo peppered Edmonton's goalie with 43 shots on goal and sent a total of 72 shots their way while the Oilers managed only 23 shots on goal and 37 total shots. In the Sabres final game of the trip in Vancouver, a 4-3 loss, they had 70 total shots and 39 on goal while the Canucks had 40 total shots and only 23 on goal.

And so it goes.

The only number that really matter revolve around the final score and the Sabres came out on the losing end twice. Props to them for a gutty effort in Calgary where they pulled out a win after getting embarrassed in Edmonton and they should also take heart in knowing that they played a strong game in Vancouver but were victims of their own mistakes. 

*****

Another number that is important right now is 54 and that's the number of points the Sabres have accumulated this season with 34 games to play.

Notes and thoughts after the Sabres 4-3 OT win over Los Angeles

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-12-2018

This is how we do it

The Sabres five-game losing streak is over. Or if you may, their winless streak is over as Buffalo managed a loser-point in two of those losses. Getting back in the win column was huge for the team especially while playing the type of up-tempo, Corsi-heavy game head coach Phil Housley prefers. Housley's charges got up and down the ice and pumped a total of 47 shots on goal against Los Angeles to the Kings' 27 shots. Overall the Sabres pumped 74 shots at Kings rookie goaltender Calvin Petersen while Los Angeles managed a total of 48 against Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark.

A rather cold Sabres powerplay also came through for them as they went 2 for 8 in the game on a total of 11:33 seconds of powerplay time. Having the Rasmi--Rasmus Ristolainen and Rasmus Dahlin--at the point really helped as Ristolainen was at the top of a 1-3-1 set-up with Jack Eichel on the left half-wall and Dahlin on the right. Eichel and Dahlin peppered the Kings with shots, which was a good sign even if it was against the league's 29th-ranked penalty kill, with Eichel finally breaking through. Buffalo's other powerplay goal came in overtime as Jeff Skinner poked home a puck in the crease for his 21st goal of the season.

Ristolainen picked up the primary assist on both of those goals.

Buffalo Sabres 2018-19 Individual Stats Leaders--November

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-2-2018


The Buffalo Sabres as a team enjoyed a lot of national media attention last month and they should have as their franchise-tying 10-game winning streak catapulted them to the top of the National Hockey League. There was a lot of love thrown Buffalo's way, especially towards the fans who endured years of dreadful hockey that at times looked as if there was no end in sight, and a lot of  video dedicated to individual efforts that led the way for the Sabres. Just yesterday the NHL named 18 yr. old Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as their rookie of the month for November.

Dahlin was heralded as one of the best d-prospects to come into the league in a long time and by the looks of it, he may very well be. The Sabres have been easing him into the lineup and last month he was moved him up a notch. In November Dahlin averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time and scored 10 points (1+9) in 15 games while also tying for the team lead in plus/minus with a plus-9 for the month. He was one of a trio of Sabres up front that led the team to an 11-win month, which was the most wins in a month for Buffalo since December, 2005.

Jeff Skinner was another member of that trio as he led the Sabres with 14 goals. The 26 yr. old left winger was acquired by Buffalo in August to provide goal-scoring, especially 5v5, and he's done just that. His 20 goals on the season is second in the league and he has a team-best plus-15 rating (sixth-best in the league) on the season for a Buffalo team that is ninth in the league in 5v5 goals.

When Sabres captain Jack Eichel wasn't leading a rush into the offensive zone or high-tailing it back on the back check, he was busy setting up his teammates for goals. Eichel led the team with 19 assists during the month of November, 14 of them being primary. Of the 15 games the Sabres played, Eichel had primary assists in 10 of them and four times he registered multi-primary assist-games.

Calgary in town after win in T.O. Some line movement and, the Rasmi tonight?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-30-2018


The Calgary Flames are coming off of a stunning 3-1 victory in Toronto over the Maple Leafs. Calgary went into the game having won only once in their previous five games and were winless in their last three which includes an embarrassing 9-1 loss at home vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins where they got booed off of the ice. Two nights later they were able to right the ship somewhat in a 4-3 SO loss to the Washington Capitals before heading east to take on Toronto last night.

Calgary held the high-powered Leafs scoreless through two periods and they entered the third in a 0-0 tie before scoring two goals :35 seconds apart. Toronto closed the gap late in the third period before the Flames iced their 3-1 win with an empty-netter.

Tonight's matchup with the Sabres, on a back-to-back for Calgary, represents the end of a very interesting schedule as of late. The Flames finished a three-game road trip to Nashville, St. Louis and Colorado with two home games before heading east to visit the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. They then headed back to Calgary for two more games (PIT and WSH,) before heading back east to face Toronto last night and Buffalo tonight. As the Flames bounced between the Mountain and Eastern time zones the NHL afforded them only one night off between those seven games and they have them finishing this stretch on a back-to-back.

In all the Flames will have played eight games in 14 days making three flights covering the time zones. "It’s a bit of a weird schedule.” defenseman Mark Giordano told Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "We’re on this one for four or six games usually."

There's no easy win in the NHL and any team thinking that way will almost assuredly come out on the losing end. But when you look at the travel that had the Flames crisscrossing much of the continent over the last 12 days the Sabres, who are coming off of two days between games, should have a winnable game in front of them if they continue to play the way they have as of late, sans the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.


*****

Western Conference teams are accustomed to travel, although that Calgary schedule seems unusually difficult, with Fox pointing out that the Flames are slated to travel a league-high 84,882 kilometers (52,743 miles) while the Sabres of the Eastern Conference will have one of the lightest travel schedules at 51,915 (32,258.)

Fox also points out that the figure above does not include the Flames preseason travel to China, where they played split-squad games against the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.


*****

Sabres bench-boss Phil Housley made some tweaks to his linuep. Housley did not touch a red-hot top line of Jack Eichel centering Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville nor did he mess with a very consistent checking line of Johan Larsson centering Zemgus Girgensons and Patrik Berglund. Since he put those lines together Buffalo is 3-0-1. Eichel, Skinner and Pominville have combined for 23 points (9+14) and are a cumulative +15. Larsson, Girgensons and Berglund have four points during that stretch, (1+3,) are a combined +5 and have given the opposition fits with their fierce forecheck.

With both of those lines doing their jobs well, Housley went about switching his centers moving Casey Mittelstadt between Conor Sheary and Sam Reinhart while Vladimir Sobotka centers Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo.

Housley told the gathered media yesterday after practice that he didn't think Mittelstadt and Thompson were clicking during their last game against Columbus so he flipped the centers. It looks as if that will carry over into tonight's game as Housley is "just trying to find the right balance."

Thompson was back in the lineup against the Blue Jackets while forward Evan Rodrigues was out for the birth of his new son, Grayson.


*****

Housley also said that defenseman Jake McCabe will be a game-time decision tonight and is considered day-to-day right now with an upper-body injury. The 25 yr. old McCabe has been hot as of late with seven points (1+6) and a plus-4 while logging solid top-four minutes, most recently on the top-pairing with Rasmus Ristolainen.

With him most likely out for tonight's game, Housley juggled his d-pairings. Nathan Beaulieu, who would replace McCabe in the lineup, is back in a familiar spot as he's on the third pairing with Casey Nelson, whom he started the season with. Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian will continue to anchor the second-pairing while rookie Rasmus Dahlin gets the move up to the top pairing.

The Sabres have been easing Dahlin into the NHL game by putting him mostly in the bottom-four but it looks as if he and Ristolainen will form a much anticipated "pairing of the Rasmi." It's a left/right d-combo featuring two European players who can move the puck and get up into the play, especially Dahlin who's skating is unmatched amongst Sabres (and most NHL) defensemen.

Game time is 7 pm tonight.

Not a lot of time to fix all of the ills

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-19-2018


The Sabres have a practice scheduled for 4:30 pm ET today and it will be the last one before they play back-to-back games in Southern California this weekend. Buffalo plays the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 ET and will finish their five-game road trip on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks. After a shutout against the Arizona Coyotes to start their season-long trip, the Sabres have dropped the last two games by a combined 9-2 score.

There were very few bright spots in those two losses against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and the San Jose Sharks last night. One of them was goalie Carter Hutton who was just short of brilliant in net despite giving up seven goals on 66 shots against. Sure the .894 save percentage doesn't look like much, but when you look at the tape, things could have been a lot worse.

One of the big problems haunting the Sabres right now, obviously, is scoring. The Sabres have dropped to a familiar spot in the rankings as their 1.86 goals/game ranks second-last in the league (ARI.) In three of the past five years, including last season, Buffalo has finished at the bottom of the league in scoring and once again they find themselves near the bottom of the league.Whether you're looking at the analytics or having this futility burned into your skull using the eye-test, the results are the same. Buffalo can't score 5v5, nor can they score on the powerplay.

Even strength scoring has been a problem for years and it looked as if Sabres GM Jason Botterill added enough skill to at least move the scoring needle for his team. It has moved at times but their four losses have been brutal as Buffalo has scored three goals in those games with the powerplay literally non-existent in those losses.

In 2016-17 the Sabres boasted the best powerplay in the league (24.5%) but last season it faltered, especially at the beginning of the season when the PP took a dive to 30th in the league in November and December. Buffalo managed to finish 22nd in the league at an 18/3% conversion rate but most of that headway came in the second half when the season was pretty much over.

This season began with a 4-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Buffalo went 0/2 on the powerplay. In their next three losses the Sabres scored one goal in each game going 0/7 in a 6-1 loss vs. Colorado, 0/6 in a 4-1 loss at Vegas and 0/5 in a 5-1 loss last night at San Jose. Add it all up and the Sabres have scored zero powerplay goals on 20 opportunities in their four losses.

There was dreadful special teams play on the penalty kill last night as well. The Sabres came into the game having killed 15/20 penalties and their 75% kill-rate ranked them tied for 19th in the league. Not great, but not abysmal either and they were facing a Sharks team that had converted only two of 21 powerplay opportunities (9.5%.) Last night San Jose scored on their first two opportunities courtesy of a double-minor and finished the night 3/7. Buffalo's generosity in giving the Sharks powerplay opportunities was only exceeded by their PK units which for some reason allowed San Jose players to leisurely camp in front of Hutton.

Buffalo seemed to correct one of their problems from Vegas as they came out against San Jose with a sense of urgency. That was quickly dashed as they were put on the defensive when veteran Kyle Okposo went the penalty box 1:45 into the game. It was the beginning of a long night for Okposo who may have had his worst game as a Sabre. The stat-line of six penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating in 8:28 of even-strength ice time was bad enough, but he looked lost and/or indecisive much of the night on the Sabres first powerplay unit as well.

Okposo wasn't the only one as there were many individual culprits, but one of the big set backs to taking penalties, in addition to giving the team a powerplay, is that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is kept pinned to the bench because he's not on the kill. At only 18 yrs. old Dahlin is already showing why he's considered a franchise defenseman. And he does it with all the little things he does using the tremendous skills he has and playing the game with the poise of a veteran.

With the way the powerplay has struggled, Housley may be forced to make changes to it and one of those would likely be to get Dahlin on that top unit. Captain Jack Eichel can create a lot of space and handle the puck extremely well but in last night's contest he was double-teamed constantly and didn't receive much help from the rest of his unit. Ristolainen and Okposo man the points but they don't seem to put fear into the opposition to relieve the pressure. Dahlin's vision, skating and passing ability, especially opposite Eichel on the right point, might be just enough to open up the ice and get this powerplay going.

Other than that, those in Sabreland shouldn't expect too many changes this weekend unless an overabundance of injuries are involved. Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu took a shot to the arm in the third period last night, struggled for a bit while finishing his shift and didn't return. Sabres d-man Zach Bogosian blocked eight shots last night including one that really stung, but he was well enough to rumble at the final buzzer. And, for those expecting Buffalo to fly Rochester Americans forward Victor Olofsson or fellow winger Alexander Nylander to the west coast to help the Sabres scoring woes, it's best not to get your hopes up. Any movements like that will probably take place when Buffalo returns home next week, if it happens at all.

Can the Sabres rectify all the issues they have in one Friday afternoon practice? If they can at least work on their special teams, maybe by working in Dahlin on the powerplay, that would help. As a team that's struggling mightily any positive would help their confidence. The Sabres have some skilled players, more than they had last season, but it takes more than just adding skill to turn around a last place team. The ills that begot the Sabres last season are creeping into their game this season and Buffalo's No. 1 priority should be to do everything in their power to keep this thing from getting out of hand.