Where's the bottom for this Buffalo Sabres franchise?

In 1956 the New York Football Giants won the NFL Championship and for five of the next six seasons they made it to the NFL championship game only to lose. Regardless of that fact the Giants were considered a model franchise but after their 14-10 loss to the Chicago Bears in the 1963 championship game, New York went 17 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs and got progressively worse (4-23-1 in 1973 and '74 combined) before stagnating well below the .500 mark until the 80's.

Football fans largely ignored the Giants and in a pre-ESPN era where game highlights were mainly shown via local news broadcasts and in Sunday pre-game or halftime shows (think Monday Night Football with a national audience,) out of sight, out of mind. As the New York football Giants continued floundering through another lost season, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it did. On November 19, 1978 with New York up 17-12 over the Philadelphia Eagles late in the game, the 'brain'-trust on the sideline scoffed at the thought of kneeling to run out the clock and 'boldly' decided to run a complicated play. Quarterback Joe Pisarcik's handoff to Larry Csonka was flubbed and Eagles cornerback Herm Edwards scooped up the fumble for the winning touchdown.

Why this story in a blog about the Buffalo Sabres?

It's about finding the bottom.

Evaluation time as the Sabres players get a day off

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-18-2019

Whelp, it wasn't the best of performances last night at Columbus against the Blue Jackets. At best it could be described as a group of players still grappling with chemistry and structure while hitting the ice against real competition for the first time. At worst it was a throwback to some pretty dismal times in Sabreland as the team looked outclassed and disjointed and generally looked flat-footed until they found themselves down by two goals late in the third period.

Then again, it's best to remember this was game No. 2 of the preseason.

"It looked a little sluggish at the start," new Sabres bench boss, Ralph Krueger said in his post-game interview, "The first period I thought were a little bit flat but we did like some things that developed in the second period. There were moments where we found our game, we created some nice o-zone time. In the third [period] we put up a good fight but in the end didn't really do enough to deserve to win here."

Building the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster--LHD, Jack McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-1-2019


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

LHD--Jake McCabe
25 yrs. old
6'1" 206 lbs.
2012, 44th-overall

Career stats: 274 games | 14 goals | 47 assists | 61 points | -19


When you look at Jake McCabe's stat-line above, there's one stat that stands out:  his minus-19 plus/minus rating. Although the question of why a negative rating stands out seems rather dubious for a player, one only need to look at the Buffalo Sabres as a whole and on an individual basis since McCabe's first full season in 2015-16. It was the year that Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, two second-overall picks, would join a group of players led by a trio of young vets that were to bring the Sabres out of the depths of their tank years on a march to the playoffs and hopefully to the status of Stanley Cup contender.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. In those four years Buffalo compiled a 126-157-45 record and those 297 total points ranked them dead last in the league. Their 817 goals-for was third-worst in the league as was their 992 goals-against, good for a minus-175 goal-differential and with a negative number like that, it affected every player on the team, especially those who skated big minutes. 

Three more Sabres on arbitration list plus, Ullmark's numbers

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-31-2019


Tomorrow will be August 1 which means summer's truly on it's way out, training camps are getting closer and...arbitration hearings will continue.

The Buffalo Sabres have three hearings left with players who filed for arbitration:

--F, Remi Elie (Aug. 1)
--G, Linus Ullmark (Aug. 2)
--D, Jake McCabe (Aug. 4)

All three players have issues heading into the hearings (if they go that far) which could mean the independent arbiter's decision will favor Buffalo in some way.

Elie is up tomorrow and although we're not sure as of yet what he's asking, anything north of $800K (which represents a raise of over $100) might be too much. Although it's hard not to love the determination with which the 24 yr. old plays the game, he just doesn't have the numbers to justify his present status of an AHL/NHL tweener who's best suited to a top-nine/six role with the Rochester Americans.

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.

Girgensons signs, four Sabres RFA's are in a group of 40 to file for arbitration

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-6-2019


Restricted free agent forward Zemgus Girgensons and the Buffalo Sabres reached an agreement yesterday on a one-year, $1.6 million deal, the same dollar amount he played for last season. The former first round pick (2012, 14th-overall) is the longest tenured Sabres player on the roster and will be entering his seventh season with the Blue and Gold. During his six years the organization has seen major changes which include the dismantling of owner Terry Pegula's inner circle, the dismissal of two team presidents, a six-month stint for a vice president of hockey operations, two general managers and five head coaches.

Both he and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (2013, eighth-overall) have endured a lot of changes since being selected by the Sabres in the NHL Draft yet the full force of fan disenchantment has been directed at these two players. The gist of the consternation,which has also been started by and/or fostered by local media, is that both have a part of a losing culture and that if the team wants to start turning their fortunes around, moving on from either or both would really get the team moving in the right direction.

Such is the life of a whipping boy.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz, 5-2-2019

Defenseman--Jake McCabe DOB: October 12, 1993 (Age, 25)
Draft: 2012, second round (44th-overall)
How acquired: Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed: June 30, 2016
Final year of contract: 2018-19 (RFA with arbitration rights)

2018-19 Stats:  59 games | 4 goals | 10 assists | 14 points | -4 | 18:57 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  274 games | 14 goals | 47 assists | 61 points | -19 | 19:26 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  There's a lot to be said for Jake McCabe that won't show up on the scoresheet. The very fact that head coach Phil Housley has him next to first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin to start camp says a lot about the type of leadership McCabe exudes and the trust Housley has in him to start Dahlin's career off on the right foot.

McCabe is a fierce defender who's made (and still makes) his mistakes although he's always had a penchant for bouncing back nicely from them. He's also paid his dues and has gotten a good handle on the speed of the NHL while focusing on the defensive aspects of his game ever since he turned pro. When you put it all together, pairing a defensive-minded young vet like McCabe with an offensive-minded rookie like Dahlin seems like a good way to start things off at camp.

Right now there are 15 defensemen at camp and by the end of it only eight or so will by vying for spots in the lineup. McCabe will be in the d-corps somewhere and as of right now he looks to be starting out the season on the bottom-pairing, which is a good sign for Buffalo. The 24 yr. old has shown that he can be a solid second-pairing defenseman so having him here means there are some quality defensemen in front of him. 

What we wrote mid-season:  Up until his injury in late November, McCabe was probably having the best season of his still young career. McCabe is pretty good on his skates and loves to play a physical game and he also has a penchant for creeping into open space in the offensive zone. If he can ever be a little more accurate with his shot, the 25 yr. old might get close doubling his career high of four goals set in his rookie year. McCabe plays a solid all-around game and can carry a lot of weight on the blueline when he's on the ice. Although not a top-pairing d-man, when he is on his game he's a solid second-paring defenseman who can anchor a penalty kill and he very much looks the part. McCabe does have has his moments, but most of the time he recovers from them, sometimes in the very same sequence. That's a good trait to have for a player and so far this year he seems to be coming into his own.

Impressions on his play this year:  On more than a few occasions McCabe was one of Buffalo's best defensemen and his physicality is a desperately needed ingredient in their lineup. McCabe was moved up and down the depth chart and looks like he could be settling into a nice 4/5 role for Buffalo this season and moving forward. Ideally the Sabres can add to their top-four and have him play a permanent role on the bottom-pairing with his usual two-plus minutes of average ice-time on the kill. 

There's a lot to like about his game although he's still a work in progress at 25 yrs. old which, for a second-rounder, isn't all that disconcerting. He's strong on his skates, can level an opponent with a body check, is solid in his own end and can still creep into open space for a scoring opportunity. However, despite McCabe's tendency to find that open ice, his shot needs a lot of work..

The good news is that he'll not be expected add much more offense moving forward as he's becoming more defensively-focused with the additions of Rasmus Dahlin and Brandon Montour. It's something he's pretty good at as his minus-16 over his four full seasons with Buffalo are the best of any player who's played 200 or more games. With all that said, what may be cause for concern is the last two seasons where he spent significant time on injured reserve with only 53 and 59 games played, respectively. 

Questions moving forward:  Is his rugged style of play catching up with him already? Can the Sabres find another top-four d-man for next season to keep McCabe in that bottom-pairing role? Are the Sabres interested in signing him? If so, what will the cost and term be? Is he trade bait in a package deal for a top-six forward? Will he be working on his shot over this off season? If he can stay on the ice, is he worthy of a letter?

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

Building confidence

Published by hockeybuzz, 10-26-2018


First the Sabres soundly defeated an Los Angeles Kings team on the road and followed it up with a come-from-behind win at Anaheim against the Ducks to finish their five-game road trip 3-2-0. Then  Buffalo came home to face a Montreal Canadiens team that was 4-0-1 in their last five games, 5-1-2 on the season, with the dreaded "game after a long road trip" looming large.

The Sabres welcome home with huge patches of red Canadiens sweaters in the lower bowl cheering for the opposition and they also falling behind a mere 77 seconds into the game which certainly put a damper on things to start. However, they kept battling back. Buffalo was down by a goal on three separate occasions but managed to tie it before Kyle Okposo rang one in off the post late in the third for the 4-3 victory.

Despite having to play come-from-behind hockey with the bleu, blanc, et rouge singing Ole', Ole', the famous taunt of Canadiens fans in Montreal, this Sabres team showed some intestinal fortitude and didn't let it bother them. “Last year, we probably would’ve got in our shell and wouldn’t have had a pushback, a fightback,” said 35 yr. old Jason Pominville to the gathered media. Pominville has three goals and three assists since head coach Phil Housley put him on the top line and it seems as if he's rediscovered his 20's since joining Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner.

The "shell" Pominville mentioned actually goes back a lot farther than last year. In fact there were signs of that dubious distinction 10 or so years ago dating back to his first tour in Buffalo. Rarely when facing difficult circumstances could various editions of the Sabres find it within themselves to overcome adversity. And when they did, it usually didn't last.

It's still way too early in the season to say that this group of players will be any different, but there are some indications that they're heading that way. Eichel is an intense captain who can dominate all three zones and he's got a fight within him that's beginning to really surface in a leadership role. Although he hasn't scored a goal in seven games, he's still drawing the attention of the opposition allowing his linemates to capitalize on their opportunities and the last three games both Skinner (4 goals, 3 assists) and Pominville have been the beneficiaries.

Perhaps a good indication as to the different mindset of this Sabres team lately is the three game-tying goals they scored. Both of Pominville's goals, and the one by Sam Reinhart, his first of the season, were scored with a strong net-front presence. Reinhart's in particular stood out as he really paid the price for it. The 22 yr. old took a hit well before his goal and took another shot just after he finished the play.

The video from nhl.com begins with Reinhart getting up from one knee just outside the crease then repositioning himself for the tip before getting leveled. What it didn't show was the shot he took from Habs goalie Annti Niemi to the groin area that sent him to his knees. It was Reinhart's first goal of the season and the all-out effort he put in showed as he winced in celebration before skating to the bench gassed.

The Sabres are playing very well right now as shown in their passing, skating and stickhandling, all of which have been great as of late. Add that to some strong support all over the ice and you see a team that has managed to get the ice tilted in their favor for long stretches. And that includes last night when they dominated the third period while outshooting Montreal 15-4. The Sabres hit the teens every period vs. Montreal nearly doubling the Canadiens shots on goal 42-22.

This is a Sabres team is beginning to feel it right now and they're playing with some confidence. “Even if we fall down in a game like tonight, 3-2 late, you don’t see a change in us," said defenseman Jake McCabe post game. "That’s something that’s been a big difference from past years that I’ve been here."

“We just played the same way," added Okposo, who scored the game-winner on the powerplay. "That’s all we did. Sometimes you’re going to lose, but if you just keep playing the same way and not trying to take things into your own hands, you are going to have more success. We stuck to the game plan.”

It's a reciprocal confidence between players and coaches with the players buying into the system and the coaches finding a way to put their players in a position to succeed within their roles. Okposo had been taken off the top powerplay unit when Housley made his sweeping changes three games ago but was back on the ice last night with the Sabres on the powerplay down by one with just over a minute to go. He sent a shot from the slot off the post and in for the game-winner. Of note, Pominville provided the net-front presence.

It's a confidence that's stretching down to the fourth line as well. The trio of two prior healthy scratches, Johan Larsson and Patrik Berglund, along with the much maligned Zemgus Girgensons have been playing lights out in their checking role. Housley has had them on the ice late in the game to protect a one-goal lead the past two games. Last night that trio was on the ice protecting the lead along with defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and McCabe. All but Berglund have been with the Sabres dating back to the tank seasons with Girgensons being the longest continuously tenured Sabres player on the team. All four have been through the worst of what Buffalo hockey had to offer but they wre out there protecting the lead and they got the job done for the second game in a row.

Perhaps the best part of last night was Okposo's goal and the on-ice celebration afterwards. When the shot rang in the players on the ice felt the rush of finally breaking through and taking the lead. Their arms went up and you got the feeling that Okposo's goal would stand as the game-winner (here's the vid from nhl.com):

 

Confidence. What a weird feeling.

Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--LHD, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-15-2018


LHD--Jake McCabe
24 yrs. old
6'1" 210 lbs.
2012, 44th-overall

Career stats:  215 games | 10 goals | 37 assists | 47 points | -15

There's a lot to be said for Jake McCabe that won't show up on the scoresheet. The very fact that head coach Phil Housley has him next to first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin to start camp says a lot about the type of leadership McCabe exudes and the trust Housley has in him to start Dahlin's career off on the right foot.

Housley and McCabe's hockey relationship date back to 2012 when the coach tabbed McCabe to be captain of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships. It was Housley's first head coaching job outside of Stillwater (MN) high school and he was impressed with the 19 yr. old Wisconsin Badger's demeanor and named him captain of the team. "I really liked what he brought in Lake Placid in August [at evaluation camp]," he said of McCabe at the time. "He's just a very calm demeanor in the locker room, on the ice. He says the right things at the right time; I think he can control the locker room.

"He's very mature, probably mature beyond his years."

Since he first hit the ice for a seven-game stint late in the 2013-14 season McCabe has made his mark as a player that isn't heard from very much outside the rink or after games but he's managed to make some noise on the ice. At Boston he leveled Bruins forward Daniel Paille with a clean check in the second to last game of the season and in January, 2017 he walloped Winnipeg's Patrick Laine with a fierce open-ice check in the neutral zone that's worth another looks (thx, Sportsnet):





McCabe is a fierce defender who's made (and still makes) his mistakes although he's always had a penchant for bouncing back nicely from them. He's also paid his dues and has gotten a good handle on the speed of the NHL while focusing on the defensive aspects of his game since he turned pro. When you put it all together, pairing a defensive-minded young vet like McCabe with an offensive-minded rookie like Dahlin seems like a good way to start things off at camp.

"I just felt it was a good combination," Housley told the gathered media after their first practice of the season yesterday. "I just felt it was a good mix. You have a veteran guy trying to mentor a young guy and Jake is a good player for that."

Housley also mentioned the obvious in that Dahlin will have a lot of different d-partners leading up to the season. When all's said and done Dahlin will be in the top-half of the d-corps while McCabe will probably be in the bottom half but with McCabe's ability to play either side (and Dahlin's as well,) if the pairing shows promise right now, Housley could go back to them at some point during the season.

Right now there are 15 defensemen at camp and by the end of it only eight or so will by vying for spots in the lineup. McCabe will be in the d-corps somewhere and as of right now he looks to be starting out the season on the bottom-pairing, which is a good sign for Buffalo. The 24 yr. old has shown that he can be a solid second-pairing defenseman so having him here means there are some quality defensemen in front of him.


Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner / C, Casey Mittelstadt / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund / C, Rasmus Asplund/ RW, Jason Pominville


LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin / RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe /

G, Carter Hutton

A look back at the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season--December

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-9-2018


Buffalo GM Jason Botterill chose to stand pat through October and November with his Sabres imploding and the season all but done only two months in. Coming into the month of December the Sabres posted a 6-15-4 record, had won only once in their previous 10 games (1-7-2) and had been shut out in back-to-back contests to end the month of November. As they plummeted to the bottom of the league so, seemingly, did their interest in playing. WGR550 Sabres beat writer Paul Hamilton called the second shutout by Tampa Bay "[possibly] the easiest shutout [Lightning goaltender Andrei] Vasilevsky has ever had."

Although Buffalo had outshot the Lightning 34-26, they were mostly weak-tea perimeter shots that were easily stopped without a net-front presence.

And if Sabres fans thought that was bad, the 4-0 loss at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins to start December was even worse. With that debacle, the were shutout three games in a row for the first time in franchise history and looked awful in the process. In a case of throwing gasoline on the fire with that pitiful performance against the Pens, it should be remembered that owner Terry Pegula has ties to Pittsburgh as does Botterill and also during that loss the NHL was filming 'The Road to the Winter Classic' which would feature Buffalo vs. the NY Rangers at Citi Field in the Big Apple on January 1.

Buffalo did manage to score a goal in the second game of their home-and-home, a 5-1 loss at Pittsburgh. Their lone goal came mid-way through the third period ending a drought of 232:09 or nearly four full games without a goal.

This team was burning to the ground and that four-game stretch was like the roof caving in. There was very little anyone could do except let it take it's course. It was reported that Sabres president Russ Brandon, who is no longer with the team, was seen after the shutout loss to Pittsburgh talking with, almost trying to console, franchise center Jack Eichel in the locker room. As was pointed out, whether you like him or not, Brandon was the team president so he could go wherever he pleased. Why a businessman with an expertise in marketing would try to interject his thoughts into a hockey situation might leave some questions, but in that situation he was offering...umm...we're really not sure what kind of hockey advice he had to offer in that situation.

With the things spiraling out of control, it didn't take long for the rumor mill to start churning. After that shutout loss to Pittsburgh, Sportsnet's Elliot Freidman said during an intermission on Hockey Night in Canada that, "there's a sense from other teams that the Sabres are sending signals that they are open for business."

Freidman continued saying team could "ask about anybody whose name isn't Jack Eichel," but he also qualified that statement by saying that some are off limits unless the price is right. "I do think that if you're going to ask about a Rasmus Ristolainen or Marco Scandella or a Sam Reinhart," he said, "you'd better be coming with a serious offer because I don't think Buffalo is going to trade those guys unless the offer is great.

"But I think they are prepared to listen to [offers for] everyone except their franchise player (Eichel.)"

The player most were keeping an eye on when it came to the trade market was Evander Kane, who emerged from a choppy two years in the Blue and Gold to become the only player worth his salt during the first two months of the 2017-18 season. At the end of November Kane lead the Sabres with 12 goals and 23 points, but there were huge neon arrows pointing to his exit. With an imminent trade on the horizon, Kane began downshifting his aggressive north/south game to self preservation mode which was noticeable on the ice and on the stat-sheet after the Christmas break.

Botterill did affect change as he got things going with some roster moves as the team waived Matt Moulson, a move that fans had been hoping would happen for months. They also sent Kyle Criscuolo back to Rochester and called up Evan Rodrigues. In addition, Botterill traded for bottom-six forward Scott Wilson, a player he knew from his days in Pittsburgh. Wilson had contributed as a role player in the Pens' two recent Stanley Cup championship but found himself in Detroit after a trade. Botterill sent a fifth-round pick to the Red Wings for Wilson and he played a solid role in the Sabres 4-2 win at Colorado.

The positivity also came through against the Avalanche as the Sabres also had something happen during win that hadn't happened all season. Defenseman Jake McCabe snapped a shot from the point that sailed in for Buffalo's first goal by a defenseman all season, a span of 28 games. Interesting to note as you watch the video from sabres.com that Wilson was in front of the net creating a screen.

Although the trade for Wilson wasn't the blockbuster that fans had hoped for those three roster moves, along with defenseman Zach Bogosian getting up to speed after missing the first two months of the season due to injury, got the team moving in a positive direction and they finished the month with a 4-3-4 record.

Buffalo would say good by to 2017 on a positive note as they avenged an early season bludgeoning at the hands of New Jersey to dispatch the Devils 4-3 on the road in overtime and end December. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen scored the winner for Buffalo bringing their OT/SO record to 2-8 on the season.

(via sabres.com)


For Buffalo's December team stats click here and for their December stats leaders, click here.

For my December archive click here.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 5-3-2018


Defenseman--Jake McCabe
DOB:  October 12, 1993 (Age, 24)
Draft:  2012, second round (44th-overall)
How acquired:  Drafted by Buffalo
Last contract signed:  June 30, 2016
Final year of contract:  2018-19


2017-18 Stats:  53 games played | 3 goals | 9 assists | 12 points | -11 | 19:30 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  215 games | 10 goals | 37 assists | 47 points |-15 | 19:34 ATOI

Last night's big win by the Sabres in Boston can be summed up by this...

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-22-2017


"My sanity needed this."

Those four words typed by our own sbroads24 probably could have been uttered by virtually any fan in Sabreland as the Sabres overcame a three-goal deficit twice while on their way to a 5-4 overtime win against the rival Boston Bruins. Buffalo had not beaten the Bruins since December 26, 2015 (0-5-2) in Jack Eichel's first game as a Sabre back in his hometown of Boston and it looked as if they were headed for another defeat after, what else, a weak start.

There couldn’t have been a more harrowing start to this game. The Sabres found themselves down 2-0 at the end of the first period and were down 3-0 as long-time nemesis Brad Marchand scored his second goal of the game only :37 seconds into the second frame.

However, Buffalo began to turn things around when Jason Pominville scored and Jack Eichel answered a David Pastranak deflection goal to even the period out. The third period was all Buffalo as Benoit Pouliot scored 6:55 into the final frame and Evander Kane scored his team-leading sixth goal of the year to knot the game at 4-4.

The cool part about the third period was that this might be the Sabres team that coach Phil Housley had in mind. That period was clearly their best of the season thus far and it's a shame that it took this long for it to finally come out. Buffalo controlled the play against Boston for most of the period outshooting them by a 15-6 margin and outscoring them 2-0 . Passes out of the zone were mostly crisp as were those through the neutral zone and the combination created a controlled breakout which had the Bruins backpedaling the entire period.

Neither Pouliot’s goal nor Kane’s were pretty plays, but they both started with some pretty good forechecking and defenseman Jake McCabe sending pucks towards the net. On the first one, McCabe whiffed on a pass to Sam Reinhart but the puck found the stick of Pouliot who was in the slot and he made no mistake. On the second, McCabe sent a pass weak-side where Kane redirected a dribbler that barely made it over the goal line.

In overtime the Sabres simply dominated.

In overtime two Bruins—forward David Pastrnak and defenseman Tory Krug—got caught on the ice for over two minutes. The Sabres controlled the play and were able to make two line changes during that time. Ryan O’Reilly was the hero as he peeled to the front of the net and buried the game-winner on a backhand, but every Buffalo player who touched the puck in those two-plus minutes was responsible for basically making it an extended 3-on-1.

Pouliot had himself a breakout game, easily playing his best game in a Sabres uniform. Kyle Okposo was also noticeable for the right reasons which included a quickness to the puck we hadn’t seen since before suffering a concussion last season. Defenseman Marco Scandella was all over the ice and as he and d-partner Rasmus Ristolainen finally looked like they found top-pairing chemistry. Scandella had the primary assists on Eichel's goal and Ristolainen was a plus-3 in a game-high 29:40 of ice time.

Although this was a great, and surprising, comeback win for Buffalo, they still have some issues to iron out. One of them was summed up well when fellow hockey buzzard, Wetbandit1 wrote, “I just don’t get why the Sabres have to be down by 2 or 3 goals before they start playing like they’re capable of playing.”

And there’s the rub.

This is an NHL where parity rules and any team is capable of doing what the Sabres did last night. They still have a ton of work to do just to get above ground as they dug themselves a deep hole in the first eight games. They’re still having trouble coming out of the gate strong and their goaltending hasn’t been the greatest either. (It should be noted that Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin was in net and he looked shaky.) And there still are a few too many passengers. But this is still something very strong to build off of.

 

In addition to a big confidence boost, Housley may have found something in the lineup he has to work with. His line combinations in the top-six were interesting and seemed to work out rather well. Eichel was between two big, fast powerforwards in Kane and Justin Bailey while O’Reilly was flanked by Pouliot and Pominville. Five-on-five that group accounted for seven points on four goals and three assists.

 

He moved McCabe (2 assists, plus-1 rating) up to the second pairing with Matt Tennyson (who still has some issues) while 24 yr. old rookie Victor Antipin was with 29 yr. old journeyman Taylor Fedun. Both of them looked very good in their third-pairing roles as they displayed a quickness to the puck while making some good decisions with it as well.

 

The Sabres are home on Tuesday to faceoff against a beatable Detroit Red Wings club before travelling to Columbus, Ohio for the second of a back-to-back against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. They should have gained a boatload of confidence with the win last night, but you're only as good as the game you're playing that night. 

Last night's win could represent a huge step back towards respectability but only if they can follow through with a strong game (and win) against the Red Wings.

 

That said, I believe last night's win saved some sanity amongst the faithful. Which is a good thing.

 

 

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-10-2017


Jake McCabe
23 yrs. old
6'1" 209 lbs.
2012, 44th overall

Career stats:  167 games  |  7 goals  |  28 assists  |  35 points  |  -4

It's pretty clear that when Buffalo GM Jason Botterill made the deal for Minnesota defenseman Marco Scandella that he was trading for Rasmus Ristolainen's partner on the top pairing. Although Scandella wasn't logging those minutes with the Wild, there's the belief that he will be able to step up his game and help anchor the Sabres blueline.

Ristolainen has been the Sabres workhorse the last two seasons and it showed as signs of the wear and tear became visible in his overall game. Along the way, Buffalo's top defenseman was paired with a number of players and the one he had the most success with was 23 yr. old Jake McCabe. The duo anchored the Sabres defense for most of the last season.

Automatically putting Scandella on the top-pairing may prove to be a disservice to McCabe as training camp and the preseason will sort things out, but having him on the second pairing will certainly help solidify the top four should things be laid out as such.

McCabe has taken the long, steady road to a spot in that top-four group. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native spent three years in his home state playing four the Wisconsin Badgers before leaving for the pros. He got and a taste for the NHL with a seven-game stint in Buffalo at the end of the 2013-14 season and left Boston's Daneil Paille his calling card:

After spending all but one game in the 2014-15 season plying his trade in Rochester, McCabe would play one game for the Amerks the following season before being called up to Buffalo for good. At 6'0" 214 lbs. he always had a pro-ready frame but it took a while for his skills and hockey smarts to catch up to the pro game. McCabe isn't without faults and he's had his fair share of blunders, but one of the things he's always been able to do is bounce back from a mistake and rarely does it happen again.

Former Sabres coach Dan Bylsma had McCabe on the second pairing with Zach Bogosian in 2015-16 and the rookie lead the team with a plus-six rating while averaging 19:07 minutes/game. Last season that time was upped to 20:42 min./gm and he finished a minus-7 against much stiffer competition while playin on the top pair.

It would seem as if we're starting to find a sweet spot for his ice-time and a more well-defined slot in the d-corps, although he still has upside. McCabe will continue to learn and grow and tighten his defensive game but we shouldn't discount offensive upside, especially with new coach Phil Housley taking the reigns of the team.

McCabe has a knack for sneaking in from the point and finding that open seem in the slot as shown here in Team USA vs. Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia:



(Thank You, BigHockeyMoments)

That was the opening goal of the semi-final matchup that propelled Team USA past the rival Canadians and into the final where they won gold. McCabe was the captain of that team and the coach was Housley.

McCabe has continued to show that knack for finding open space at the NHL-level but has been unable to put the puck in the net with any consistency. He has seven goals in 167 career games with a shooting percentage of 4.9%.

Regardless of his offensive output to this point in his still young NHL career, McCabe has gotten a good handle on the speed of the NHL and is solid in his zone, which seemed to be his major area of focus these first few seasons. He's got an old-school mentality and doesn't say a lot, preferring to let his play speak for him. And, McCabe still has that calling card, something he laid on Winnipeg Jets star winger Patrick Laine back in early January: 



(Thank you, Sportsnet)


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

A look at the Buffalo Sabres 2012 draft class

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-9-2017


On February 27, 2012 then Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier pulled off a trade at the deadline that sent Paul Gaustad and a fourth round pick to the Nashville Predators for a 2012 first round pick. After fans recovered from the utter shock of landing a first rounder for a fourth-liner in Gaustad, there was a realization that Regier's "Core" was about to be parceled off in a desperately needed rebuild for the franchise.

Over the course of the next two seasons, that group of Sabres, also known as "The Rochester Guys" as dubbed by then team president Ted Black, would be approaching free agency. It was a group of players that played together in Rochester during the 2004-05 NHL lockout and took over the reigns after the 2007 off-season when Buffalo couldn't retain their captain. "The Core" was very talented individually, something that would net the Sabres a cumulative haul when all was said and done, but they could not, as a group, get the Sabres past the first round of the playoffs. So in 2012 with Terry Pegula barely past his honeymoon phase as the new owner and the team looking the same as it had despite his injection of money and front-office freedom edict, Regier started dismantling his core.

The Sabres made two trades that 2012 deadline day. After Regier traded Gaustad, he sent forward Zack Kassian (2009, 13th-overall) and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani (2005, 87th) to the Vancouver Canucks in a hockey trade that brought back center Cody Hodgson and defenseman Alexander Sulzer. Although it didn't directly affect any of the Sabres drafts moving forward, moving those two Sabres picks contributed to what is now a complete overhaul of the franchise. With the trade of Tyler Ennis (2008, 26th) and Marcus Foligno (2009, 104th) to Minnesota on June 30, the Sabres have no homegrown player on their roster who was drafted by, and continuously played for, the club prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

Buffalo went into the 2012 NHL Draft with an extra first-rounder from Nashville plus an extra second round pick in the trade for Robyn Regehr with the Calgary Flames. They entered the draft with pick Nos. 12, 21, 42 and 44 in the first two rounds. They also had an extra seventh-rounder from the Steve Montador trade to Chicago but lost a fourth-round pick when they traded for the rights to Christian Ehrhoff of the NY Islanders.

Kevin Devine, Buffalo's head amateur scout at the time, described the 2012 NHL Entry Draft as balanced but "not great up top." He said that they " having a real tough time coming up with a top-five." And to add to what he called "the most challenging" draft of his long tenure, "The Russian Factor" was coming into play as the threat of talented Russian players eventually heading to the Motherland to play in the KHL factored into most every GM's decision making process. Devine in called them "risky" picks and said, "if there's not an [Alex] Ovechink or [Ilya] Kovalchuk in the draft we're very leery of taking a player there and possibly losing that pick to the KHL."

He also discussed the possibility of moving up as the second tier stretched from No. 4 or 5 down to the  No. 12 area where the Sabres were slated to pick with their first of two first round picks. "Well, there's two views of [moving up,]" he said to the local media at the time, "first of all what's the price to move up and get that. If it's going to be your pick at 21 and you feel you're going to get a good player at 21, it's going to be hard to do...and, with all the players not distinguishing themselves, is it the year to move up? That's the question we're still asking ourselves."

The Sabres would eventually keep their 12th-overall pick but did in fact make a move up to No. 14, using their own second round pick to do so.

It's also worth mentioning that at the time, Buffalo's defense was considered a strength in the organization with their weakest area being center. Devine, like nearly every NHL GM (if not all,) had an openness to the situationally dependent, best player available approach to No. 12. "There are some defenseman in this draft who could turn out to be a #1 or #2 [defenseman,]" he said. "If there's a defenseman like that at 12, versus maybe a top-six or third line forward, then we'll definitely take the defenseman."

The Sabres watched as players started coming off the board:

RW, Nail Yakupov (EDM)
D, Ryan Murray (CLB)
C, Alex Galchenuyk (MTL)
D, Griffin Reinhart (NYI)
D, Morgan Reilly (TOR)
D, Hampus Lindholm (ANA)
D, Matthew Dumba (MIN)
D, Derrick Pouliot (PIT)
D, Jacob Trouba (WPG)
D, Slater Koekkoek (TBL)
RW, Filip Forseberg (WSH)

At No. 12 the Sabres selected center Mikhail Grigorenko.

Grigorenko was an enigma who's slot was all over the board in the various mock drafts. He had NHL size and an excellent skill set that had some thinking he'd be a top-five pick. Grigorenko was coming off of a 40 goal, 45 assist season for the Quebec Remparts in 2011-12 but some still had questions about his compete-level. His time in Buffalo was tumultuous as he was too good for junior in 2012-13 but not good enough to play in the NHL and because of rules he was not allowed to play in the AHL. The NHL locked out it's players in 2012 and play resumed in January, 2013. After a five-game "audition" with the Sabres, Girgorenko was sent back to junior a move which he initially balked at. He obliged and finished his junior career with 14 points (5+9) in 11 playoff games. From there he had a choppy career in Buffalo which had him yo-yoing between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans. On June 26, 2015 he was a part of the blockbuster trade with Colorado for Ryan O'Reilly. After two years with the Avalanche, and the turmoil there, on July 7, 2017 it was announced that the unrestricted free agent signed a three year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.


14th--C, Zemgus Girgensons

After selecting Grigorenko and watching center Radek Faksa go off the board to the Dallas Stars, Regier hooked up with Calgary Flames GM Jay Feaster for the second time in a year. Buffalo traded the pick they got from Nashville in the Gaustad trade (No. 21) plus their own second rounder (No. 42) to move up and select Girgensons. Where Grigorenko was about size and skill, Girgensons was about size and will. "The Latvian Locomotive" made the jump from the Dubuque Fighting Saints to the AHL as an 18 yr. old and was one of the youngest players in the league. Since his debut as a Sabre on October 2, 2013 (where he scored a goal,) Girgensons has played in 277 NHL games, is on his fourth NHL head coach and third NHL GM. Somehow the 23 yr. old has managed to keep his wits about him and is looking to rebound from two disappointing seasons. He's the longest tenured Sabres player.


44th--D, Jake McCabe

Defenseman Jake McCabe is the second-longest tenured Sabre behind Girgensons and has matured nicely. The McCabe pick came courtesy of a trade with Calgary where the Sabres received Robyn Regehr and took on the bloated contract of Ales Kotalik in exchange for defenseman Chris Butler and forward Paul Byron. McCabe had a very successful career at Wisconsin and also captained Team USA to the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship Gold medal under Phil Housley who now coaches the Sabres. He's been a top-four d-man for Buffalo who's been used often in the top-pairing. Many feel he still has upside at both ends of the ice and may get a shot at the top left-defenseman slot at training camp.


73rd--C, Justin Kea

The 6'4" 215 lb. Woodville, Ontario native bounced between the Rochester Americans and Elmira Jackals (ECHL) during his four-year pro career never making it to the NHL.


133rd--C, Logan Nelson

The Rogers, Minnesota native has spent his entire pro career in the ECHL.


163rd--G, Linus Ullmark

Perhaps it was the influx of overseas scouts that lead Buffalo to select the 6'3" 198 lb. Ullmark. After being taken by the Sabres in the sixth round, Ullmark stayed in his native Sweden and continued to impress for three seasons before coming to play for Rochester. His transition, however, was marked by elective double-hip surgery which was to keep him out until late-fall/early winter 2015. But a strange thing happened while on that timeline. Ullmark recovered quickly and stared in goal for the Amerks to begin the 2015-16 season. After Buffalo's starting goalie Robin Lehner went down in the first game of the season, the Sabres eventually called him up. Ullmark played in 20 games for the Sabres that season compiling an 8-10-2 record with a 2.60 GAA and .913 Sv%. Most respectable for a player that just came from overseas and was thrown into the fire after recovering early from major surgery. He fare well last season as the Amerks No. 1 goalie, despite being in a shooting gallery all season, and will be back in Rochester for another year of seasoning thanks the Sabres signing of back-up Chad Johnson.


193rd--D, Brady Austin

Austin was a London Knights d-partner for future first-round pick Nikita Zadorov before he turned pro. The big 6'4" 225 lb. left-handed defenseman spent some time with Elmira in the ECHL during his first pro campaign but played the bulk of the 2014-15 season in Rochester and never returned to Elmira afterwards. Austin is surprisingly mobile for a man of his size and got a five-game taste of the NHL last season in Buffalo where he looked pretty good. The Sabres, under new GM Jason Botterill never qualified him and Austin's now an unrestricted free agent.


204th--C, Judd Peterson

After being Buffalo's final pick in 2012, Petersen spent the next two seasons in the USHL before heading to St. Cloud State in Minnesota. It made fore a very long developmental curve for him while the Sabres benefitted by retaining his rights throughout. Peterson is at his fifth Sabres Development Camp and as a soon to be 24 yr. old entering his senior season for the Huskies, he's expected to take a big leap in his development.

"It's a playoff atmosphere for us from here on out."

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-4-2017


Thus spoke Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges as he's ready to return to the lineup for the first time since January 7 when he was sidelined with a hip injury.

Both he and fellow defenseman Jake McCabe were cleared to play and will jump right into the fire without going through a practice with the team. Granted, this is will be Buffalo's 51st game of the season so the duo should be well versed in their jobs and this will be the Sabres fourth meeting with the Ottawa Senators so they should to expect from their Atlantic Division rival.

Getting into something resembling game-shape was the big hurdle for Gorges and McCabe, as well as the countless others that have had to come back from injury. February is a particularly busy month as Buffalo plays 14 games in the shortest month of the year plus will have their bye-week later in month. Practice time will be scarce so the Sabres relied upon rehab specialist Dennis Miller.

Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com writes that Miller rehabbing involves "battle drills," something we've been hearing quite often but never associating a name with. LaBarber quotes Gorges as saying this about Miller, ""The old school mentality of stand on the line and coach with a whistle and a stop watch and say 'go,' and you keep skating and skating and skating, that might get your lungs ready but playing hockey is so much different than straight-line skating back and forth.

"I think Dennis, he does such a great job of not only what I need as a player, but specific to me as a defenseman. He factors in all these different things so he gets you ready so when you're back you're ready to step right back in again."

And they're gonna need it.

Despite Buffalo's 2-0-1 record this season against Ottawa, playing the Senators is always a battle. All three games this year have been decided by one goal as were two of four last season. The Sabres beat Ottawa 2-1 in early November and lost 2-1 in the shootout four days later. Both games were played while Jack Eichel was on the injured list. Eichel came back for the last game of November and help skate Buffalo to a 5-4 win with a goal and an assists in his 2016-17 debut. Ryan O'Reilly had two goals and an assist in that game as well.

O'Reilly spent some time on the injured list as did winger Evander Kane, but the forward ranks, at least in the top nine are about as healthy as they've been all season long. Unfortunatley the injury troubles the forwards had has shifted to the defense-corps.

Although the Sabres are getting Gorges and McCabe back, Zach Bogosian injured his ribs in the first period on Thursday night. Buffalo played with five defenseman against a very fast and highly skilled NY Rangers team and almost pulled it off as they came from  behind in the third period but ended up falling in overtime, 2-1.

I guess one out but two back in is better than the other way around. With the return of Gorges and McCabe, the Sabres now have one extra defenseman and head coach Dan Bylsma chose to sit Taylor Fedun who's done yeoman's work for the entirety of 2017 thus far. Bylsma's keeping Justin Falk in the lineup and he'll be playing his off side opposite Gorges according to the projected lineup for Sabres.com. Rasmus Ristolainen and Dmitry Kulikov will continue on the top pairing while McCabe will be on the left and Cody Franson on the right in the second pairing.

The Sabres suffered another injury up front as Will Carrier went down with a knee injury, according to Bylsma, but Buffalo called up the red hot Justin Bailey from Rochester.

Bailey has been on a tear for the Amerks since mid-December when he started a seven-game goal streak which featured his first NHL goal against Henrik Lundqvist and the NY Rangers while he was on a call-up right in the middle of the streak. His 19 goals leads the Amerks and places him tied for fifth overall in the American Hockey League.

Bylsma had nothing but great things to say about Bailey as he spoke with the gathered media today.  He acknowledged with definitive nods that Bailey has been dominating the AHL then talked about the 21 yr. old power forward's game. "You saw it when he was last with us," said the coach, "the speed he showed on the forecheck against the Rangers, the turnover and getting his goal .Also late in that game you saw his speed up the ice and his ability to sling the puck at the net. He beat Lundqvist for a second time but hit the post.

"If you watched his last few games in Rochester, it's six, seven, eight times a game he's [with] his speed and his ability to put pressure on teams with that speed, he's a force."

No one knows how much of that he'll be able to use as Bylsma has Bailey on the fourth line with defenseman-turned-winger-turned fourth-line center in Nicolas Deslauriers and Tyler Ennis, but he'll need to make the best of what time he's given by playing the way that got him noticed.

The rest of the forward lines look to be the same, according to Sabres.com:

Moulson-O'Reilly-Okposo
Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart
Kane-Girgensons-Gionta.

Robin Lehner gets the nod in net.

With 32 games left to play and a lot of work to be done just to get into the middle of a clump of playoff hopefuls, there's no time like the present to get the ball rolling. Buffalo's on a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) and time's a wastin'.

To rivals going at it at Key Bank center with the home team (hopefully) desperate for a win should make for a playoff atmosphere in Buffalo. Which is the way it should be at this time of year.

Can't get enough of this guy

If you'd have taken off the baseball cap, given him a crew cut and filmed his most recent post-game interview in grainy black and white, Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe would've looked like he'd just finished a game circa 1949. The second year defenseman was answering questions post-game in front of his locker stall on Saturday looking like Frankenstein with stitched-up gashes above and below his swollen right eye courtesy of a walloping hit on Winnipeg Jets forward Patrick Laine.

Some are calling it the most crushing hit in Buffalo since defenseman Brian Campbell laid out the Philadelphia Flyers RJ Umberger back in the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, and truth be told, both were huge, definitive hits. But unlike Campbell's only bone-jarring hit of his career, laying out an old-school body check is McCabe's style and has been since he first came into the league out of the University of Wisconsin in 2014.

McCabe played in seven mostly non-descript games for the Sabres late in the 2013-14 season save for one memorable moment at TD Gardens in Boston. With the Bruins ahead 3-1 in the third period, former Sabre Daniel Paille took the puck in the neutral zone and headed towards the Buffalo blueline. McCabe was there to greet him.

 
(thx, HockeyWebCastOfficial for the vid)

The 6'1" 210 lb. McCabe was tagged with a five-minute interference penalty and a game misconduct for what was really nothing more than a clean, old-school hit.  "I wasn't trying to be dirty at all," said McCabe post-game. "My intentions were shoulder to the chest. He tried to go through me. I kept my hands down. It was just kind of an unfortunate play. His head was down. It’s too bad. I was just trying to play hard."

For those of us watching McCabe play, standing players up in the neutral zone is nothing new to us as it's a big part of his make-up. Whereas most players will let the puck handler back them off, McCabe is not shy about digging in his skates to knock the player off-stride or off of his feet. It's how he plays the game and if players around the league didn't know it, or they'd forgotten about the hit on Paille, McCabe completely leveling Laine sure will get their attention. Here's the TSN3 feed of the hit from Steve Szmilek:


Half-way through the video above, ice-level TSN analyst and retired NHL defenseman Shane Hnidy remarked, "You don't see those big hits anymore," and it's true. Yet, in 125 games played for the Buffalo Sabres, McCabe is now responsible for two clean, bone-jarring hits like that.

It's the type of play we haven't seen regularly in Buffalo since maybe Jay McKee was patrolling the blueline for the Sabres back in the late 90's/early 2000's. For those of us fans who've watched the vanilla play of Sabres defenders ever since McKee's departure, it's a part that's been sorely missed and hopefully it's now back and fully woven into the fabric of their identity.

McCabe went to the dressing room with those gashes around his eye after meeting Laine's head with it and absorbing some retribution from Laine's teammate, Mark Scheifele, although he said it was the hit that did the damage not Scheifele. After getting stitched up McCabe was back on the ice and was the focal point of an end of game scrum that featured six Jets versus six Sabres (including goalie Robin Lehner) and 26 minutes in penalties. Eighteen of those penalty minutes were assessed to burly Jets d-man Dustin Byfuglein as went after McCabe then Lehner.

In all it was an old-school hit that lead to some old-school hockey and what you see is what you get with McCabe. Former Rochester Americans head coach Chadd Cassidy, who recruited McCabe for the U.S. National Team back in 2009, had this to say about him a few years back, "He's an extremely honest player. He plays hard every night, gives you everything he’s got, he’s a team-first guy, and a guy that others around trust because they know he’s going to put it all on the line for them. He competes hard is hard on the puck, in the d-zone. He finishes off guys and is real difficult to play against."

Speaking for myself, I can't get enough of a player like that.

From Sabres.com, McCabe's post-Jets game interview:


For more background on McCabe you can visit my January 11, 2015 profile piece by clicking here.

Maturation process continues in win over McDavid and the Oilers

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-07-2016


Last night's 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers wasn't without tension, and maybe that's why it must be extremely gratifying for the Buffalo Sabres to come away with two points.

After blowing a third period lead in Washington Monday night and losing in overtime 3-2 to the Capitals, the Sabres came home to face Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers with built-in excuses ready--it was the second game of a back-to-back, the Oilers were rested, the defense has two rookies on it with a combined three games of NHL experience, back-up goalie Anders Nilsson was in net, Jack Eichel is not 100%, etc., etc. etc. And they almost needed to use them.

But a funny thing happened on the way to another possible loss at KeyBank Center--they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Buffalo's Evander Kane tied the game with the goalie pulled and less than :30 seconds left in the third period after a fortuitous bounce put the puck on his stick in the crease, and Rasmus Ristolainen chimed in (literally) with his first goal of the season on the powerplay in overtime.

Looking at the two back-to-back games as a whole may constitute a turning point in the season when all's said and done. The Sabres went all-in for two points against Washington and fell short expending a ton of energy in the process, then did what many teams do on the second of a back-to-back--the adrenaline kicks in early, reality hits in the middle leaving the team to battle back at the end. On many occasions said team runs out of gas and/or luck and they end up in the loser's locker room talking about a missed opportunity for the team and missed opportunities individually.

Not so last night.

It's good to be on the winning side of this one as the maturation process for this young Buffalo Sabres team seems to have taken a big step forward these last two nights. As a Sabres fan you gotta love how they attacked the net in Washington as often times more than a couple of Sabres players were in the crease battling for the puck and looking for a rebound against a top-notch goalie and a veteran Capitals team.

In coming back the next night versus Edmonton the Sabres faced an Oilers team that's very similar to their own in a battle of peers. Edmonton's  a fast team with a premier player in McDavid while the Sabres counter with speed of their own and a premier player in Eichel. Edmonton has vets guiding their youngins as do the Sabres. Although the Oilers defense isn't as strong as Buffalo's, the Sabres are missing three top-four d-men which knocks them down a notch overall. And both teams have very capable coaches in the Oilers Todd McLellan and the Sabres Dan Bylsma.

Buffalo, however, pulled one over on their contemporary and it's the second win for the Sabres over the Oilers this season as Buffalo blasted Edmonton 6-2 at Rexall Place in early October. "You gotta win hockey games in a lot of different ways," Bylsma told the gathered media post-game last night. "Tonight we claw back and get one 6-on-5 at the end of the game to tie it up and we came up big 4-on-3 post-regulation to get the win."

The Sabres are on a pretty good run right now. They're playing good, solid hockey and, thank God, are beginning to score some goals. Dating back a big 2-1 shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo's compiled a 5-2-2 record facing the likes of Washington, Boston, the NY Rangers and last night the Edmonton Oilers who came into the game tied for the Pacific Division lead.

Buffalo's drive to the playoffs is anything but dead right now and should they be able to overcome the many hurdles thrown their way in the first quarter of the season, this stretch of nine games, highlighted by this back-to-back, may be looked upon as a turning point. Individually and as a group the Sabres seem to be maturing before our eyes. Although far from perfect they're forming their identity and learning what it takes to win games. Consistency is the next big step overall, and health may be a huge factor once again, but you gotta give this group a bunch of credit for being able to do work their way back towards relevancy.


***

Whipping boy Evander Kane was one of the hero's last night. Perhaps he finally feels healthy again after cracking four ribs in the first game of the season. Or maybe it's the return of Jack Eichel. Or maybe it's divine intervention or he's been getting proper sleep or he wants to quash the trade rumors that have surrounded him since last summer. Who knows? But the Kane we've been witnessing over the past few games is the Evander Kane GM Tim Murray traded for when he pulled off the blockbuster with Winnipeg--the power forward with speed and skill who plays a north/south game with definitive edge.

Kane had two goals last night, one from a quick snap shot that caught Oilers goalie Cam Talbot a little off guard and one off a rebound while parked in Talbot's crease with :29 seconds to go in the third period. About the only thing missing from his repertoire is a fight.

Maturation has been a big problem for the 25 yr. old with 441 NHL games under his belt and if this is the Kane we'll be seeing from here on in, he's the type of player that can really help drive the team forward. That said, it always seems to be something with him and in the back of our minds we're thinking "it's only a matter of time."

For now, however, I choose to marvel at the tools he has on the ice and the force he can be when he uses them.


***

So much for Rasmus Ristolainen playing less this season.

According to head coach Dan Bylsma in the preseason, he planned on using Ristolainen less this year but that all fell to the wayside with each injury on defense. Ristolainen has topped 29 minutes three games in a row, five out of the last nine. His lowest time on ice was 24:57.

Ristolainen ranks fifth in the league right now with an ATOI/Game of 26:41 but it doesn't seem to bother him. In the last nine games he has eight points and scored his first goal of the season in overtime. He had 29:58 of ice-time last night and 29:51 vs. the Capitals the night before.

That's the definition of a workhorse.


***

Connor McDavid cross-checked Sabres d-man Jake McCabe into the boards last night early in the second period which didn't sit well with McCabe. Later in the game McCabe saw an opportunity for payback at center ice and came very close to knocking McDavid into tomorrow. McDavid barely avoided the hit.

McCabe, who's known for very physical play which includes standing all players up at the blueline and generally making life difficult for the opposition was on McDavid all night. After the game a reporter asked McDavid about the incidents and if he was surprised at McCabe's physicality. "You know. I kinda brought it upon myself taking that penalty on him," McDavid said to the reporters, "and he responded. I thought we had a 2-on-1 and he kinda caught me off guard nut I thought I did a pretty good job of getting out of the way."

It's too bad these two teams only meet twice a ye