Welcome to the scoresheet, Danny O'Regan. Plus Amerks and other notes (Dan O'Reagan, Justin Bailey)

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-4-2018


He was Jack Eichel's wingman at Boston University on a Terriers team that made it to the 2015 NCAA Men's Championship game in Eichel freshman year, and only year, in college. He was also a team mate of Eichel's other wingman that season, Evan Rodrigues, if three of his four college seasons. Eichel was selected second-overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Rodrigues was a free agent signee by the Sabres the third member of the line that combined for 159 points (55 goals + 104 assists) in 108 game, Daniel O'Regan, was a 2012 fifth round pick (138th overall) of the San Jose Sharks.

O'Regan was born in Berlin, Germany where, according to his wiki page, he spent parts of his childhood there before his father retired from hockey and returned to the United States. After leaving St. Sebastian Prep School, O'Regan spent a season with the US National Development Program before heading to BU. The smallish forward scored 38 points (16+22) his freshman season and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team.

After his final year in college, O'Regan began his professional career with the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) where he proceeded to lead the team in scoring with 25 goals and 58 points in 63 games and won the 2016-17 AHL's Dudley "Red" Garrett Award as the league's Rookie of the Year in the process. Over the course of the past two seasons, the San Jose Sharks called up O'Regan for a total of 22 games where he scored one goal and added four assists.

The general consensus on O'Regan is that he's a highly skilled, versatile forward with a great set of hands for scoring or setting up with the big question mark being his overall smallish stature at  5'10" 185 lbs. Rochester American's head coach Chris Taylor had this to say about O'Regan via the team's website, “I heard he’s really smart and he can score goals, so that helps. But first and foremost, I heard he’s a great person on and off the ice, and that’s what we want. We want good people in our dressing room.”

O'Regan came to the Sabres organization in a February26, 2018 trade deadline deal that sent Buffalo's Evander Kane to the Sharks for O'Regan and a pair of conditional draft picks. The following day he was on the ice for the Rochester's morning skate and played in his first game for the Amerks that night with zero points in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI.)

Last night the Amerks took on the division-leading Toronto Marlies (TOR) and O'Regan scored his first two goals for Rochester in a 4-1 win over their rivals. His second was an empty-netter but his first was described for what it was, "a skill goal" as seen at the 1:40-mark of the Marlies TV video:




The Amerks face off against the Laval Rocket (MTL) today in a 3 pm matinee at Blue Cross Arena.


*****

Rochester has been struggling for a while after challenging for the top spot in the North Division at one time. However, the Amerks haven't fallen off the face of the earth thanks to a stretch where they've gotten points in 17 of their last 23 games. They head into today's game five points behind the second place Syracuse Crunch (TBL) but with one game in hand.

Adding O'Regan could be a big boost for the Amerks but even without him, some Amerks have been picking up the pace lately.

Forward Justin Bailey, who's been dealing with injury all season, has four goals and five points in his last four games. Second-year pro Alexander Nylander has a four-game point-streak (1+3) and goalie Linus Ullmark looks to be regaining his All-Star form. In his last two games Ullmark has stopped 51 of 54 shots (.944 save percentage) and has not allowed more than two goals in four of his last five games.

All three were contributors in last night's win over Toronto.

A couple of quick notes: 

As shown in the video above, Ullmark is really looking solid. While under duress a couple of times he never flopped around and always kept his head up and body square to the action in and around him. The Marlies were knocking on the door twice in the second period with the Amerks up 2-0 but Ullmark shut it tight.

Nylander got his assist last night after starting an around the horn play with Rochester on the powerplay. But earlier in the game he failed to bear down on a puck and allowed two defenders to quickly collapse on him and stifle a scoring opportunity. Its true that Amerks center Sean Malone probably should have taken the shot instead of passing but Nylander didn't show any desire whilst in an upright position on that play.


*****

Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) and his Minnesota Golden Gophers were swept out of the Big-10 Tournament and are in a precarious positon to get an invite to the Men's D-1 Tournament later this month. Mittelstadt score three goals and added two assists in the two losses to Penn State and finishes his freshman season with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games for Minnesota.

I'm going to be a little selfish here, while also veering away from my normal thought process when it comes to prospects, and say that I'd like to see the Sabres organization sign him now. If they can avoid burning a year off of his entry-level deal by signing him to an AHL contract, even better.

Although the numbers aren't eye-popping by any stretch of the imagination, for one, Mittelstadt was on a sub-par Gophers team. One may also want to take into account that he's a freshman playing against players two, three and four years older than him.

Mittelstadt has the skills and at 6'0" 201 lbs has much of the size needed to get started at the pro level so the jump to the AHL may not be as big for him. Plus adding that type of skill to the Amerks will only make that team better.

Much will be determined by the NCAA selection committee, but if the Gophers are out, I'm of the opinion that Sabres GM Jason Botterill should get that kid in Rochester learning the pro game.

Watch Casey Mittelstadt capture a goal and two helpers last night in Minnesota's 6-5 loss at Penn State. Gophers bounced from B1G tourney, now await NCAA brackets on 3/18. Mittelstadt: 34GP 11-19-30 pic.twitter.com/vwk8E1GJyA

&mdash">https://t.co/vwk8E1GJyA">pic.twitter.com/vwk8E1GJyA
— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) March">https://twitter.com/SabresProspects/status/970297544440975361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018
*****

The Sabres are on the ice today getting ready for their first matchup of the season against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night.

Yes, you read that right, the Sabres and Leafs will face off tonight in Buffalo's 65th game of the season and will be playing each other four times over the next four weeks.

According to reports at the rink, Marco Scandella is back on the ice after leaving the ice during Buffalo's game at Florida on Friday.

Here's the lines and d-pairings from those at the rink today:

Girgensons-O’Reilly-Reinhart
Wilson-Larsson-Pominville
Pouliot-Griffith-Baptiste
Nolan-Josefson-Okposo

Scandella-Ristolainen
Antipin-Nelson Gorges-
Falk/Beaulieu

Perhaps letting Ted Nolan go at the time wasn't the best move for the Sabres

Jon Vogl of The Buffalo News wrote a very revealing piece today which centered around former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller and his coach at the time, Lindy Ruff. Back in 2008 Miller was the face of the Sabres and represented the future of USA Hockey heading into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.

Ruff, who spent 16+ years as the Sabres head coach, was never one to shy away from skating his team through tough practices after lackluster efforts and did so after a 2-1 Sabres loss in Florida. Miller was included in the skate as well.

From Vogl's piece, "Ruff called out Miller after the Florida game saying, 'you've got to get saves there' in reference to both goals and added the first one was 'an easy play for Ryan to read.'"

"With sweat pouring down Miller's face," continued Vogl of the practice, he quoted Miller as saying, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to read better,"

Vogl wrote about Miller being unhappy and thought he was calling out his coach with that remark. Much to his surprise, such was not the case. "He was very adamant as to why," wrote Vogl. "He was scared of the coach. He said Ruff was in charge of his career and playing time. Miller was worried if he crossed him, he could be benched or shipped out of town." The exact opposite of what Vogl and others expected.

That was roughly 10 years ago and Miller's fears never seemed to be the same as a forward group that oft times were accused of creating a "country club setting" which lead to underachievement as a team from the 2007-08 season onward.

Ruff was fired by owner Terry Pegula in 2013 and replaced by rookie head coach Ron "Garden Gloves" Rolston who proved rather quickly the following season that he was in way over his head. Rolston was the first of, now, four coaches since Ruff was fired on February 20 that year. After Rolston came a year-plus of Ted Nolan, two years of Dan Bylsma and this April will mark the first season under Phil Housley.

Many believe that Nolan, who's systematic shortcomings are the stuff of fodder, was hired to lead the team to the top of the draft by coaching them to the bottom of the league. Perhaps that may have been the case. Or perhaps as a hire of Pat LaFontaine, who was named President of Hockey Operations for the Buffalo Sabres on November 13, 2013, Nolan was expected t do what he's always done, motivate his team through a very trying time and make them as competitive as could be. Tank be damned.

During the 2014-15 season when the Sabres as an organization were focused upon losing to guarantee a shot at Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, Nolan had a group of nobody's and borderline NHL'ers actually making some waves through much of the season, a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak and 0-12 month of January notwithstanding.

Even with that abysmal stretch, it still took until the second-to-last game of the season for Buffalo to reach their goal of securing last place in the standings and Nolan was a big part of that.

He was fired April 12, the day after the season mercifully ended.

With the potential to select McDavid in the draft maybe even land soon to be free agent coach Mike Babcock, who's considered to be one of the best in the business, Nolan's firing was a pretty much a foregone conclusion.

But while the organization went chasing rainbows and lucky charms, believing that fate would smile upon them not once but twice, a good coach was being tossed aside at the end of that season.

Nolan's shortcomings are well documented in that X's and O's to him might make up some foreign equation found on Mars and he was mocked repeatedly and relentlessly most everywhere in Buffalo because of it. However, say what you will, his players always worked hard and would run through a brick wall for him.

What Buffalo got in X's and O's after his firing, they lost in motivation. The first year under Bylsma the Sabres increased their point total by 50%, which is impressive even if they were coming off of a 54-point tank season.  After that, a disappointing season that saw a disconnect between him and his players.

He was fired after two seasons. Yet nothing has changed with the hiring of a rookie head coach in Housley.

"Too many Sabres either don't care or think they're in charge," wrote Vogl of the present state of the team. "The players don't listen or, even worse, don't feel they even have to listen. It's a major reason why the Sabres are bottom-feeders once again."

Housley, an extremely gifted, Hall of Fame player who worked wonders with the Nashville Predators defense as an assistant coach, knows his X's and O's, as Vogl points out. "Housley has a great knack for forecasting exactly what the opponent will do, and he explains it clearly in the morning. When the puck drops, the opponent follows the blueprint and the Sabres stand there and get run over."

And there's the rub. The Sabres have had two very knowledgeable coaches who are in tune with the intricacies of the modern game but were not able to motivate their team to the point where they could play it properly game-in, game-out.

In no way should this be construed as a call to bring Nolan back to Buffalo. But in hindsight, a team coming off of consecutive last place finishes with no sense of identity and the ire of the hockey world harshly directed at them probably could have used a foundational season under Nolan just to get them something to rally around while learning to play the game properly as a new team. 

In Bylsma's first season we watched the Sabres struggle with his system while also watching them fumble through basics like passing and covering a two-on-one. The hiring of Housley made it even worse. Granted the players seemed to have figured it out somewhat, but it's way to late this season and there are no guarantees any success they may have through the end of the season will carry over.

The Pegulas and their GM Jason Botterill will have some decisions to make moving forward. While most in Sabreland can't wait to add more talent, which is a good thing, not having a proper team construct or worse, not having motivated players especially star players, makes for a vicious cycle.

If Housley's not the answer as coach, and this very well may be true, once again the organization will be looking for a new head coach. Hiring a fifth coach since 2013 might not be the ideal, but it's about wins and losses and we know that it's easier to fire one coach than it is to move on from 10 players.  What it does come down to is finding the fit.

The Detroit Red Wings are considered one of the best organizations in sports and rightfully so. What people don't remember is that the decades prior to their 25-year playoff run was known as the "Dead Wings-era." From 1982 when Mike Ilitch took over the team until their first of four Stanley Cups beginning in 1997, the Red Wings went through five coaches including three coaches in the first four seasons coming out of the Dead Wings era and two more before Scotty Bowman lead them back to the promised land.

The Sabres are what they are right now. It ain't pretty and just throwing talent and money at trying to fix it is not the solution. Talent will help immensely, but without motivation, it's meaningless. "Sometimes guys think they're playing hard," Housley was quoted as saying by Vogl, "but they're not playing hard enough and they have to work. I think that's the bottom line for a lot of guys."

For a short period of time over the past five years, that was never a problem.

Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Individual Stats Leaders--February

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-2-2018


The big news, of course, is that Jack Eichel went down with a high-ankle sprain in Buffalo's 4-2 win at Boston on February 10. The injury could keep the Sabres' leading scorer out for the rest of the season. Should the team doctors give the go, and the team agree that he can finish out the season on the ice, Eichel will get a handful of games to close out 2017-18.

Buffalo ended up winning that game in Boston, despite Eichel being felled early in the first period and the team finished his five games with a 2-2-1 record. After that the Sabres finished the month of February 4-4-1 which included another win vs. Boston and two wins against the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

How did they pull it off? It was a total team effort.

Ryan O'Reilly took over the reigns for Buffalo leading the team in scoring (12 points,) goals (5,) assists (7,) and primary assists (6.) In addition he lead the team on the powerplay with four goals and added three assists while also pulling off a plus-2 rating while leading all forwards in time on ice. His sidekick through it all was Sam Reinhart who was second to O'Reilly in points (10,) goals (4,) assists (6,) and primary assists (5.) Reinhart was tied for second overall on the team in plus/minus with a plus-3.

Those were the leaders, but the Sabres got secondary scoring as well, most notably from Evan Rodrigues and Scott Wilson, both of whom had four goals. Rodrigues had a particularly good month adding five assists to the mix for nine points which tied him for third on the team with defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

Although Ristolainen managed to get the job done on the back end with three goals and six assists from the blueline, his minus-6 rating which was second worst on the team behind Kyle Okposo's ungodly minus-10. Although Okposo did manage a goal and five assists on the powerplay, he recorded only two points 5v5 (1+1.)

Marco Scandella lead the team with a plus-4 rating for the month.

In addition to O'Reilly and Reinhart picking up their pace and Rodrigues finding his groove, defenseman Casey Nelson was a pleasant surprise as head coach Phil Housley continued to feed him minutes. From the February 8 game vs. the New York Islanders whe Housley paired him with Marco Scandella, Nelson skated under 19 minutes only once, in the last game of the month at Tampa. Nelson responded with a goal and five assists (three primary) and finished second on the team behind his partner Scandella with a plus-3 rating.

It was a team effort in scoring as seven players scored three or more goals for Buffalo in February. The previous best was six players in November while the other months were either four (twice) or three.

Between the pipes for Buffalo, the month of February belonged to backup goalie Chad Johnson. The 31 yr. old, who was rumored as possible trade-bait, finished the month with a 4-2-0 record while lowering his goals-against average (from 3.64 to 3.18) and increasing his save-percentage. Of particular note is that his four wins came against the top two teams in the division--Tampa and Boston. In those four games Johnson allowed a cumulative seven goals on 113 shots-against for a save percentage of .938.

Finally, the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline came and went with the Sabres making one move as they sent winger Evander Kane to San Jose for conditional 2nd and 4th round picks plus prospect Daniel O'Regan. Kane lead the team in scoring through October and November and was tied for the team lead in goals (15) to close December. Between January 1 and February 26, the day he was traded, Kane only scored five goals and left the with three consecutive 20-goal seasons.

Fans in Buffalo should root for a match between San Jose and Kane that will lead to a long-term relationship as the conditional 2019 second round pick turns into a 2019 first rounder if he re-signs with the club.



Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Individual Stats leaders:


Points

--October: Pominville, Kane, Eichel, 12; O'Reilly, 8
--November: Kane, 11; Okposo, 9; O'Reilly, 8
--December: Eichel, 16; Kane, 11; O'Reilly, 8
--January: Eichel, 14; Okposo, 12; Ristolainen, 11
--February:  O'Reilly, 12;  Reinhart, 10;  Ristolainen, Rodrigues , 9


 Goals

--October: Pominville, Kane, 6; Eichel, O'Reilly, 4
--November: Kane, 6; Pouliot, 4; Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, 3
--December: Eichel, 8; Kane, Okposo, 3; six with 2
--January: Eichel, Reinhart, 5; O'Reilly, 4; Okposo, 3
--February:  O'Reilly, 5;  Kane, Reinhart, Rodrigues, Wilson, 4;  (three with 3)


 Powerplay Goals

--October: O'Reilly, 3; Pominville, Kane, Reinhart, 1
--November: O'Reilly, Pouliot, Reinhart, Okposo, 1
--December: Eichel, Kane, Pominville, Rodrigues, 1
--January: O'Reilly, Reinhart, 3; Okposo, 2
--February:  O'Reilly, 4;  Eichel, Kane, Pominville, Reinhart, Okposo, 1


 Assists

--October: Eichel, 8 Pominville, Kane, 6
--November: Okposo, 6; Kane, O'Reilly, 5
--December: Eichel, Kane, 8; O'Reilly, 6; Scandella, 5
--January: Eichel, Okposo, Ristolainen, 9; O'Reilly, 6
--February:  O'Reilly, 7;  Reinhart, Okposo, Ristolainen, 6


 Powerplay Assists

--October: Kane, Ristolainen, 2; six players with 1
--November: Kane, 3; Okposo, 2; three players with 1
--December: Eichel, Ristolainen, 2; Kane, Reinhart, Okposo, 1
--January: Eichel, 7; Ristolainen, 6; Okposo, 4
--February:  Ristolainen, 6;  Okposo, 5;  O'Reilly, 3


 Primary Assists

--October: Eichel, 7; O'Reilly, Ristolainen, 4; Kane, Beaulieu, 2
--November: Eichel, 4; O'Reilly, Okposo, 3; four players with 2
--December: Eichel, Kane, O'Reilly, 5; Scandella, 3; McCabe, 2
--January: Okposo, 7; Eichel, O'Reilly, Ristolainen, Scandella, 3
--February:  O'Reilly, 6;  Reinhart, 5;  Okposo, Larsson, Nelson, 3


 Plus/Minus

--October: Pominville, +3; Girgensons, Gorges, +1; Pouliot, even
--November: Reinhart, Nolan, Scandella, Antipin, even; Kane, Griffith, Gorges, -1
--December: O'Reilly, +2; Girgensons, Wilson, +1; Larsson, McCabe, even
--January: O'Reilly, +2, Ristolainen, Scandella, McCabe, even
--February:  Scandella, +4;  Pouliot, Reinhart, Nelson, +3;  O'Reilly, +2


 Plus/Minus (Bottom)

--October: O'Reilly, -9; Reinhart, -8; Okposo, -7
--November: O'Reilly, Larsson, -8; McCabe, -7; Beaulieu, -6
--December: Kane, Pominville, -7; Ristolainen, -6; Rodrigues, -5
--January: Girgensons, -7; Eichel, Beaulieu, Falk, -6
--February:  Okposo, -10;  Ristolainen, -6;  Larsson, Wilson, Beaulieu, Antipin, -3



 Goalies (composite)


Robin Lehner
--October: 4-2-1;  2.78 GAA;  .911 Sv%;  1 shutout
--November: 5-11-2;  2.92; . 906,  1
--December: 9-14-5;  2.74;  .915;  1
--January: 11-19-6;  2.85;  .912;  3
--February:  13-23-8;  2.95;  .910;  3


 Chad Johnson
--October: 1-3-1;  4.06 GAA;  .879 Sv%;  0 shutouts
--November: 1-4-2;  3.59;  .885; 0
--December: 1-6-3;  3.78;  .881; 0
--January: 2-8-3;   3.64;  .884;  0
--February:  6-10-3;  3.18;  .896;  0


 Linus Ullmark
--January: 1-0-0;  1.00 GAA;  .978 Sv%;  0 shutouts

Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Team Stats--February

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-1-2018


In gliding down the team stats, not much has changed for the Buffalo Sabres a team that still occupies the last spot in the Eastern Conference. At this time of year large month-to-month fluctuations are rarely seen as teams are who they are and the sample size is large enough where moves one way or the other are slight at best.

For the Sabres, the month of February saw their defense kick it up a tad as they were trending positive in goals-against and shots-against along with their penalty kill. Buffalo finished the month with a 6-6-2 record which is the first time all season they've been able to hit the .500-point mark. Those 14 points accumulated also equal their best monthly output of the season.

What's intriguing, however, is where those points came from.

In a lost season we're often stretching for a positive, whether individually or as a team, and in an interesting aspect last month, the Sabres went 5-1-1 within the Atlantic Division. Two of those wins came against the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning who sit atop most statistical categories as chronicled below. Two others came against the Boston Bruins, with one of them coming in Rick Nash's Boston debut. The other win came against the Red Wings in Detroit.

Buffalo has a 20-33-11 overall record this season, yet in the division they're 8-6-3. And what's interesting is that the Sabres are 6-2-1 vs. the division from December thru February after getting buried by their Atlantic division foes in October and November (2-4-2 record.)

Here's the breakdown of the two periods (Oct.+ Nov. / Dec.-Feb):

FLA:  0-1-0 / 0-1-0
BOS:  1-0-0 / 2-1-0
TBL:  0-1-0 / 2-0-0
OTT:  0-0-0 / 1-0-1
MTL: 0-1-2 / 0-0-0
DET:  1-1-0 / 1-0-0

In a weird schedule quirk (or maybe it was intended,) the Sabres have yet to face the Toronto Maple Leafs and will do so four times over the course of their final 17 games.

Why the discrepancies occurred is up for debate but some of the reasons could include a rookie coach with a overhauled team to begin this season. Perhaps the early season sturggles  were the result, as WGR550's Paul Hamilton has alluded to on a number of occasions, of a team that has a tendency to wilt under pressure in games that have meaning, which happens at the beginning of the year. As for the turnaround, perhaps one could say that both player and coach adapted and have learned what works and what doesn't. You could say that the team is a little quicker overall with the influx of some speed into the lineup and/or that teams like Tampa and Boston may have taken them a little lightly.

Regardless, there's a definitive difference in how Buffalo has fared against teams in their division, and the opinion here is that they've been playing better, more focused, hockey against those teams.

Anyone who watched last night's game against the Lighting will tell you that Buffalo actually dominated much of the play. They were harder on the forecheck, quicker to the pucks and defended relentlessly, especially in the second period, which has been their worst period all season. At the end of two periods the Sabres had outshot the Lightning by a 22-12 margin and continued to stifle them until a mid-third period powerplay. They used a similar game plan against Tampa earlier in the month and won 5-3. Buffalo also beat Boston twice in February, wining by scores of 4-2 on the road and 4-1 at home, using the same methods.

The Sabres play seven of their 14 games in March against Atlantic Division foes. They kick the month off tomorrow with a game against the Florida Panthers whom they've yet to beat this season (0-2-0.) From there it's their first matchup of the season against a very good Toronto team on March 5.

For as bad as the Sabres have been all season, pulling off four wins in a row against the top two teams in the division during February is, at the very least, worth noting. In a lost season where on-ice interest has been whittled down to almost nothing, charting how Buffalo does against the Atlantic Division is something to keep an eye on.




Buffalo Sabres Team Stats (League Rankings)...(Leader):


Wins

--October: 3 (T-29th)...(STL, TBL, 10)
--November: 6 (T-29th)...(TBL, STL, TOR, 17)
--December: 10 (29th)...(TBL, 28)
--January: 14 (29th)...(TBL, 34)
--February:  20 (30th)...(TBL, 43)

--2016-17: 33 (25th)...(WSH, 55)
--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH, 56)
--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA, 49)
--2013-14: 21 (30th)...(BOS, 54)


Atlantic Division Standing

--October: 8th...(TBL)
--November: 8th...(TBL)
--December: 8th...(TBL)
--January: 8th...(TBL)
--February:  8th...(TBL)

--2016-17: 8th...(MTL)
--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)
--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)
--2013-14: 8th...(BOS)


Eastern Conference Standing

--October: 16th...(TBL)
--November: 16th...(TBL)
--December: 16th...(TBL)
--January: 16th...(TBL)
--February:  16th (TBL)

--2016-17: 15th...(WSH)
--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)
--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)
--2013-14: 16th...(BOS)


League standing/Points

--October: 29th/8...(TBL/21)
--November: T-30th/16...(TBL/36)
--December: 30th/28...(TBL/58)
--January: 30th/37...(TBL/71)
--February:  30th/37...(TBL/90)

--2016-17: 26th/78...(WSH/118)
--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
--2013-15: 30th/52...(BOS/117)


Points Percentage

--October: .333 (30th)...(STL, TBL/.808)
--November: .320 (30th)...(TBL/.720)
--December: .368 (30th)...(TBL/ .763)
--January: .370 (30th)...(VGK/ .714)
--February:  .398 (30th)...(TBL/.703)

--2016-17: .476 (26th)...(WSH, .720)
--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH, .732)
--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR, .689)
--2013-14: .317 (30th)...(BOS, .713)


Goal Differential

--October: -15 (30th)...(TBL, +17)
--November: -30 (30th)...(TBL, +25)
--December: -42 (30th)...(TBL, +51)
--January: -51 (30th)...(TBL, +48)
--February:  -54 (30th)...(TBL, +56)

--2016-17: -36 (24th)...(WSH, +81)
--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH, +59)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
--2013-14: -91 (30th)...(BOS, +84)


Goals/Game

--October: 2.42 (29th)...(TBL, 4.08)
--November: 2.20 (31st)...(NYI, 3.67)
--December: 2.21 (31st)...(TBL, 3.74)
--January: 2.30 (31st)...(TBL, 3.48)
--February:  2.39 (30th)...(TBL, 3.5)

--2016-17: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT, 3.39)
--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL, 3.23)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
--2013-14: 1.83 (30th)...(ANA, 3.21)


Shots/Game

--October: 31.5 (17th)...(MTL, 38)
--November: 30.9 (20th)...(CAR, 35.7)
--December: 30.9 (19th)...(PIT, 34.9)
--January: 30.9 (21st)...(FLA, 34.6)
--February:  30.7 (23rd)...(CHI, 34.7)

--2016-17: 30.4 (15th)...(PIT, 33.5)
--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 33.2)
--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI, 33.9)
--2013-14: 26.3 (30th)...(SJS, 34.8)


5v5 Goals

--October: 18 (19th)...(CLB, 28)
--November: 37 (29th)...(TOR, 66)
--December: 55 (29th)...(TOR, 92)
--January: 71 (31st)...(NYI, 118)
--February:  90 (31st)...(TOR, 153)

--2016-17: 126 (28th)...(MIN, 187)
--2015-16: 121 (28th)...(DAL, 167)
--2014-15: 110 (29th)...(TBL, 181)
--2013-14: 96 (30th)...(ANA, 190)


Powerplay

--October: 14.3% (23rd)...(DAL, 30.8)
--November: 12.8 (30th)...(TBL, 27.4)
--December: 12.4 (30th)...(TBL, 25.7)
--January: 16.2 (26th)...(PIT, 26.7)
--February:  17.4 (25th)...(PIT, 27)

--2016-17: 24.5 (1st)
--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA, 23.1)
--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH, 25.3)
--2013-14: 14.1 (29th)...(PIT, 23.4)


Goals-against/Game

--October: 3.58 (27th)...(LAK, 2.00)
--November: 3.36 (28th)...(SJS, 2.17)
--December: 3.29 (28th)...(LAK, 2.33)
--January: 3.30 (28th)...(LAK, 2.42)
--February:  3.22 (26th)...(LAK, 2.47)

--2016-17: 2.82 (19th)...(WSH, 2.16)
--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA, 2.29)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
--2013-14: 2.96 (25th)...(LAK, 2.05)


Shots against/Game

--October: 32.5 (19th)...(SJS, 28.7)
--November: 31.2 (T-11th)...(SJS, 28.7)
--December: 32.4 (23rd)...(CAR, 29.6)
--January: 32.6 (24th)...(CAR, 29.2)
--February:  32.4 (22nd)...(CAR, 28.9)

--2016-17: 34.3 (30th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH, 27.3)
--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK, 27.0)
--2013-14: 34.3 (28th)...(NJD, 25.5)


 Penalty Kill

--October: 82.5% (11th)...(LAK, 93.0)
--November: 81.1 (13th)...(LAK, 89.5)
--December: 81.9 (12th)...(LAK, 87.1)
--January: 78.6 (23rd)...(LAK, 86.2)
--February:  79.4 (20th)...(SJS, 84.4)

--2016-17: 77.6 (25th)...(BOS, 85.7)
--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA, 87.2)
--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN, 86.3)
--2013-14: 81.4 (20th)...(NJD, 86.4)


Faceoff Percentage

--October: 50.4% (18th)...(OTT, 53.9)
--November: 51.4 (11th)...(PHI, 53.0)
--December: 51.2 (9th)...(WPG, 52.8)
--January: 51.1 (11th)...(PHI, 52.9)
--February:  51.2 (9th)...(CAR, 53.6)

--2016-17: 49.6 (17th)...(ANA, 54.7)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
--2013-14: 46.8 (29th)...(NSH, 53.1)

Less than 20 games to go, Sabres fans.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-18-2018


The Buffalo Sabres begin their final 19-game post-trade deadline stretch of the 2017-18 season with a 19-33-11 record which is good for an Eastern Conference-worst 49 points. To say it's not been a very good year would be an understatement and to add a little perspective, here was the Sabres record at this point of the season stretching back to 2013-14, the first of their two tank years:

2013-14:  19-36-8 (46 points)
2014-15:  19-39-5 (43)
2015-16:  25-31-7 (57)
2016-17:  26-26-11 (63)

The past two seasons had GM Tim Murray overseeing the hockey operations department and head coach Dan Bylsma in charge of his team. In 2015-16 the Sabres went 10-5-4 over their last 19 games and finished with 81 points, which was 50% more than the season prior. Although the prior season was designed for a wretched showing and a last place finish, that significant point increase gave fans and management plenty to be optimistic about moving forward. However, as the Sabres struggled with injuries and inconsistencies in the early part of 2016-17 and a pall was cast over the team as they finished the season with a 7-11-1 record while playing as if they were simply riding out a lost season.

It lead to the firings of both Murray and Bylsma.

Enter new GM Jason Botterill and his new bench boss, Phil Housley, both of whom had never occupied those positions before. Off-season optimism once again reigned supreme as Botterill made some moves to revamp his defense (while also significantly turning over his roster) and Housley was expected to work some magic with that revamped d-corps. It fell apart early and got worse through the first two months of the season before things began to stabilize. With the season basically over in December, Sabreland was focused on the February 26, 2018 NHL trade deadline.

That has since come and gone with Buffalo making one trade as Evander Kane, Buffalo's second-leading goal scorer, was shipped off to the San Jose Sharks for a decent return that could turn out to be better if he re-signs with the Sharks. In that case the conditional 2019 second round pick Buffalo received would turn into a first-round pick. The Sabres also received a 2019 conditional fourth-rounder and if San Jose wishes, they can push that pick to 2020 in which case it turns into a third round pick. Buffalo also received forward prospect Daniel O'Regan in the deal.

Kane played his first game for the Sharks last night, skated over 16 minutes for his new club,  registered two assists (one primary) and was a plus-2 in San Jose's 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the Shark Tank. He was also named the game's second star.

While Kane is on the West Coast trying to help the Sharks make the playoffs (the win last night pushed them into second in the division by two points,) those in Sabreland are left with an annual routine that dates back seven seasons--play out the strand while focusing on the NHL Draft.

However, in saying that, within the next 19 games are "little stanley cups" which could, and should, at least get the fan base excited. Most notably, the Sabres have four games against the QEW rival Toronto Maple Leafs in a weird schedule quirk that loaded all four season-series matchups into what will be the final 17 games of Buffalo's season. And if the fans can't get up for any of those games, the next first two in that series is at KeyBank Center and they can do what they usually do when it comes to a Toronto game in Buffalo, sell their tickets at a premium to ease some of the mental and financial burden they've been shouldering during the season.

Sprinkled amongst the final games are a first-time visit from the expansion Vegas Golden Knights (March 10) and...really not that much to get all that excited about.

It all begins tonight with Buffalo in Tampa to take on the league's top team. The Lightning, who were a Stanley Cup favorite to begin, fortified their d-corps at the trade deadline when they acquired NY Rangers defenseman (and captain) Ryan McDonagh making them even more of a favorite.

Tampa has been a top team in the division for three of the past four years which includes a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014-15. Last year they were victims of circumstance and barely missed the playoffs but it would seem as if they're back with a vengeance.

Buffalo has split the season series with Tampa so far with both games taking place at KBC. They were shut out 2-0 in late November but pulled off an impressive 5-3 win just over two weeks ago. The Sabres were without Jack Eichel, who'd suffered an injury two games earlier in Boston. The Sabres used a full team effort complete with a dogged forcheck punctuated by secondary scoring to take down Tampa.

However, even with that win, the Sabres are still only 2-7-1 in their last 10 against Tampa according to Sabres PR.

Tonight the Sabres will be without their top two goal scorers prior to the deadline--Eichel and Kane--and they will also be missing their third leading scorer in Kyle Okposo who's on a leave to be with his wife for the birth of their third child.

Without those three, the weight of scoring falls on the shoulders of Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart, both of whom have been pretty hot of late. O'Reilly has eight points (2+6) in his last eight games while Reinhart has been on fire with a four-game scoring streak and 20 points (7+13) in his last 19 games. The Sabres have also been getting meaningful contributions from the blueline lately. Rasmus Ristolainen has 21 points and all of his six goals in his last 26 games while Marco Scandella has scored three goals in his last five games (all stats courtesy of Sabres PR.)

Of note:  It took until Game-28 against the Colorado Avalanche on December 5 for a Sabres defenseman to score a goal (Jake McCabe.)

Needless to say the Sabres have their work cut out for them tonight against the Lightning. This is the time of year where teams are beginning to really kick it in gear while either in a playoff chase or getting finely tuned for the playoffs and Tampa is no exception. The Lightning are winners of their last four games and five of their last six.

As for the Sabres?

Let's hope they show up in a meaningful way.

The trade that was and those that weren't on a lame deadline day for Buffalo

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-27-2018


Much like the NHL's "free agent frenzy" in July and the NFL's annual October trade deadline, the NHL's own traded deadline came and went with very little going on. With the league getting younger NHL GM's whose team is either in a playoff chase or a Stanley Cup chase generally held on to their picks rather than blow them on rentals. Even a usual late-day throng of traded involving depth players, of which the Sabres had plenty, for low round picks never materialized.

Those who'd spent a majority of their morning and afternoon locked into the NHL's trade deadline day wasted hours for little, and for those in Sabreland hoping for moves to help them in the future were left wanting.

Buffalo only made one trade yesterday as GM Jason Botterill sent Evander Kane to the San Jose' Sharks for a conditional second round pick, a conditional fourth-rounder and prospect Daniel O'Regan. The second round pick is in 2019 and will turn into a first if either a.) Kane re-signs with the Sharks in the off season or b.) the Sharks win the Stanley Cup. As for the fourth-rounder, it's a 2019 pick that San Jose' can push to 2020 in which case it turns into a third round pick.

The trading of Kane was inevitable, as Buffalo wasn't going to re-sign him. Why they wouldn't re-up a 26 yr. old powerforward who had three consecutive 20-goals seasons with the club is varied and we'll throw a few reasons out there.

First off, this is Kane's big chance to land, quite possibly, the final lucrative contract of his career. No one knows what he and his agent are looking for, but it might be safe to assume that he'd like the security of another long-term deal that could land in the $40-50 million range. The Sabres right now are bogged down by some hefty contracts with term in those of Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo and Zach Bogosian and in addition, Jack Eichel's 8yr./$80 million contract kicks in beginning next season. Hard to see them adding another on in Kane without moving out at least one they're on the hook for.

There's always the question of what Kane might do off the ice that is troublesome. Kane has had a checkered past dating back to his days in Winnipeg and it didn't help that he had three incidents in a seven-month span with the Sabres which included an incident at the 2016 NHL Draft held in Buffalo that embarrassed the organization. He's kept his nose clean off the ice but there still was the recent spat where, according to reports from the rink, of defenseman Justin Falk going after Kane at practice and yelling "shut the (expletive) up you selfish (expletive)."

And then there's also a sense that ownership didn't want him on the team anymore. The Draft incident was said to have really rubbed owners Terry and Kim Pegula the wrong way with rumors stating that under no circumstances would Kane be re-signed. There were also suggestions that former GM Tim Murray had a difficult time keeping one of his prized acquisitions in the fold during the time after the 2016 Draft.

The official response as to why Kane was traded came from Botterill as he addressed the gathered media yesterday evening.

“As a result of where we are in the standings, we have to make changes to our organization,” Botterill told reporters at KeyBank Center. "The group that we have right now is not working.

“I’m not putting all the blame on Evander Kane,” he said. “There’s a lot of blame to go around – coaching staff, management, players. We have to be better in certain situations. The bottom line is the mix we had right now isn’t working, so we had to make adjustments.”

Botterill was asked if the Pegula's had any input in the Kane decision and the GM offered up a flat-out, "no."

Perhaps teams looking at Kane as a rental knew the full situation, or perhaps they knew that his past along with Buffalo's cap-situation would mean landing a premium rental like Kane at a bargain price. Whatever the reason(s), the serious offers weren't with Botterill saying, "The bottom line is we had one legitimate offer for Evander.”

A situation like that doesn't bode well for a max return in the trade and leaves the door wide open for second-guessing Botterill as to why he waited so long to make the trade. Kane was a supposed hot commodity through December, but the first-time GM held out. No one really knows whether or not Botterill had legit offers on the table, but in many cases the best trades are done before the trade deadline.

For those ready to jump off the Peace Bridge because Kane didn't get a first rounder in return, all is not lost. The San Jose' Sharks did well in protecting their interests which included GM Doug Wilson entering the deadline stating that he wasn't planning on giving up top picks or prospects for rentals. If Kane turns out to be a rental it's only a second rounder but if they sign him after the season, giving up a first rounder along with two mid-level pieces makes him more than a rental and doesn't disrupt that school of thought. And it sounds as if Wilson would give serious consideration to re-singing in the off season.

For this season, San Jose' is in the midst of a playoff race with a team that's in the middle of the NHL in scoring right now. Last season they finished 10th in scoring but lost 27 goals and 46 points when Patrick Marleau signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs last July. Although Marleau (now 38 yrs. old) is nearing the tail end of his career, that's still a big chunk of scoring they're missing. In addition, Joe Thornton has been sidelined by a knee injury since Jan. 23 and is still recovering. He's expected to be back by the end of the regular season. The 38 yr. old had 13 goals and 36 points in 47 games before the injury.

With Marleau gone and Thornton not getting any younger, the opportunity to land a scoring winger like Kane, who's in the middle of his prime, was very attractive to Wilson as was the "nickles on the dollar," as one San Jose' writer put it, he paid for him. "I go back to the skillset that he brings and the age that he brings," said Wilson to the local media yesterday, "sop he does bring the ingredients that fit for now and the future."

Wilson was also smart in that he and his staff will have the opportunity to see Kane up close and judge for themselves as to whether they want to move forward with him. "The way the (trade) is structured," he said, "allows us to have flexibility for him to get to know us and for us to get to know him.

"Get him in hers, let's get to know each other and we'll go from there."

Of note, the Sharks will have $20 million in cap-space next season, according to CapFriendly, with a young core and d-corps locked in save for a couple RFA's. They'll have even more if the salary cap increases from the present $75 million ceiling.

As for Kane, he'll be entering an environment that's been a model of consistency for the past 20 seasons as they've missed the playoffs only twice in that span. Which is good for him considering he's never been on a playoff team in his nine-year career. Northern California has a lot to offer and that includes being a stones throw from his Vancouver, BC hometown. The hockey atmosphere in San Jose' is great with "The Shark Tank" being one of the loudest arenas in the league.

If it's a match, then it will work out for all involved, including the Sabres, maybe not as much as some in Sabreland had hoped for, but it will have worked out.


*****

Wilson was able to hang on to his top prospects like Timo Meier, Josh Norris and Joakim Ryan in the deal and instead sent forward Daniel O'Regan to the Sabres in the Kane trade.

O'Regan was selected 138th-overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by San Jose' and was the AHL's Rookie of the Year last season after scoring 56 points (22+34) in 64 games for the San Jose' Barracuda. In 22 NHL games he scored one goal and added four assists.

The 5'10" 185 lb. O'Regan spent his senior season at Boston University playin on a line with Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues, both of whom play for the Sabres. Eichel was the second-overall pick int the 2015 NHL Draft while Rodrigues was a free agent signing out of college that year.

Will they be reunited? Maybe for a game this season, but O'Regan will be headed to Rochester, at least initially, to help a struggling Amerks team maintain or better their position in the standings. Although Rochester is still in a playoff spot, they've been slipping as of late.

Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com and sabres.com made an interesting point about O'Regan filling a void left when forward Stevie Moses bolted for the KHL. Moses just up and left on December 22 and was suspended by team for "breach of contract" after he signed a two-year contract with Helsingin Jokerit.

The Amerks were riding high in December with a 17-6-3-3 record and challenging the Toronto Marlies for division supremacy. Since then they're only 10-9-5-3, have dropped to third in the division and sixth-overall in the Eastern Conference.

O'Regan is of no help to the Sabres this year but his 25 points (7+18) will certainly help bolster the Amerks forward group.


*****

The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline was pretty lame for all intents and purposes (save for a few teams) and no doubt the lack of active teams looking for rentals, hurt the return for Kane. In all, according to Sportsnet.ca, "16 trades, 31 players dealt, 18 draft picks moved, and $30.8 million in salaries exchanged." They also noted that five first round picks were exchanged.

As usual there was seems to have been some foolishness as Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee traded a first, second and third in consecutive years beginning this June to the Detroit Red Wings for forward Tomas Tatar. The Nashville Predators sent a first round pick plus two other pieces to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Ryan Hartman and a fifth-round pick. The 23 yr. old Hartman played a modest role for the Hawks and has 27 goals in 147 games. And although there were some minor deals, none involved any Sabres' depth players.

Nor did any team make a trade for either of their goalies.

So tonight when they take on the juggernaut that is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who strengthened an already strong team with the acquisition of NY Rangers defenseman (and team captain) Ryan McDonough, the Sabres will have the same lineup they've been using the past two games.

Twenty games to go, Sabres fans.

Sabres head into Trade Deadline Day with a 4-1 win over Boston.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-26-2018


The Boston Bruins are going to the playoffs.
The Buffalo Sabres are not.

Boston has made three trades to bolster their roster for a playoff run.
Buffalo has not made any trades.

The two Atlantic Division foes played yesterday evening in the final game of their four-game season series.

These are the games at this point that amount to the little stanley cups the Sabres find themselves playing for in the final 20 or so games left in a wretched season. It wasn't supposed to be this way for Buffalo, and least not to this extreme, but this is what it's come down to.

The Sabres have done surprisingly well this season against the Bruins and after their win yesterday finished the series by going 3-1-0 against he Bruins which included two wins in Boston. Former Bruin Chad Johnson is the architect of Buffalo's last two wins as he's allowed Boston only three goals while the Sabres scored four in each of those contests.

Buffalo came to play brought their collective lunch pail to the rink yesterday and weathered a tough second period where the Bruins had them pinned in their own zone for well over two minutes which included two forced icings late in the stanza, came out. Yet they were able to head into the second intermission with holding a 3-1 lead. At 3:22 of the third period, Marco Scandella scored to make it 4-1 and the game, for all intents and purposes, was over.

The Sabres powerplay was working last night and even though the stat sheet says they went 1-5, their first and last goals were scored just seconds after the Bruins killed off a penalty. Buffalo's Benoit Pouliot opened the scoring just :11 seconds after Brad Marchand finished serving his two minute minor and Scandella's tally was only :06 seconds after Kevin Millar returned from his tripping penalty.

At the end of the game there were a lot of smiles emanating from the Blue and Gold and the win over the Bruins will be a nice send off for a number of players who will probably be playing for another team after 3 pm EST today.

The big name on Buffalo's trade list is Evander Kane who's been held out the last two games in anticipation of him being moved today. Defenseman Josh Gorges was also a healthy scratch but one can never tell if it was to keep him safe or because he's been splitting time all season with Justin Falk. The 33 yr. old Gorges, like Kane, is pending unrestricted free agent who had played in 28 of Buffalo's 62 games this season.

Johnson is also a pending UFA who's been finding his groove lately going 4-2-0 in his last six starts while allowing 13 goals on 185 shots  (.930 Sv%.) We're pretty sure one of him or starter Robin Lehner will be on the move today so his one-goal on 35 shots-against yesterday would be a nice way to end his season in Buffalo. The same would go for Pouliot as he tallied yesterday. Interest in the former fourth-overall pick (2005) and pending UFA has perked up a bit in depth-role. A playoff bound team looking to bolster their fourth line could use a player like Pouliot who has twelve goals on the season and can play the penalty kill. Both Johnson and Pouliot wouldn't be bad re-signs for the Sabres in the off season either should they end up being traded today.

Other Sabres' players of interest could include two-time Stanley Cup-winning depth forward Jordan Nolan, depth forward Jacob Josefson (another former first rounder) and possibly Falk, all of whom are pending UFA's.

But of those seven UFA's, Kane, Johnson and Pouliot are the most likely to be gone after today with an outside chance that Gorges could be moved to a playoff-bound team looking for defensive depth.

The mantra when it comes to returns has been pretty consistent for a while. In the case of Kane a high pick (preferably a first rounder) and a mid-upper level prospect would seem to be a fair price with the Sabres retaining salary if necessary while also taking on a large NHL salary in return. Should all those factors come into player, the amount of money Buffalo is willing to eat in the process could mean a low-round draft pick added into the equation.

For the likes of Pouliot, a low-round pick (5th-7th rounder) may be apropos while a backup goalie like Johnson may fetch a fourth-rounder. If the Sabres could get a sixth or seventh round pick for Gorges, I think they'd be very happy.

Such is the trade deadline where speculation becomes realization and those on the selling side of the equation are left looking at futures while the buyers are looking towards the playoffs.

We in Sabreland know the routine.