Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-30-2018
The Calgary Flames are coming off of a stunning 3-1 victory in Toronto over the Maple Leafs. Calgary went into the game having won only once in their previous five games and were winless in their last three which includes an embarrassing 9-1 loss at home vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins where they got booed off of the ice. Two nights later they were able to right the ship somewhat in a 4-3 SO loss to the Washington Capitals before heading east to take on Toronto last night.
Calgary held the high-powered Leafs scoreless through two periods and they entered the third in a 0-0 tie before scoring two goals :35 seconds apart. Toronto closed the gap late in the third period before the Flames iced their 3-1 win with an empty-netter.
Tonight's matchup with the Sabres, on a back-to-back for Calgary, represents the end of a very interesting schedule as of late. The Flames finished a three-game road trip to Nashville, St. Louis and Colorado with two home games before heading east to visit the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. They then headed back to Calgary for two more games (PIT and WSH,) before heading back east to face Toronto last night and Buffalo tonight. As the Flames bounced between the Mountain and Eastern time zones the NHL afforded them only one night off between those seven games and they have them finishing this stretch on a back-to-back.
In all the Flames will have played eight games in 14 days making three flights covering the time zones. "It’s a bit of a weird schedule.” defenseman Mark Giordano told Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "We’re on this one for four or six games usually."
There's no easy win in the NHL and any team thinking that way will almost assuredly come out on the losing end. But when you look at the travel that had the Flames crisscrossing much of the continent over the last 12 days the Sabres, who are coming off of two days between games, should have a winnable game in front of them if they continue to play the way they have as of late, sans the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
*****
Western Conference teams are accustomed to travel, although that Calgary schedule seems unusually difficult, with Fox pointing out that the Flames are slated to travel a league-high 84,882 kilometers (52,743 miles) while the Sabres of the Eastern Conference will have one of the lightest travel schedules at 51,915 (32,258.)
Fox also points out that the figure above does not include the Flames preseason travel to China, where they played split-squad games against the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.
*****
Sabres bench-boss Phil Housley made some tweaks to his linuep. Housley did not touch a red-hot top line of Jack Eichel centering Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville nor did he mess with a very consistent checking line of Johan Larsson centering Zemgus Girgensons and Patrik Berglund. Since he put those lines together Buffalo is 3-0-1. Eichel, Skinner and Pominville have combined for 23 points (9+14) and are a cumulative +15. Larsson, Girgensons and Berglund have four points during that stretch, (1+3,) are a combined +5 and have given the opposition fits with their fierce forecheck.
With both of those lines doing their jobs well, Housley went about switching his centers moving Casey Mittelstadt between Conor Sheary and Sam Reinhart while Vladimir Sobotka centers Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo.
Housley told the gathered media yesterday after practice that he didn't think Mittelstadt and Thompson were clicking during their last game against Columbus so he flipped the centers. It looks as if that will carry over into tonight's game as Housley is "just trying to find the right balance."
Thompson was back in the lineup against the Blue Jackets while forward Evan Rodrigues was out for the birth of his new son, Grayson.
*****
Housley also said that defenseman Jake McCabe will be a game-time decision tonight and is considered day-to-day right now with an upper-body injury. The 25 yr. old McCabe has been hot as of late with seven points (1+6) and a plus-4 while logging solid top-four minutes, most recently on the top-pairing with Rasmus Ristolainen.
With him most likely out for tonight's game, Housley juggled his d-pairings. Nathan Beaulieu, who would replace McCabe in the lineup, is back in a familiar spot as he's on the third pairing with Casey Nelson, whom he started the season with. Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian will continue to anchor the second-pairing while rookie Rasmus Dahlin gets the move up to the top pairing.
The Sabres have been easing Dahlin into the NHL game by putting him mostly in the bottom-four but it looks as if he and Ristolainen will form a much anticipated "pairing of the Rasmi." It's a left/right d-combo featuring two European players who can move the puck and get up into the play, especially Dahlin who's skating is unmatched amongst Sabres (and most NHL) defensemen.
Game time is 7 pm tonight.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Sabres looking to match red-hot Amerks in Oct wins. Plus, notes
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-29-2018
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a very good 6-4-1 start so far and compared to last year's 3-6-2 record at this point it's a great start.
Buffalo went into Columbus on Saturday night looking to extend a three-game winning streak but left Nationwide Arena with a loser point, which was no small feat considering the Sabres went into the third period down by two goals. After playing a solid first period and leading 2-1, things opened up and unfortunately for Buffalo the Blue Jackets had the transition and the firepower to pot three goal and leave the period with a 4-2 lead.
Credit to the Sabres, however as they came back with goals by Jason Pominville off a nice backhand feed from Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt who scored his first of the season on the powerplay. Buffalo went into the overtime session with Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Ristolainen on the ice, lost the faceoff and found themselves in their own zone. Ristolainen temporarily stripped the puck away along the wall but the Jackets got it back and Artemi Panarin found himself alone in the right circle and he smoked it past Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark. Panarin finished the night with 2 goals and an assist.
On the game-winner head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media afterward that his players "did all the right things there" in being aggressive to get the puck, but that "we didn't make that next play." Housley was pleased that his team was able to come back from a two-goal deficit but he did point to that second period where things got out of hand. "We were way too loose," said the coach. "We're not going to win a lot of hockey games playing like that. We know that and it's one thing we can take forward here. We'll learn from the mistakes we made, obviously, but we've got to take credit where credit's due and I think we did a terrific job battling back on the road to get a point."
The Sabres have been playing come-from-behind hockey in the last three games and they've managed five of a possible six points. Which is great that they've been able to find that will to not give up. The good point, according to Housley, is that when his team has faced adversity, "they've looked it right in the eye." But he did say that they can't keep finding themselves in those situations or "it will bite us in the you-know-what."
Buffalo has six wins this season, which is worlds ahead of last season when they didn't get their sixth win until their 23rd game on November 24. They would finish the opening two months of the 2017-18 season with a 6-15-4 record which pretty much set the tone for their last place finish.
With one more win the Sabres will match the Rochester Americans who have seven wins for the first time since 2014-15 when they went 7-1-0 in October. Rochester has been on a red-hot lately garnering 15 of a possible 16 points while on an eight-game point-streak and their 7-2-1 record has them atop the AHL's North Division.
That '14/15 team was lead by names like Phil Varone, Tim Schaller and Johan Larsson up front while Andrei Makarov, Jeff Hackett and Nathan Lieuwen were in net.
*****
Even though the Sabres winning streak was broken on Saturday night, they're still on a four-game point-streak and will be looking to extend it to five games against the Calgary Flames tomorrow night.
Buffalo hasn't had a five-game win-streak since the 2011-12 season when they posted a 7-0-2 mark from March 10-27.
Most of those seasons betwixt and between were littered with one or two ('16/17) four-game streaks and there was the 2013-14 season when they had none, but their best season in that regard was 2015-16, Eichel's first year, when they had five streaks like that.
*****
Although Eichel hasn't been scoring goals lately, he has been a force on the ice and has been setting up his team mates with six assists in his last four games, with three of them of the primary variety and one beautiful no-look backhand that sprung Pominville and Skinner for a 2-on-1 break in Anaheim where Skinner finished.
Speaking of Skinner, he's been on a tear with five goals and four assists ever since Housley put him and Pominville on the top line with Eichel four games ago. Pominville hasn't exactly been chopped liver either as he's scored four goals and added four assists and the entire line has a combined plus-15 rating in those games.
*****
The Amerks have three of the top four scorers in the AHL right now. Victor Olofsson leads the league with 15 points (5+10) while defenseman Zach Redmond is tied for second (Varone) with 14 points (6+8.) Defenseman Lawrence Pilut is fourth with 13 points (2+11.)
*****
And, finally. Ullmark spent two full seasons in Rochester paying his dues and was the Amerks team MVP those two before moving up to Buffalo. Those who follow the Amerks have mentioned that he has a unique way of approaching his post-game interviews.
In the video below via nhl.com, the 25 yr. old Swede, like he's done in the past, will ask for clarification when needed and also points out that the question as asked is actually the answer. He seems as locked in post-game as he is in game and his shy demeanor has a way of hiding just how sharp he is.
He's thoughtful, concise and well-spoken and it's refreshing.
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a very good 6-4-1 start so far and compared to last year's 3-6-2 record at this point it's a great start.
Buffalo went into Columbus on Saturday night looking to extend a three-game winning streak but left Nationwide Arena with a loser point, which was no small feat considering the Sabres went into the third period down by two goals. After playing a solid first period and leading 2-1, things opened up and unfortunately for Buffalo the Blue Jackets had the transition and the firepower to pot three goal and leave the period with a 4-2 lead.
Credit to the Sabres, however as they came back with goals by Jason Pominville off a nice backhand feed from Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt who scored his first of the season on the powerplay. Buffalo went into the overtime session with Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Ristolainen on the ice, lost the faceoff and found themselves in their own zone. Ristolainen temporarily stripped the puck away along the wall but the Jackets got it back and Artemi Panarin found himself alone in the right circle and he smoked it past Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark. Panarin finished the night with 2 goals and an assist.
On the game-winner head coach Phil Housley told the gathered media afterward that his players "did all the right things there" in being aggressive to get the puck, but that "we didn't make that next play." Housley was pleased that his team was able to come back from a two-goal deficit but he did point to that second period where things got out of hand. "We were way too loose," said the coach. "We're not going to win a lot of hockey games playing like that. We know that and it's one thing we can take forward here. We'll learn from the mistakes we made, obviously, but we've got to take credit where credit's due and I think we did a terrific job battling back on the road to get a point."
The Sabres have been playing come-from-behind hockey in the last three games and they've managed five of a possible six points. Which is great that they've been able to find that will to not give up. The good point, according to Housley, is that when his team has faced adversity, "they've looked it right in the eye." But he did say that they can't keep finding themselves in those situations or "it will bite us in the you-know-what."
Buffalo has six wins this season, which is worlds ahead of last season when they didn't get their sixth win until their 23rd game on November 24. They would finish the opening two months of the 2017-18 season with a 6-15-4 record which pretty much set the tone for their last place finish.
With one more win the Sabres will match the Rochester Americans who have seven wins for the first time since 2014-15 when they went 7-1-0 in October. Rochester has been on a red-hot lately garnering 15 of a possible 16 points while on an eight-game point-streak and their 7-2-1 record has them atop the AHL's North Division.
That '14/15 team was lead by names like Phil Varone, Tim Schaller and Johan Larsson up front while Andrei Makarov, Jeff Hackett and Nathan Lieuwen were in net.
*****
Even though the Sabres winning streak was broken on Saturday night, they're still on a four-game point-streak and will be looking to extend it to five games against the Calgary Flames tomorrow night.
Buffalo hasn't had a five-game win-streak since the 2011-12 season when they posted a 7-0-2 mark from March 10-27.
Most of those seasons betwixt and between were littered with one or two ('16/17) four-game streaks and there was the 2013-14 season when they had none, but their best season in that regard was 2015-16, Eichel's first year, when they had five streaks like that.
*****
Although Eichel hasn't been scoring goals lately, he has been a force on the ice and has been setting up his team mates with six assists in his last four games, with three of them of the primary variety and one beautiful no-look backhand that sprung Pominville and Skinner for a 2-on-1 break in Anaheim where Skinner finished.
Speaking of Skinner, he's been on a tear with five goals and four assists ever since Housley put him and Pominville on the top line with Eichel four games ago. Pominville hasn't exactly been chopped liver either as he's scored four goals and added four assists and the entire line has a combined plus-15 rating in those games.
*****
The Amerks have three of the top four scorers in the AHL right now. Victor Olofsson leads the league with 15 points (5+10) while defenseman Zach Redmond is tied for second (Varone) with 14 points (6+8.) Defenseman Lawrence Pilut is fourth with 13 points (2+11.)
*****
And, finally. Ullmark spent two full seasons in Rochester paying his dues and was the Amerks team MVP those two before moving up to Buffalo. Those who follow the Amerks have mentioned that he has a unique way of approaching his post-game interviews.
In the video below via nhl.com, the 25 yr. old Swede, like he's done in the past, will ask for clarification when needed and also points out that the question as asked is actually the answer. He seems as locked in post-game as he is in game and his shy demeanor has a way of hiding just how sharp he is.
He's thoughtful, concise and well-spoken and it's refreshing.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Three in a row is officially a winning streak. Four in a row is...
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-27-2018
… something the Buffalo Sabres haven't done since December 15, 2014.
WGR550's Brayton J. Wilson unearthed that to make it easy on all of us and he also pointed out that the Sabres went on to lose 17 of the next 19 games (1-17-1), including a franchise record 14 in a row which started in late December and covered the entire month of January.
The 2014-15 season of the McEichel sweepstakes and at the time of the Sabres four-game win-streak they had a 13-16-2 record, which was rather respectable for the team they were icing on a nightly basis, and sat tied for 22nd in the league with 28 points (yes, you read that right.) By the end of January and their dubious losing streak the Sabres were dead last in the league with 31 points, six points behind the second-last place Edmonton Oilers.
Ironically enough it was the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team Buffalo faces tonight, who put a nail in the coffin of that ignominious season when they defeated the Sabres in the second-last game of the season. The loss secured last place for the Sabres and a shot at drafting either Connor McDavid or Jacek Eichel in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The Reader's Digest version of what transpired in the nearly four-year interim includes two coaching changes and many trades by a general manager who built at team not suited for either the conference or the modern NHL. Their regression in year-two of the emergence from the tank caused GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma to get fired. It took a full season for new GM Jason Botterill separate his vision from that of his predecessor which included another last place finish. Fortunately for him it allowed for Lady Luck to finally shine down upon the Sabres as the lottery balls fell their way and they won the rights to draft franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
After three seasons wandering in the wilderness, the Sabres seem to have found some traction as they're two games above .500 with a 6-4-0 record and look the part of a team on the rise.
Tonight the Sabres face a Blue Jackets team that has had the upper hand against them. Buffalo is 4-6-0 vs. Columbus in it's last 10 games, 4-6-0 on the road, but the Sabres have only managed a 2-4-0 record the last two seasons.
Odds are that Sabres head coach Phil Housley won't fix what isn't broken so we can expect the same lineup to hit the ice tonight barring any unforeseen injury news on Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary. The trio did not skate at yesterday's practice with Housley saying it was a "maintenance day" for them. Buffalo's probable lineup for tonight:
Jeff Skinner - Jack Eichel - Jason Pominville
Conor Sheary - Vladimir Sobotka - Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues - Casey Mittelstadt - Kyle Okposo
Patrik Berglund - Johan Larsson - Zemgus Girgensons
Jake McCabe - Rasmus Ristolainen
Marco Scandella - Zach Bogosian
Rasmus Dahlin - Casey Nelson
Word from the rink is that goalie Linus Ullmark will get the start in net. Ullmark was one of three Buffalo goalies to face the Jackets last season (Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson) and was the only one to come away with a win as he stopped 44 of 45 shots in their 3-1 win at Columbus.
… something the Buffalo Sabres haven't done since December 15, 2014.
WGR550's Brayton J. Wilson unearthed that to make it easy on all of us and he also pointed out that the Sabres went on to lose 17 of the next 19 games (1-17-1), including a franchise record 14 in a row which started in late December and covered the entire month of January.
The 2014-15 season of the McEichel sweepstakes and at the time of the Sabres four-game win-streak they had a 13-16-2 record, which was rather respectable for the team they were icing on a nightly basis, and sat tied for 22nd in the league with 28 points (yes, you read that right.) By the end of January and their dubious losing streak the Sabres were dead last in the league with 31 points, six points behind the second-last place Edmonton Oilers.
Ironically enough it was the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team Buffalo faces tonight, who put a nail in the coffin of that ignominious season when they defeated the Sabres in the second-last game of the season. The loss secured last place for the Sabres and a shot at drafting either Connor McDavid or Jacek Eichel in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The Reader's Digest version of what transpired in the nearly four-year interim includes two coaching changes and many trades by a general manager who built at team not suited for either the conference or the modern NHL. Their regression in year-two of the emergence from the tank caused GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma to get fired. It took a full season for new GM Jason Botterill separate his vision from that of his predecessor which included another last place finish. Fortunately for him it allowed for Lady Luck to finally shine down upon the Sabres as the lottery balls fell their way and they won the rights to draft franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
After three seasons wandering in the wilderness, the Sabres seem to have found some traction as they're two games above .500 with a 6-4-0 record and look the part of a team on the rise.
Tonight the Sabres face a Blue Jackets team that has had the upper hand against them. Buffalo is 4-6-0 vs. Columbus in it's last 10 games, 4-6-0 on the road, but the Sabres have only managed a 2-4-0 record the last two seasons.
Odds are that Sabres head coach Phil Housley won't fix what isn't broken so we can expect the same lineup to hit the ice tonight barring any unforeseen injury news on Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Conor Sheary. The trio did not skate at yesterday's practice with Housley saying it was a "maintenance day" for them. Buffalo's probable lineup for tonight:
Jeff Skinner - Jack Eichel - Jason Pominville
Conor Sheary - Vladimir Sobotka - Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues - Casey Mittelstadt - Kyle Okposo
Patrik Berglund - Johan Larsson - Zemgus Girgensons
Jake McCabe - Rasmus Ristolainen
Marco Scandella - Zach Bogosian
Rasmus Dahlin - Casey Nelson
Word from the rink is that goalie Linus Ullmark will get the start in net. Ullmark was one of three Buffalo goalies to face the Jackets last season (Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson) and was the only one to come away with a win as he stopped 44 of 45 shots in their 3-1 win at Columbus.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
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.
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.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Can the Sabres get on a little roll?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-25-2018
A couple of the many "if's" included in our 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres preview centered around avoiding prolonged slumps and going on runs. Nine games into the season Buffalo has managed to stay away from a prolonged losing streak and banged out a couple of wins in a row twice. It's led to a 5-4-0 record in October, their best showing to start the month since going 5-1-0 at the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
The last two seasons the Sabres have not been able to avoid a rut in the opening month. Last year they lost four in a row after a shootout loss in the season opener and two seasons ago Buffalo split the first two games before going on a four-game winless streak (0-2-2.) Those early holes proved difficult to emerge from especially when their longest winning streak during that time was three games (once in 2017-18, three times in 2016-17) and their longest point streak was four games (once in '17-'18, thrice in '16-'17.) Add it all up and situations like that either won't get you to a playoff spot or, like last year, contains all the earmarks of a last place finish.
The prospect of Buffalo sliding into a three-game losing streak was a distinct possibility in California as they had lost two consecutive games (VGK and SJS) and were headed to Los Angeles for the fourth game of a five-game road trip. The Sabres avoided that with a convincing 5-1 win over the Kings then followed that up with a gritty come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks the following night. They finished the trip with a 3-2-0 record and face division rival Montreal tonight as they host the Canadiens at KeyBank Center.
Teams coming off of a long road trip don't typically do very well upon returning home. Over the last three seasons when Buffalo was on a road trip of three games or more involving most or all teams west of the Mississippi, the Sabres are 2-6-1 in their first game back home. And not only do the Sabres have that to contend with that, but they've also had a lot of trouble with Montreal as of late. Buffalo is 2-5-3 over their last 10 vs. Les Habitants, according to Sabres PR, and only 3-4-3 at home.
The Sabres should be coming back with a lot of confidence as they managed to play two very strong games to finish their Pacific Division swing. Head coach Phil Housley juggled his lineup prior to the Kings game and he'll probably stick with that winning formula. His top line of Jack Eichel centering Jeff Skinner on the left and Sam Reinhart on the right has been dominant. Skinner had four goals in those two games, including a hat trick against LA and the entire line was good for 13 points (5+8) and a plus-14 rating.
Housley and assistant coach Steve Smith also have their defense-corps clicking. Six Sabres defenseman have netted a goal but Housley also was quick to point out yesterday to the gathered media, "I think a lot of this has to do with the forwards going to the net front and taking the goalie's eyes away."
Carter Hutton looks to get the nod in goal for Buffalo and has had four starts against the Canadiens. Sabres PR has him posting a 1-0-2 record with a .949 save percentage and a 1.37 goals-against average.
The Sabres head to Columbus after tonight's game for a Saturday night tilt against the Blue Jackets.
A couple of the many "if's" included in our 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres preview centered around avoiding prolonged slumps and going on runs. Nine games into the season Buffalo has managed to stay away from a prolonged losing streak and banged out a couple of wins in a row twice. It's led to a 5-4-0 record in October, their best showing to start the month since going 5-1-0 at the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
The last two seasons the Sabres have not been able to avoid a rut in the opening month. Last year they lost four in a row after a shootout loss in the season opener and two seasons ago Buffalo split the first two games before going on a four-game winless streak (0-2-2.) Those early holes proved difficult to emerge from especially when their longest winning streak during that time was three games (once in 2017-18, three times in 2016-17) and their longest point streak was four games (once in '17-'18, thrice in '16-'17.) Add it all up and situations like that either won't get you to a playoff spot or, like last year, contains all the earmarks of a last place finish.
The prospect of Buffalo sliding into a three-game losing streak was a distinct possibility in California as they had lost two consecutive games (VGK and SJS) and were headed to Los Angeles for the fourth game of a five-game road trip. The Sabres avoided that with a convincing 5-1 win over the Kings then followed that up with a gritty come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks the following night. They finished the trip with a 3-2-0 record and face division rival Montreal tonight as they host the Canadiens at KeyBank Center.
Teams coming off of a long road trip don't typically do very well upon returning home. Over the last three seasons when Buffalo was on a road trip of three games or more involving most or all teams west of the Mississippi, the Sabres are 2-6-1 in their first game back home. And not only do the Sabres have that to contend with that, but they've also had a lot of trouble with Montreal as of late. Buffalo is 2-5-3 over their last 10 vs. Les Habitants, according to Sabres PR, and only 3-4-3 at home.
The Sabres should be coming back with a lot of confidence as they managed to play two very strong games to finish their Pacific Division swing. Head coach Phil Housley juggled his lineup prior to the Kings game and he'll probably stick with that winning formula. His top line of Jack Eichel centering Jeff Skinner on the left and Sam Reinhart on the right has been dominant. Skinner had four goals in those two games, including a hat trick against LA and the entire line was good for 13 points (5+8) and a plus-14 rating.
Housley and assistant coach Steve Smith also have their defense-corps clicking. Six Sabres defenseman have netted a goal but Housley also was quick to point out yesterday to the gathered media, "I think a lot of this has to do with the forwards going to the net front and taking the goalie's eyes away."
Carter Hutton looks to get the nod in goal for Buffalo and has had four starts against the Canadiens. Sabres PR has him posting a 1-0-2 record with a .949 save percentage and a 1.37 goals-against average.
The Sabres head to Columbus after tonight's game for a Saturday night tilt against the Blue Jackets.
Housley likes the way his skaters played in SoCal plus Bogosian and other notes
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-24-2018
Phil Housley is one of many in a long line of Buffalo Sabres head coaches dating back to Lindy Ruff that has been talking about (sometimes pleading for,) his skaters to play as a five-man unit in all three zones. Unfortunately for the team, it hasn't happened very often.
After losing to the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo headed to Southern California for the final two games of a season-long five-game road trip. The Sharks game was a disaster in that the Sabres just couldn't stay out of the penalty box and it cost them dearly in a 5-1 loss. But something clicked for the Sabres after Housley blew apart his entire lineup and powerplay units. The result was a convincing 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings and a 4-2 come from behind win over the Anaheim Ducks.
"Our execution was very high in both of those games," said Housley on WGR550 radio yesterday, "but it's five guys coming back together to help each other. It's the forwards getting in the way of the opposition when they're trying to forecheck and buying time for the [defense] and those little plays of five to 10-foot passes coming out of our zone."
The Sabres looked like a completely different team in those to games as Housley's skaters provided support all over the ice, but especially in their own end. "It just seems like when we're a block of five back there and we get the easy exit, we have this push up ice," he continued. "When we're not connected and our forwards are up too high, there's no support coming back into our zone.
"We're trying to transition quickly, and when you have good puck movement and everything's on the tape and crisp, it seems like we're a faster team and we execute that way."
Now that they've seen the positive results from playing the game the right way, their next task will be to do it consistently. The Sabres aren't an uber-young team thanks to a number of vets in the lineup, but their core, their future driving force, is very young. Includes 21 yr. old captain Jack Eichel, 18 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, 19 yr. old center Casey Mittelstadt and 22 yr. old forward Sam Reinhart and like nearly every player, they'll have bouts of inconsistent play.
The Sabres play a very fast, albeit small, team in the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night and they'll need to stick to their guns, even if it means having difficulty scoring against Carey Price, one of the best goalies in the league.
*****
Buffalo got a bit of a schedule break when the league gave them three days off between the end of their road trip and their next game tomorrow night. Teams always have issues their first game back after a long trip and hopefully the Sabres won't have that problem.
After a day away from the rinks on Monday, Buffalo hit the ice at HarborCenter with some drill work led by former Sabres forward Matt Ellis who runs the Academy of Hockey. Said Housley to the gathered media yesterday, “It was good to have Matt Ellis and his crew out there today, sort of unlocking the bodies, doing a little skills session. Coming back from that road trip, it was a good time in our schedule that they could work on some skills.”
Today it's back to regular practice and according to reports from the rink, Housley hasn't made any changes to a lineup that's 2-0 and has played some excellent hockey. However, according to The Buffalo News' Rachel Lenzi, Housley wasn't very happy with how they were practicing and she tweeted, "Sounds like Sabres coach Phil Housley isn’t pleased with the pace in drills so far this morning. Had some, ah, choice words."
Good for Housley trying to nip this in the bud.
*****
Defenseman Zach Bogosian has been getting a lot of love after joining the team for the final four games of the Sabres recent road trip. Bogosian had hip surgery in January and recovered but had a setback at camp and the team kept him out of the lineup for precautionary reasons.
The 28 yr. old veteran d-man has had a ton of injury problems but when he's on the ice he adds a strong presence and some gritty play. "I think he brings a physical element," said Housley yesterday about Bogosian. "I'm not talking about just dropping your gloves, I'm talking about being hard to play against in front of our net and in the corners. But I like his offensive side of the game. He can jump in the play, he reads the play well defensively, his passing's really good.
"Also, his experience in the room. Guys, when he speaks, they listen. He's done a terrific job since he's been back in the lineup."
Bogosian's stat line through three games: 1 goal, 1 assist and a plus-3 rating in an average of 16:0 per game. He's also been in three fights which matches a career high, according to hockeyfights.com. However, the 6'3" 226 lb. d-man is adamant that he's not looking to do that. "I'm not looking to do it all the time," he said to the media. "It's just kind of spur-of-the-moment. Sticking up for yourself, your teammates is kind of what I've always done my entire career, how I look at it. … I'm not looking to fight every night. I want to play some hockey. I can help out while I'm on the ice."
His presence on the ice is not lost on fellow d-man Nathan Beaulieu either.
You love it," Beaulieu said. "The way he boxes guys out and gets in shots lanes - I remember I used to hate playing against him because as a D-man, you're always trying to get it past that winger to get it on net and trying not to worry about the second layer, but he's always there.
"I mean, this guy will throw his face in front of a puck if he needs to. It's great to see him being back and having fun and playing hockey. It's been a long road for him, so it's great to see him have a smile on his face."
Let's hope Bogosian doesn't throw his face in front of a puck as it would be nice to see him play some 60+ games or so this season for the first time in three years. Then again, with a team-leading 15 blocked shots...
We'll just leave it at that.
*****
Speaking of Beaulieu, an injury caused him to miss the last two games and because of the way the team has been playing, he may have a little more time to recover.
With Beaulieu out and Housley juggling everything with his lineup defenseman Casey Nelson was put in and he's been paired with Dahlin. The duo, like the rest of the team, has played pretty well so it might be a bit before Beaulieu gets back into the lineup.
*****
Eight players got off the schneid and scored their first goals of the season on the five-game/10-day road trip:
Dahlin, Jeff Skinner (ARI)
Vladimir Sobotka (VGK)
Jake McCabe (SJS)
Bogosian (LAK)
Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Patrik Berglund (ANA)
Eight players are without a goal right now and three are without a point--Nelson and forward Tage Thompson, who've played in seven games so far and forward Remi Elie who's played in three.
Six of Buffalo's seven defensemen have scored a goal this season, with Nelson the odd man out. Last season no Sabres defenseman scored until McCabe did so on December 5.
Skinner followed up his first goal as a Sabres by scoring the hat trick against Los Angeles and added another in Anaheim. His five goals leads the team.
Phil Housley is one of many in a long line of Buffalo Sabres head coaches dating back to Lindy Ruff that has been talking about (sometimes pleading for,) his skaters to play as a five-man unit in all three zones. Unfortunately for the team, it hasn't happened very often.
After losing to the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo headed to Southern California for the final two games of a season-long five-game road trip. The Sharks game was a disaster in that the Sabres just couldn't stay out of the penalty box and it cost them dearly in a 5-1 loss. But something clicked for the Sabres after Housley blew apart his entire lineup and powerplay units. The result was a convincing 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings and a 4-2 come from behind win over the Anaheim Ducks.
"Our execution was very high in both of those games," said Housley on WGR550 radio yesterday, "but it's five guys coming back together to help each other. It's the forwards getting in the way of the opposition when they're trying to forecheck and buying time for the [defense] and those little plays of five to 10-foot passes coming out of our zone."
The Sabres looked like a completely different team in those to games as Housley's skaters provided support all over the ice, but especially in their own end. "It just seems like when we're a block of five back there and we get the easy exit, we have this push up ice," he continued. "When we're not connected and our forwards are up too high, there's no support coming back into our zone.
"We're trying to transition quickly, and when you have good puck movement and everything's on the tape and crisp, it seems like we're a faster team and we execute that way."
Now that they've seen the positive results from playing the game the right way, their next task will be to do it consistently. The Sabres aren't an uber-young team thanks to a number of vets in the lineup, but their core, their future driving force, is very young. Includes 21 yr. old captain Jack Eichel, 18 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, 19 yr. old center Casey Mittelstadt and 22 yr. old forward Sam Reinhart and like nearly every player, they'll have bouts of inconsistent play.
The Sabres play a very fast, albeit small, team in the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night and they'll need to stick to their guns, even if it means having difficulty scoring against Carey Price, one of the best goalies in the league.
*****
Buffalo got a bit of a schedule break when the league gave them three days off between the end of their road trip and their next game tomorrow night. Teams always have issues their first game back after a long trip and hopefully the Sabres won't have that problem.
After a day away from the rinks on Monday, Buffalo hit the ice at HarborCenter with some drill work led by former Sabres forward Matt Ellis who runs the Academy of Hockey. Said Housley to the gathered media yesterday, “It was good to have Matt Ellis and his crew out there today, sort of unlocking the bodies, doing a little skills session. Coming back from that road trip, it was a good time in our schedule that they could work on some skills.”
Today it's back to regular practice and according to reports from the rink, Housley hasn't made any changes to a lineup that's 2-0 and has played some excellent hockey. However, according to The Buffalo News' Rachel Lenzi, Housley wasn't very happy with how they were practicing and she tweeted, "Sounds like Sabres coach Phil Housley isn’t pleased with the pace in drills so far this morning. Had some, ah, choice words."
Good for Housley trying to nip this in the bud.
*****
Defenseman Zach Bogosian has been getting a lot of love after joining the team for the final four games of the Sabres recent road trip. Bogosian had hip surgery in January and recovered but had a setback at camp and the team kept him out of the lineup for precautionary reasons.
The 28 yr. old veteran d-man has had a ton of injury problems but when he's on the ice he adds a strong presence and some gritty play. "I think he brings a physical element," said Housley yesterday about Bogosian. "I'm not talking about just dropping your gloves, I'm talking about being hard to play against in front of our net and in the corners. But I like his offensive side of the game. He can jump in the play, he reads the play well defensively, his passing's really good.
"Also, his experience in the room. Guys, when he speaks, they listen. He's done a terrific job since he's been back in the lineup."
Bogosian's stat line through three games: 1 goal, 1 assist and a plus-3 rating in an average of 16:0 per game. He's also been in three fights which matches a career high, according to hockeyfights.com. However, the 6'3" 226 lb. d-man is adamant that he's not looking to do that. "I'm not looking to do it all the time," he said to the media. "It's just kind of spur-of-the-moment. Sticking up for yourself, your teammates is kind of what I've always done my entire career, how I look at it. … I'm not looking to fight every night. I want to play some hockey. I can help out while I'm on the ice."
His presence on the ice is not lost on fellow d-man Nathan Beaulieu either.
You love it," Beaulieu said. "The way he boxes guys out and gets in shots lanes - I remember I used to hate playing against him because as a D-man, you're always trying to get it past that winger to get it on net and trying not to worry about the second layer, but he's always there.
"I mean, this guy will throw his face in front of a puck if he needs to. It's great to see him being back and having fun and playing hockey. It's been a long road for him, so it's great to see him have a smile on his face."
Let's hope Bogosian doesn't throw his face in front of a puck as it would be nice to see him play some 60+ games or so this season for the first time in three years. Then again, with a team-leading 15 blocked shots...
We'll just leave it at that.
*****
Speaking of Beaulieu, an injury caused him to miss the last two games and because of the way the team has been playing, he may have a little more time to recover.
With Beaulieu out and Housley juggling everything with his lineup defenseman Casey Nelson was put in and he's been paired with Dahlin. The duo, like the rest of the team, has played pretty well so it might be a bit before Beaulieu gets back into the lineup.
*****
Eight players got off the schneid and scored their first goals of the season on the five-game/10-day road trip:
Dahlin, Jeff Skinner (ARI)
Vladimir Sobotka (VGK)
Jake McCabe (SJS)
Bogosian (LAK)
Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Patrik Berglund (ANA)
Eight players are without a goal right now and three are without a point--Nelson and forward Tage Thompson, who've played in seven games so far and forward Remi Elie who's played in three.
Six of Buffalo's seven defensemen have scored a goal this season, with Nelson the odd man out. Last season no Sabres defenseman scored until McCabe did so on December 5.
Skinner followed up his first goal as a Sabres by scoring the hat trick against Los Angeles and added another in Anaheim. His five goals leads the team.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Sabres save collective Buffalo sports psyche with SoCal sweep
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-22-2018
Some three hours prior to the Sabres hitting the ice in Anaheim, the Buffalo sports scene was in yet another dire place as the airwaves and social media were wrought with anguish over their football team. The Bills, a centerpiece of "One Buffalo," got crushed in a way that usually scars the collective Western New York sports psyche for days and with the Sabres playing that night the prospect of them being a saving grace in the nightcap ended up as fool's gold way more often than not.
For the three or so hours between games one got the impression there was sense heightened security at the Peace Bridge with fans just ready to call it quits on their football team and also at One Bills Drive with the staff on the lookout for torches and pitchforks. A 37-5 thrashing at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts will do that to a fan base, especially with their beloved 2-5 Bills having to face the hated New England Patriots at home on national television next week.
As the angst of the evening subsided and fans settled into watch the game between the Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, that sinking feeling came on again as Buffalo fell into a 2-0 hole just over half-way through the game. There were some familiar themes running through the first 33 minutes as the Sabres found themselves in a hole despite playing some real good hockey. However, once again it didn't seem as if they couldn't get a puck past a hot goalie.
The goalie in net for the Ducks was also familiar. Ryan Miller had spent his first 10 1/2 seasons playing for the team that drafted him before settling into a journeyman's role that now finds him in southern California. As we've seen in the past, when Miller is on his game he's very difficult to beat and after the Ducks went up 2-0 it prompted one media member to tweet that we'd seen this movie many times before--Miller will pitch a shutout until the closing minutes or seconds before allowing one goal in a win. When you add in that the Sabres were playing their final game of a five-game Pacific Division road trip against the 5-2-1 Ducks and that they've had trouble beating a hot goalie for years, perhaps stretching to over a decade, that sinking feeling was starting to set in despite the Sabres playing some real strong hockey.
However, instead of wilting like they'd done so many times before, the Sabres kept their feet moving and eventually broke through on the powerplay just two-and-a-half minutes after the Ducks took a 2-0 lead. They then proceeded to tied the score just a minute-and-a-half later. Buffalo popped in another powerplay goal early in the third and finished Anaheim off with an empty-netter for the 4-2 win. Both powerplay goals came from the second unit as two players, Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Ristolainen, both scored their first of the season with Ristolainen becoming the sixth Buffalo defenseman to score a goal this season. Jeff Skinner scored the game-tying goal with his fourth in two games and Patrick Berglund, who'd been a healthy scratch two games prior score is first of the year into an empty net.
There was a lot going on in last night's victory and that includes the goaltending. Anaheim's second goal came after the Sabres had spent a good chunk of time in the Ducks zone. A couple of Buffalo players got caught up ice and Anaheim turned it back the other way. Casey Mittelstadt did all he could to force the play to the outside but a fluttering wrister from the face off dot got by Sabres goalie Carter Hutton. Other than that, Hutton was stellar as were his skaters, especially in the final seconds as they thwarted a strong Anaheim push with Miller pulled. Just prior to Berglund's goal, forward Johan Larsson, who'd been a healthy scratch prior to this weekend, swept away a puck that was on it's way into the net.
Captain Jack Eichel, who's continual on-ice f-bombs have punctuated his frustrations, really seems to be finding his legs as both a leader and a producer. Although he only had a secondary assist last night, it was a beauty as he slung a sharp, no-look backhand pass that sent linemates Jason Pominville and Skinner up-ice on a 2-on-1.
It was Eichel's fourth point in two games. Skinner has been on a tear this road trip scoring his first goal as a Sabre in Arizona and coming away from this five-game road trip with five goals and a plus-8 rating. Pominville had been on the fourth line but with some line-juggling ended up with Eichel and Skinner. The 35 yr. old finished the weekend with a goal and three assists.
A tip of the cap to head coach Phil Housley who gave his lines and powerplay units a huge shake up prior to the weekend. That Eichel/Skinner/Pominville line totaled 13 points (5+8) and a whopping +14 plus-minus rating in the two games they've been together while single-handedly leading the Sabres to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Pominville opened the scoring in LA, Skinner got the hat trick and Eichel had three assists. All at even strength.
Although Housley's top powerplay unit failed to score over the weekend, they looked real good and did everything but during their two games together so far. The second unit also looked great and potted two last night. The first one was a double tic-tac-toe that started at the point and shifted down low with Sam Reinhart feeding a wide open Okposo on the weak side. Perfect execution.
The second one was a bomb from the point by Ristolainen with Reinhart screening Miller.
Buffalo won in two different ways over the weekend as they bombed LA 5-1 forcing the reeling Kings into a closed door meeting afterwards. Yes, you read that right, the Sabres forced a closed door meeting for the opposition. Although this Kings team is no where near their former Stanley Cup selves of a few years back, they're still big and will lay a body on you. The Sabres faced a fast Anaheim team that is hard on the forecheck and challenge you to beat their goalies. Although their forecheck was overwhelming at times, Buffalo had support all over the ice and if there were breakdowns, Hutton came through when he could (save for that one goal.) Buffalo swept through southern California with two wins for the first time since 2003.
There were many things to be thrilled with over the weekend when it came to the Sabres--the PK unit came up big last night and the back-to-back wins have the Sabres above .500 again. Individuals like defensemen Zach Bogosian and McCabe handled the physical aspect of things, a fourth line of Larsson, Berglund and Zemgus Girgensons were impressive on the forecheck and backup goalie Linus Ullmark's strong play were all strong contributors to a very good weekend for the Buffalo Sabres.
But perhaps the biggest thing wasn't even felt on the ice. The Sabres win last night (and their southern California sweep) eased the pain of the Bills debacle against Indianapolis bringing some desperately needed sanity to the Buffalo sports scene. As one local radio personality tweeted last night after the win, "Thank you sabres. I'm in a better mood as I go to sleep...Was afraid to close my eyes for fear of seeing Bills Colts plays in my dreams."
Some three hours prior to the Sabres hitting the ice in Anaheim, the Buffalo sports scene was in yet another dire place as the airwaves and social media were wrought with anguish over their football team. The Bills, a centerpiece of "One Buffalo," got crushed in a way that usually scars the collective Western New York sports psyche for days and with the Sabres playing that night the prospect of them being a saving grace in the nightcap ended up as fool's gold way more often than not.
For the three or so hours between games one got the impression there was sense heightened security at the Peace Bridge with fans just ready to call it quits on their football team and also at One Bills Drive with the staff on the lookout for torches and pitchforks. A 37-5 thrashing at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts will do that to a fan base, especially with their beloved 2-5 Bills having to face the hated New England Patriots at home on national television next week.
As the angst of the evening subsided and fans settled into watch the game between the Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, that sinking feeling came on again as Buffalo fell into a 2-0 hole just over half-way through the game. There were some familiar themes running through the first 33 minutes as the Sabres found themselves in a hole despite playing some real good hockey. However, once again it didn't seem as if they couldn't get a puck past a hot goalie.
The goalie in net for the Ducks was also familiar. Ryan Miller had spent his first 10 1/2 seasons playing for the team that drafted him before settling into a journeyman's role that now finds him in southern California. As we've seen in the past, when Miller is on his game he's very difficult to beat and after the Ducks went up 2-0 it prompted one media member to tweet that we'd seen this movie many times before--Miller will pitch a shutout until the closing minutes or seconds before allowing one goal in a win. When you add in that the Sabres were playing their final game of a five-game Pacific Division road trip against the 5-2-1 Ducks and that they've had trouble beating a hot goalie for years, perhaps stretching to over a decade, that sinking feeling was starting to set in despite the Sabres playing some real strong hockey.
However, instead of wilting like they'd done so many times before, the Sabres kept their feet moving and eventually broke through on the powerplay just two-and-a-half minutes after the Ducks took a 2-0 lead. They then proceeded to tied the score just a minute-and-a-half later. Buffalo popped in another powerplay goal early in the third and finished Anaheim off with an empty-netter for the 4-2 win. Both powerplay goals came from the second unit as two players, Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Ristolainen, both scored their first of the season with Ristolainen becoming the sixth Buffalo defenseman to score a goal this season. Jeff Skinner scored the game-tying goal with his fourth in two games and Patrick Berglund, who'd been a healthy scratch two games prior score is first of the year into an empty net.
There was a lot going on in last night's victory and that includes the goaltending. Anaheim's second goal came after the Sabres had spent a good chunk of time in the Ducks zone. A couple of Buffalo players got caught up ice and Anaheim turned it back the other way. Casey Mittelstadt did all he could to force the play to the outside but a fluttering wrister from the face off dot got by Sabres goalie Carter Hutton. Other than that, Hutton was stellar as were his skaters, especially in the final seconds as they thwarted a strong Anaheim push with Miller pulled. Just prior to Berglund's goal, forward Johan Larsson, who'd been a healthy scratch prior to this weekend, swept away a puck that was on it's way into the net.
Captain Jack Eichel, who's continual on-ice f-bombs have punctuated his frustrations, really seems to be finding his legs as both a leader and a producer. Although he only had a secondary assist last night, it was a beauty as he slung a sharp, no-look backhand pass that sent linemates Jason Pominville and Skinner up-ice on a 2-on-1.
It was Eichel's fourth point in two games. Skinner has been on a tear this road trip scoring his first goal as a Sabre in Arizona and coming away from this five-game road trip with five goals and a plus-8 rating. Pominville had been on the fourth line but with some line-juggling ended up with Eichel and Skinner. The 35 yr. old finished the weekend with a goal and three assists.
A tip of the cap to head coach Phil Housley who gave his lines and powerplay units a huge shake up prior to the weekend. That Eichel/Skinner/Pominville line totaled 13 points (5+8) and a whopping +14 plus-minus rating in the two games they've been together while single-handedly leading the Sabres to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Pominville opened the scoring in LA, Skinner got the hat trick and Eichel had three assists. All at even strength.
Although Housley's top powerplay unit failed to score over the weekend, they looked real good and did everything but during their two games together so far. The second unit also looked great and potted two last night. The first one was a double tic-tac-toe that started at the point and shifted down low with Sam Reinhart feeding a wide open Okposo on the weak side. Perfect execution.
The second one was a bomb from the point by Ristolainen with Reinhart screening Miller.
Buffalo won in two different ways over the weekend as they bombed LA 5-1 forcing the reeling Kings into a closed door meeting afterwards. Yes, you read that right, the Sabres forced a closed door meeting for the opposition. Although this Kings team is no where near their former Stanley Cup selves of a few years back, they're still big and will lay a body on you. The Sabres faced a fast Anaheim team that is hard on the forecheck and challenge you to beat their goalies. Although their forecheck was overwhelming at times, Buffalo had support all over the ice and if there were breakdowns, Hutton came through when he could (save for that one goal.) Buffalo swept through southern California with two wins for the first time since 2003.
There were many things to be thrilled with over the weekend when it came to the Sabres--the PK unit came up big last night and the back-to-back wins have the Sabres above .500 again. Individuals like defensemen Zach Bogosian and McCabe handled the physical aspect of things, a fourth line of Larsson, Berglund and Zemgus Girgensons were impressive on the forecheck and backup goalie Linus Ullmark's strong play were all strong contributors to a very good weekend for the Buffalo Sabres.
But perhaps the biggest thing wasn't even felt on the ice. The Sabres win last night (and their southern California sweep) eased the pain of the Bills debacle against Indianapolis bringing some desperately needed sanity to the Buffalo sports scene. As one local radio personality tweeted last night after the win, "Thank you sabres. I'm in a better mood as I go to sleep...Was afraid to close my eyes for fear of seeing Bills Colts plays in my dreams."
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