Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-7-2017
"I’m hoping that we’ve had enough pain and enough anguish to maybe turn a corner in learning how to play and win these hockey games."
The above quote came from the lips of Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma who was talking to the Buffalo media about a Sabres team that has blown three third period lead over the course of the last seven games. During that stretch a team that was thought to be in a position to make a playoff push sits in it's usual spot at the bottom of a pack of teams where only one can hope to get in. The record itself, 1-4-2, is brutal enough, but when you have Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News writing that "the players looked battered and sounded defeated," well, that doesn't bode well for the final 16 games.
Tonight the Sabres face a Flyers team that's only two points ahead of them in the standings and the last time these two teams met, Buffalo came out on top 4-1. That was back on January 10 when the Sabres were on a four-game points streak (3-0-1.) Buffalo jumped out to a 3-0 lead for the second time against the Flyers but this time they held on for the win. Back in October, which was pretty much a harbinger of things to come, the Sabres went into the third period with a 3-0 then proceeded to allow three unanswered goals (all with Philly on the powerplay) and ended up losing in the shootout, which is another familiar scenario this season as the Sabres are 1-6 in the skills competition.
A 1-4-2 spiral, especially when it matters most, tends to put a damper on any enthusiasm remaining in Sabreland but there are some brightspots.
Jack Eichel has been sensational as of late with 21 points in his last 16 games. "Jack Flash" is on a 10-game points streak (3g + 10a) and is only two points behind Ryan O'Reilly (44 pts.) for the team scoring lead. Evander Kane continues to light the lamp at a pace that could see him hit 30 goals on the season. Both Eichel and Kane have been offensive juggernauts for the Sabres and according to a Paul Hamilton retweet from Bucci Mane, since January 24 Eichel is tied with Jamie Benn (DAL) for most points scored (23) while Kane has notched 11 goals.
Bylsma told the gathered media this morning that Robin Lehner will be back between the pipes this evening. Lehner's sporting an 18-18-8 record with 2.59 GAA and .922 Sv%.
And according to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com, these were the lines at the morning skate:
Kane-O'Reilly-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Nicolas Deslauriers-Zemgus Girgensons-Tyler Ennis
Matt Moulson-Evan Rodrigues-Justin Bailey
Because it's an NBCSN game, start time will be 7:30 p.m.
Games of interest tonight:
New Jersey @ Columbus
Detroit @ Toronto
NY Rangers @ Florida
Carolina @ Colorado
NY Islanders @ Edmonton
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Ya gotta hand it to Robin Lehner...
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-5-2017
Win or lose, for the most part Sabres goalie Robin Lehner will be in the locker room post-game taking questions. In a win he'll direct praise towards his team mates while in a loss he'll direct the blame mostly towards himself. In fact there's only one time recently were he exploded in a loss and directed most of his ire towards his team mates. The team responded with a three-game winning streak but typically followed that up with a four-game winless streak.
Lehner is the clear-cut No. 1 goalie in Buffalo. With him in net the team always has a chance to win the game. That is, until we get past regulation and the 3-on-3 overtime session for the shootout. The Sabres have been avoiding the shootout since a December 20 loss to the Florida Panthers. In between Buffalo has gone to overtime seven times and come away with a 4-0-3 record. With the loss last night they're now 1-6 in the skills competition.
The shootout stats are just mind-boggling for Lehner and they're not much better for Buffalo's shooters either. In fact Buffalo's shooters have the third worst shooting percentage in the league (17.6%) scoring only three goals on 17 attempts. Last night Sam Reinhart got confused and couldn't even get a shot off while Jack Eichel came up with an average at best attempt. Reinhart was one of only two Sabres players to score in the shootout this year, the other being Cal O'Reilly who's in Rochester. All the rest, which includes Eichel (2 attempts,) Kyle Okposo (5,) Ryan O'Reilly (2,) and Brian Gionta (1) have come up empty.
Perhaps the shooters are feeling extra pressure because the Sabres netminders have the worst save percentage in the league at .250. Buffalo backup Anders Nilsson, who has the team's only shootout win this year, has stopped four of eight shootout attempts while Lehner hasn't stopped any shot in eight attempts.
And that's the crazy part of it. Eight goals-against on eight shots with not one player either mishandling the puck, shooting wide or ever so slightly missing his spot. Every shot against Lehner goes where it's intended to go.
Last night Lehner was the victim of a brilliant shot by Tampa's Brayden Point on the first shootout attempt as the rookie, who came into the game scoring on four of six attempts, went low glove-side for the goal. After Eichel was stymied at the other end, the Lightning's Nikita Kucherov pulled off some wizardry as he got the puck moving towards the net and faked as if he was going backhand. The puck, moving like a curling stone, continued on it's slow trajectory towards the net and with Lehner following Kucherov looking for a backhand, it went five hole as Lehner looked to the sky in disbelief.
Check it out via Samboke on YouTube:
That's a filthy goal and it's tough being on the wrong end of it.
It will end sometime as the odds will eventually catch up, but until then it's frustrating and probably embarrassing for Lehner. You can tell he hates that portion of the game, "It's not hockey you're watching," he told the gathered media post-game, "they've got all the time in the world to go fast or slow down. On breakaways they come at one speed. Maybe I have problems adjusting to the speed changes.
"It is what is."
Lehner can take this to heart, once the team eventually makes it into the playoffs, there will be no shootout and no need to worry about it. Unfortunately, in order to get to the post season a team must win in the regular season and shootouts, as we know, are a big part of that.
*****
The Sabres are in Pittsburgh tonight to take on the Penguins at 5 p.m. on an NHL Network televised game. No word on who will be in goal for Buffalo but perhaps Nilsson gets the start this evening.
In their only meeting of the season, Nilsson stopped 46 shots in regulation and overtime then stymied Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in the shootout to help the Sabres get out from under the weight of a three-game losing streak.
Win or lose, for the most part Sabres goalie Robin Lehner will be in the locker room post-game taking questions. In a win he'll direct praise towards his team mates while in a loss he'll direct the blame mostly towards himself. In fact there's only one time recently were he exploded in a loss and directed most of his ire towards his team mates. The team responded with a three-game winning streak but typically followed that up with a four-game winless streak.
Lehner is the clear-cut No. 1 goalie in Buffalo. With him in net the team always has a chance to win the game. That is, until we get past regulation and the 3-on-3 overtime session for the shootout. The Sabres have been avoiding the shootout since a December 20 loss to the Florida Panthers. In between Buffalo has gone to overtime seven times and come away with a 4-0-3 record. With the loss last night they're now 1-6 in the skills competition.
The shootout stats are just mind-boggling for Lehner and they're not much better for Buffalo's shooters either. In fact Buffalo's shooters have the third worst shooting percentage in the league (17.6%) scoring only three goals on 17 attempts. Last night Sam Reinhart got confused and couldn't even get a shot off while Jack Eichel came up with an average at best attempt. Reinhart was one of only two Sabres players to score in the shootout this year, the other being Cal O'Reilly who's in Rochester. All the rest, which includes Eichel (2 attempts,) Kyle Okposo (5,) Ryan O'Reilly (2,) and Brian Gionta (1) have come up empty.
Perhaps the shooters are feeling extra pressure because the Sabres netminders have the worst save percentage in the league at .250. Buffalo backup Anders Nilsson, who has the team's only shootout win this year, has stopped four of eight shootout attempts while Lehner hasn't stopped any shot in eight attempts.
And that's the crazy part of it. Eight goals-against on eight shots with not one player either mishandling the puck, shooting wide or ever so slightly missing his spot. Every shot against Lehner goes where it's intended to go.
Last night Lehner was the victim of a brilliant shot by Tampa's Brayden Point on the first shootout attempt as the rookie, who came into the game scoring on four of six attempts, went low glove-side for the goal. After Eichel was stymied at the other end, the Lightning's Nikita Kucherov pulled off some wizardry as he got the puck moving towards the net and faked as if he was going backhand. The puck, moving like a curling stone, continued on it's slow trajectory towards the net and with Lehner following Kucherov looking for a backhand, it went five hole as Lehner looked to the sky in disbelief.
Check it out via Samboke on YouTube:
That's a filthy goal and it's tough being on the wrong end of it.
It will end sometime as the odds will eventually catch up, but until then it's frustrating and probably embarrassing for Lehner. You can tell he hates that portion of the game, "It's not hockey you're watching," he told the gathered media post-game, "they've got all the time in the world to go fast or slow down. On breakaways they come at one speed. Maybe I have problems adjusting to the speed changes.
"It is what is."
Lehner can take this to heart, once the team eventually makes it into the playoffs, there will be no shootout and no need to worry about it. Unfortunately, in order to get to the post season a team must win in the regular season and shootouts, as we know, are a big part of that.
*****
The Sabres are in Pittsburgh tonight to take on the Penguins at 5 p.m. on an NHL Network televised game. No word on who will be in goal for Buffalo but perhaps Nilsson gets the start this evening.
In their only meeting of the season, Nilsson stopped 46 shots in regulation and overtime then stymied Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in the shootout to help the Sabres get out from under the weight of a three-game losing streak.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Opportunity knocks again for the Sabres
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-4-2017
We've seen this a few times before. There sits a team directly in front of Buffalo and a playoff spot. They meet head-to-head in a "four point game." Sure, coach Babcock, you only get two points for a win, but in preventing the other team from getting two points means it's a four-point swing.
Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town fresh off a 5-2 defeat last night in Pittsburgh. That's good news for the Sabres as the Lightning remained only one point ahead of Buffalo in the standings while burning up one of their two games in hand on the Sabres. A regulation win by Buffalo puts them ahead of Tampa by one point whereas a regulation loss puts them behind by three points. Of course the "loser point" could come into play in which the Sabres would remain behind Tampa no matter who gets the extra point.
It's a broken record but it should be repeated. The Sabres had an opportunity back in December with games against divisional/conference foes and came up woefully short going 1-4. In January they dropped three of four with losses to Tampa, Carolina and Toronto.
However, since those losses the Sabres are 5-1-0 within the Atlantic Division, 5-2-1 in the Eastern Conference. If we can glean anything positive from a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) around their bye week, it was that those losses all came against the Western Conference.
All of Buffalo's remaining games save for a three-game Western Coast swing (SJS, ANA, LAK) are within the Eastern Conference--eight games within the division and seven more vs. the Metropolitan Division.
The Sabres have only four games this month against teams that they're battling for a playoff spot with--Tampa Bay tonight, Philadelphia (March 7,) Toronto (March 25) and Florida (March 27.) The rest of the month includes the aforementioned West Coast road trip, three games vs. Columbus, two vs. Pittsburgh and one against Detroit.
However, it all begins tonight for Buffalo against a team they've been having all sorts of trouble against.
Last year the Sabres faced Tampa, who were the defending Eastern Conference Champions, four times within the first 15 games of the season with Tampa taking the first three games by a combined 10-3 score. Perhaps the Lightning were tired of beating the Sabres and in the final game of the season series Buffalo prevailed 4-1.
That win last year against the Lightning was right in the middle of a four-game point-streak back in November, 2015. Buffalo would match that point-streak four more times last season and do it twice this season. However, they've not been able to surpass that which is one of the reasons they're stuck near the bottom of a clump of teams fighting for their playoff lives.
This season the Tampa has beaten Buffalo both times by a combined 8-3 score with only Cody Franson (powerplay,) Matt Moulson and Evander Kane lighting the lamp for the Sabres.
With RW Kyle Okposo out of the lineup, head coach Dan Bylsma did a little line shuffling at practice yesterday. According to sarbes.com these were the lines:
Evander Kane-Ryan O'Reilly-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Tyler Ennis-Evan Rodrigues-Matt Moulson
Nicolas Deslauriers-Zemgus Girgensons-Justin Bailey
And according to WGR550's Paul Hamilton, goalie Robin Lehner is taking part in today's optional skate.
Hamilton also said that the word on Okposo is cracked ribs and he'll be week-to-week. It should be noted that Kane cracked his ribs in the opening game of the season, missed 11 games and it took another 10 games for him to feel like himself again.
*****
There's been a lot of talk in the NHL concerning and impressive group of youngins that are setting the league on fire. At the top of the list, no doubt, is Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid who, at the age of 20, leads the league with 72 points (21g + 51a.) Next on the most revered list is Toronto's Auston Matthews who sent Leaf Nation into a tizzy with a four-goal NHL debut and is presently tied for the lead in rookie goals with 31.
The other rookie with 31 goals is Winnipeg's Patrick Laine who leads the rooks in scoring with 56 points, one point ahead of Matthews. Behind those two on the rookie scoring list are a couple of pretty talented Maple Leafs in Mitch Marner (50 Points) and William Nylander (45.)
Lost in all of this is Buffalo's Jack Eichel, who spent the first 21 games of the season on IR with a high-ankle sprain.
Highly touted as a player ever so slightly below McDavid at the 2015 draft, Eichel had an inconsistent rookie campaign last season but still managed to finish second to 24 yr. old Chicago Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin in scoring. With Matthews debut, McDavid's dominance, the Leafs unexpectedly sniffing the playoffs and Laine looking like the second coming of Mike Bossy, Eichel sat on the sidlelines while the rest grabbed the headlines during the first half of the season.
Eichel would make waves upon his return while still suffering the effects of his high-ankle sprain and as of late has really kicked it in gear. He's on an eight-game point-streak (2+9,) has points in 12 of 13 (3+14) while upping his scoring rate to .93 pts./game, good for 14th in the league for those playing in 50 or more games. He also lead the Sabres last month with 14 assists, eight of them primary.
For the first time in a while I heard a member of the Canadian media mention Eichel's name within that group of burgeoning superstars as Ray Ferraro mentioned him while the Leafs were playing Anaheim.
No doubt it's been a struggle for the Sabres, and Eichel as well at times, but for those of us lucky enough to watch "Jack Flash" on a constant basis, there's no denying he's in that top group of McDavid, Matthews and Laine. With the NHL celebrating it's 100th birthday and the Birthplace of Hockey looking at some of it's own making the playoffs this season (as opposed to no Canadian team making it last season,) a heavy focus upon early successes and supreme talent in the Great White North is certainly apropos.
But, don't for get about Jack.
He's comin' for ya.
We've seen this a few times before. There sits a team directly in front of Buffalo and a playoff spot. They meet head-to-head in a "four point game." Sure, coach Babcock, you only get two points for a win, but in preventing the other team from getting two points means it's a four-point swing.
Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town fresh off a 5-2 defeat last night in Pittsburgh. That's good news for the Sabres as the Lightning remained only one point ahead of Buffalo in the standings while burning up one of their two games in hand on the Sabres. A regulation win by Buffalo puts them ahead of Tampa by one point whereas a regulation loss puts them behind by three points. Of course the "loser point" could come into play in which the Sabres would remain behind Tampa no matter who gets the extra point.
It's a broken record but it should be repeated. The Sabres had an opportunity back in December with games against divisional/conference foes and came up woefully short going 1-4. In January they dropped three of four with losses to Tampa, Carolina and Toronto.
However, since those losses the Sabres are 5-1-0 within the Atlantic Division, 5-2-1 in the Eastern Conference. If we can glean anything positive from a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) around their bye week, it was that those losses all came against the Western Conference.
All of Buffalo's remaining games save for a three-game Western Coast swing (SJS, ANA, LAK) are within the Eastern Conference--eight games within the division and seven more vs. the Metropolitan Division.
The Sabres have only four games this month against teams that they're battling for a playoff spot with--Tampa Bay tonight, Philadelphia (March 7,) Toronto (March 25) and Florida (March 27.) The rest of the month includes the aforementioned West Coast road trip, three games vs. Columbus, two vs. Pittsburgh and one against Detroit.
However, it all begins tonight for Buffalo against a team they've been having all sorts of trouble against.
Last year the Sabres faced Tampa, who were the defending Eastern Conference Champions, four times within the first 15 games of the season with Tampa taking the first three games by a combined 10-3 score. Perhaps the Lightning were tired of beating the Sabres and in the final game of the season series Buffalo prevailed 4-1.
That win last year against the Lightning was right in the middle of a four-game point-streak back in November, 2015. Buffalo would match that point-streak four more times last season and do it twice this season. However, they've not been able to surpass that which is one of the reasons they're stuck near the bottom of a clump of teams fighting for their playoff lives.
This season the Tampa has beaten Buffalo both times by a combined 8-3 score with only Cody Franson (powerplay,) Matt Moulson and Evander Kane lighting the lamp for the Sabres.
With RW Kyle Okposo out of the lineup, head coach Dan Bylsma did a little line shuffling at practice yesterday. According to sarbes.com these were the lines:
Evander Kane-Ryan O'Reilly-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Tyler Ennis-Evan Rodrigues-Matt Moulson
Nicolas Deslauriers-Zemgus Girgensons-Justin Bailey
And according to WGR550's Paul Hamilton, goalie Robin Lehner is taking part in today's optional skate.
Hamilton also said that the word on Okposo is cracked ribs and he'll be week-to-week. It should be noted that Kane cracked his ribs in the opening game of the season, missed 11 games and it took another 10 games for him to feel like himself again.
*****
There's been a lot of talk in the NHL concerning and impressive group of youngins that are setting the league on fire. At the top of the list, no doubt, is Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid who, at the age of 20, leads the league with 72 points (21g + 51a.) Next on the most revered list is Toronto's Auston Matthews who sent Leaf Nation into a tizzy with a four-goal NHL debut and is presently tied for the lead in rookie goals with 31.
The other rookie with 31 goals is Winnipeg's Patrick Laine who leads the rooks in scoring with 56 points, one point ahead of Matthews. Behind those two on the rookie scoring list are a couple of pretty talented Maple Leafs in Mitch Marner (50 Points) and William Nylander (45.)
Lost in all of this is Buffalo's Jack Eichel, who spent the first 21 games of the season on IR with a high-ankle sprain.
Highly touted as a player ever so slightly below McDavid at the 2015 draft, Eichel had an inconsistent rookie campaign last season but still managed to finish second to 24 yr. old Chicago Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin in scoring. With Matthews debut, McDavid's dominance, the Leafs unexpectedly sniffing the playoffs and Laine looking like the second coming of Mike Bossy, Eichel sat on the sidlelines while the rest grabbed the headlines during the first half of the season.
Eichel would make waves upon his return while still suffering the effects of his high-ankle sprain and as of late has really kicked it in gear. He's on an eight-game point-streak (2+9,) has points in 12 of 13 (3+14) while upping his scoring rate to .93 pts./game, good for 14th in the league for those playing in 50 or more games. He also lead the Sabres last month with 14 assists, eight of them primary.
For the first time in a while I heard a member of the Canadian media mention Eichel's name within that group of burgeoning superstars as Ray Ferraro mentioned him while the Leafs were playing Anaheim.
No doubt it's been a struggle for the Sabres, and Eichel as well at times, but for those of us lucky enough to watch "Jack Flash" on a constant basis, there's no denying he's in that top group of McDavid, Matthews and Laine. With the NHL celebrating it's 100th birthday and the Birthplace of Hockey looking at some of it's own making the playoffs this season (as opposed to no Canadian team making it last season,) a heavy focus upon early successes and supreme talent in the Great White North is certainly apropos.
But, don't for get about Jack.
He's comin' for ya.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Sabres respond to Murray speech. However, can they keep it going?
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-3-2017
It's getting to the point where "what if?" is making it's way into the vernacular. For the Sabres some of them would include, "What if Jack Eichel wasn't injured? or "What if they'd managed to get a handful of points from teams like Boston?" or "What if they'd taken care of business at Colorado and Arizona last weekend?"
Homie ain't gonna play that game. The only one to play is, "What it is."
Simple fact is the Buffalo Sabres are outside a playoff spot with multiple team to jump and 18 games remaining in the regular season. Last night they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 to snag two points with the scoreboard tilting slightly in their favor as Boston lost while Florida and Toronto got loser points. The Sabres are five points out of the second wild card spot and seven points out of third place in the division.
GM Tim Murray visited the Sabres locker room yesterday to talk to his troops, something he rarely does. The NHL Trade Deadline came and went with no movement involving Buffalo. Everyone knew the names that could've been moved--Dmitry Kulikov, Cody Franson and Brian Gionta--but none were moved and, considering the Sabres were in a 0-3-1 rut, no one was brought in to bolster the club.
The trade deadline is a tough time for players, especially those with families, as uncertainty reigns supreme well into the late afternoon. With the team in the dressing room getting ready for the game Murray went in and talked to his team. After the meeting he went on air with WGR550 an talked about it. "This is our team," Murray said about his talk. "We're relatively healthy right now and we're going to play as hard as we can and get as many points as we can. D-day has gone by. This is our team. You're here. There's 19 games left and let's see what we can do."
And he reiterated his faith in his team, "It's late. It's getting down to the nitty gritty for sure and it's going to be tough and I still believe these players can get it done. Maybe it's false belief. I don't know. I told them I believe in them."
That resonated well amongst those gathered. According to media reports, Ryan O'Reilly said "it was something we needed to hear" while Eichel embraced the team unity aspect about "everyone caring for each other, and everyone gets better and moves forward."
Marcus Foligno said that "everyone in the organization is on the same page. That's what it was" then concluded "Being on the same page and hearing it from Tim was nice. You hear it from your general manager and everyone is going to listen and respect what he said to us."
It kinda makes you what if Murray....
Nope. Ain't gonna go there.
Murray's team responded with a good win that was closer than the score indicated. Buffalo played their usual Jekyll and Hyde game where sometimes they look like world-beaters and at other times they can't help but stumble over themselves. They had a great night on special teams with two powerplay goals and a shortie by Foligno who was set up by some hard work by O'Reilly. But they also gave up a short handed goal and allowed the Coyotes to tie the score twice before pulling away.
Evander Kane, "Mr. Five-on-Five," sent a laser past Arizona goalie Mike Smith to put the Sabres up 4-3 and Buffalo would add two empty net goals by Foligno and Sam Reinhart for the final score.
There's a big test for the Sabres coming on Saturday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightining in a "four-point" game. Tampa is one point ahead of Buffalo in the standings with two games in hand and they'll make up one of those games tonight as they're in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.
The Sabres haven't fared well against the Bolts lately. They're 0-2 so far this season and went 1-3 vs. Tampa Bay last year. However, tomorrow night's game represent a prime opportunity for Buffalo as they're at home and Tampa's will be coming in for the second game of a back-to-back roadie.
Murray speech yesterday did some good, but how long it will last remains to be seen.
It's getting to the point where "what if?" is making it's way into the vernacular. For the Sabres some of them would include, "What if Jack Eichel wasn't injured? or "What if they'd managed to get a handful of points from teams like Boston?" or "What if they'd taken care of business at Colorado and Arizona last weekend?"
Homie ain't gonna play that game. The only one to play is, "What it is."
Simple fact is the Buffalo Sabres are outside a playoff spot with multiple team to jump and 18 games remaining in the regular season. Last night they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 to snag two points with the scoreboard tilting slightly in their favor as Boston lost while Florida and Toronto got loser points. The Sabres are five points out of the second wild card spot and seven points out of third place in the division.
GM Tim Murray visited the Sabres locker room yesterday to talk to his troops, something he rarely does. The NHL Trade Deadline came and went with no movement involving Buffalo. Everyone knew the names that could've been moved--Dmitry Kulikov, Cody Franson and Brian Gionta--but none were moved and, considering the Sabres were in a 0-3-1 rut, no one was brought in to bolster the club.
The trade deadline is a tough time for players, especially those with families, as uncertainty reigns supreme well into the late afternoon. With the team in the dressing room getting ready for the game Murray went in and talked to his team. After the meeting he went on air with WGR550 an talked about it. "This is our team," Murray said about his talk. "We're relatively healthy right now and we're going to play as hard as we can and get as many points as we can. D-day has gone by. This is our team. You're here. There's 19 games left and let's see what we can do."
And he reiterated his faith in his team, "It's late. It's getting down to the nitty gritty for sure and it's going to be tough and I still believe these players can get it done. Maybe it's false belief. I don't know. I told them I believe in them."
That resonated well amongst those gathered. According to media reports, Ryan O'Reilly said "it was something we needed to hear" while Eichel embraced the team unity aspect about "everyone caring for each other, and everyone gets better and moves forward."
Marcus Foligno said that "everyone in the organization is on the same page. That's what it was" then concluded "Being on the same page and hearing it from Tim was nice. You hear it from your general manager and everyone is going to listen and respect what he said to us."
It kinda makes you what if Murray....
Nope. Ain't gonna go there.
Murray's team responded with a good win that was closer than the score indicated. Buffalo played their usual Jekyll and Hyde game where sometimes they look like world-beaters and at other times they can't help but stumble over themselves. They had a great night on special teams with two powerplay goals and a shortie by Foligno who was set up by some hard work by O'Reilly. But they also gave up a short handed goal and allowed the Coyotes to tie the score twice before pulling away.
Evander Kane, "Mr. Five-on-Five," sent a laser past Arizona goalie Mike Smith to put the Sabres up 4-3 and Buffalo would add two empty net goals by Foligno and Sam Reinhart for the final score.
There's a big test for the Sabres coming on Saturday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightining in a "four-point" game. Tampa is one point ahead of Buffalo in the standings with two games in hand and they'll make up one of those games tonight as they're in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.
The Sabres haven't fared well against the Bolts lately. They're 0-2 so far this season and went 1-3 vs. Tampa Bay last year. However, tomorrow night's game represent a prime opportunity for Buffalo as they're at home and Tampa's will be coming in for the second game of a back-to-back roadie.
Murray speech yesterday did some good, but how long it will last remains to be seen.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats--February, TDL Edition
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-2-2017
Well, for those who took off work to be in on the action at the NHL's Trade Deadline Day, what a waste of time that was. A total of 10 trades were made yesterday by the 3 p.m. deadline and none involved the Buffalo Sabres.
The ta-do yesterday and today is, how could Buffalo GM Tim Murray not move any of his pending unrestricted free agents. Simply put there wasn't a big enough market for the likes of defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, even though he kept things in perspective concerning the return. Murray stood at the podium yesterday evening talking about the non-event that was the TDL, looking somewhat disappointed and a bit miffed at not being able to get something done. According to Murray, he'd been in conversations with other GM's concerning Kulikov, but seemed to imply that injuries kept anything from getting done.
You can't blame any GM in the league for having reservations. Any scout that came to see Kulikov play had to leave with a poor impression as the veteran defenseman has struggled mightily all season.
The only other player in play was captain Brian Gionta, whom Murray said he had a call on. Murray contacted Gionta and the captain reiterated that he wanted to remain with the team and the GM respecting that.
With the trade deadline now come and gone and nothing happening in Buffalo, what we've seen on the roster is what we've got for the final 19 games of the regular season. The Sabres are at home tonight vs. the Arizona Coyotes and head coach Dan Bylsma looks intent upon shaking his team out of their present four-game winless streak by juggling the forward lines. Here were the lines at practice today (from Jourdon LaBarber, sabres.com):
Tyler Ennis-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Evander Kane-Zemgus Girgensons-Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson-Evan Rodrigues-Justin Bailey
The "big" move is Bailey and Ennis switching spots. Bailey once again showed promise in a top-six role but it faded as he ended February with only a goal and two assists in 13 game, although he lead the team in plus/minus for the month with a plus-5.
Ennis has been relegated to fourth-line duty but managed to double Bailey's number by scoring two goals and adding four assists. He was second on the team with a plus-4.
Bylsma's obsession with Foligno continues as he gets another shot in the top-six while Kane, who lead the team with eight goals in February, drops back down to the third line. Gionta had a one-game stint in the top-six switching places with Reinhart, but he's back where he belong--on the third line--while Reinhart is where he belongs--on Eichel's wing.
Speaking of "Jack Flash," watching him and Kane fly up ice was a lot of fun. For most of the month the Kane and Eichel were together and although Eichel only had two goals in the month of February, he lead the team with 14 assists, eight being of the primary variety and he was in on six of Kane's eight goals.
On the downside, Kulikov was a minus-7 for the month while Kane was a minus-6.
With the team basically treading water during a 6-6-2 month of February, it's not surprising that we didn't see much movement statistically from the Sabres goaltenders although Robin Lehner did post his first two shutouts of the season.
It's the final month and a half of the season and the pressure is really off the team right now. There's just a glimmer of hope for a playoff spot and this is usually the time we see some players coming to the fore. But look over the past two months and see who the drivers were on this team. Those are the ones that welcomed the pressure and are ready for the next step--Eichel (27 pts,) Kane (14 goals,) O'Reilly (21 points) and Lehner. There are others who've played well but just haven't hit the scoresheet and there are rooks like Bailey and Rodrigues who are learning the ropes.\
This is the team we've been watching, and it will be the team we'll be watching for the rest of the season.
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats leaders:
Points
--October: Okposo, O'Reilly, Ristolainen, 7; Moulson, Brian Gionta, 5
--November: Okposo, Reinhart, 8; O'Reilly, 5
--December: Ristolainen, 15; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, 10
--January: Kane, O'Reilly, 11; Eichel, Gionta, 10
--February: Eichel, 16; O'Reilly, Okposo, 10
Goals
--October: Okposo, Moulson 4; O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, 3
--November: Reinhart, 4; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Foligno, 3
--December: Kane, 8; Eichel, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, Gionta, Larsson, Ristolainen, 3
--January: Kane, 6; Eichel, Okposo, Gionta, 5
--February: Kane, 8; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Moulson, 4; O'Reilly, 2; Okposo, Sam Reinhart, 1
--November: Moulson, Okposo, 2; Eichel, Reinhart, O'Reilly, Larsson, Franson, 1
--December: Okposo, 3; Reinhart, 2; Eichel, Kane, Moulson, Ristolainen, 1
--January: Eichel, 3; Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Reinhart, 3; O'Reilly, 2; Eichel, Moulson, 1
Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 7; O'Reilly, 4; Reinhart, Okposo, Franson, 3
--November: Okposo, 5; Reinhart, Ristolainen, 4; Kane, Franson, 3
--December: Ristolainen, 12; Reinhart, 7; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Gionta, Foligno, 5
--January: O'Reilly, 9; Reinhart, 6; Kane, 5
--February: Eichel, 14; Ristolainen, 8; O'Reilly, Okposo, 6
Powerplay Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 6; Okposo, 3; O'Reilly, Reinhart, 2
--November: Okposo, 4; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 5; O'Reilly, 3; Eichel, Moulson, 2
--January: O'Reilly, 4; Ristolainen, 3; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Ristolainen, 5; Eichel, Okposo, 3
Primary Assists
--October: O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 3; Gionta, Girgensons, 2
--November: Okposo, Kane, Reinhart, 3; Gionta, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, 4;
--January: O'Reilly, 7; Reinhart, 6; Franson, 4
--February: Eichel, 8 Okposo, 5; Ristolainen, 4
Plus/Minus
--October: Gionta +3; Okposo, Franson +2
--November: Carrier +2; O'Reilly +1; Reinhart, Grant, Fedun, even
--December: Foligno +5; McCabe +3; Franson +2
--January: O'Reilly, +6; Kane, Girgensons, +4; Fedun Moulson, +3
--February: Bailey, +5; Ennis, +4; Moulson, +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Tyler Ennis -4; Deslauriers, Grant -3
--November: Kane, Gionta -5; Larsson, -4
--December: Kulikov, Bogosian -6; Kane -5
--January: Eichel, Foligno, C. O'Reilly, Bogosian, -5; Franson, -4
--February: Kulikov, -7; Kane, -6; Reinhart, Gionta, -4
Goalies (composite)
Robin Lehner
--October: 2-2-1; 2.61 GAA; .913 Sv%; 0 shutouts
--November: 5-7-3; 2.40; .921; 0
--December: 8-12-5; 2.51; .921; 0
--January: 12-13-5; 2.64; .918; 0
--February: 17-18-7; 2.63; .922; 2
Anders Nilsson
--October: 1-1-1; 1.96 GAA; .937 Sv%; 1 shutout
--November: 3-2-2; 2.20; .939; 1
--December: 5-3-3; 2.47; .925; 1
--January: 8-7-4: 2.60; .923; 1
--February: 9-8-4; 2.69; .921; 1
Well, for those who took off work to be in on the action at the NHL's Trade Deadline Day, what a waste of time that was. A total of 10 trades were made yesterday by the 3 p.m. deadline and none involved the Buffalo Sabres.
The ta-do yesterday and today is, how could Buffalo GM Tim Murray not move any of his pending unrestricted free agents. Simply put there wasn't a big enough market for the likes of defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, even though he kept things in perspective concerning the return. Murray stood at the podium yesterday evening talking about the non-event that was the TDL, looking somewhat disappointed and a bit miffed at not being able to get something done. According to Murray, he'd been in conversations with other GM's concerning Kulikov, but seemed to imply that injuries kept anything from getting done.
You can't blame any GM in the league for having reservations. Any scout that came to see Kulikov play had to leave with a poor impression as the veteran defenseman has struggled mightily all season.
The only other player in play was captain Brian Gionta, whom Murray said he had a call on. Murray contacted Gionta and the captain reiterated that he wanted to remain with the team and the GM respecting that.
With the trade deadline now come and gone and nothing happening in Buffalo, what we've seen on the roster is what we've got for the final 19 games of the regular season. The Sabres are at home tonight vs. the Arizona Coyotes and head coach Dan Bylsma looks intent upon shaking his team out of their present four-game winless streak by juggling the forward lines. Here were the lines at practice today (from Jourdon LaBarber, sabres.com):
Tyler Ennis-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno-Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart
Evander Kane-Zemgus Girgensons-Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson-Evan Rodrigues-Justin Bailey
The "big" move is Bailey and Ennis switching spots. Bailey once again showed promise in a top-six role but it faded as he ended February with only a goal and two assists in 13 game, although he lead the team in plus/minus for the month with a plus-5.
Ennis has been relegated to fourth-line duty but managed to double Bailey's number by scoring two goals and adding four assists. He was second on the team with a plus-4.
Bylsma's obsession with Foligno continues as he gets another shot in the top-six while Kane, who lead the team with eight goals in February, drops back down to the third line. Gionta had a one-game stint in the top-six switching places with Reinhart, but he's back where he belong--on the third line--while Reinhart is where he belongs--on Eichel's wing.
Speaking of "Jack Flash," watching him and Kane fly up ice was a lot of fun. For most of the month the Kane and Eichel were together and although Eichel only had two goals in the month of February, he lead the team with 14 assists, eight being of the primary variety and he was in on six of Kane's eight goals.
On the downside, Kulikov was a minus-7 for the month while Kane was a minus-6.
With the team basically treading water during a 6-6-2 month of February, it's not surprising that we didn't see much movement statistically from the Sabres goaltenders although Robin Lehner did post his first two shutouts of the season.
It's the final month and a half of the season and the pressure is really off the team right now. There's just a glimmer of hope for a playoff spot and this is usually the time we see some players coming to the fore. But look over the past two months and see who the drivers were on this team. Those are the ones that welcomed the pressure and are ready for the next step--Eichel (27 pts,) Kane (14 goals,) O'Reilly (21 points) and Lehner. There are others who've played well but just haven't hit the scoresheet and there are rooks like Bailey and Rodrigues who are learning the ropes.\
This is the team we've been watching, and it will be the team we'll be watching for the rest of the season.
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats leaders:
Points
--October: Okposo, O'Reilly, Ristolainen, 7; Moulson, Brian Gionta, 5
--November: Okposo, Reinhart, 8; O'Reilly, 5
--December: Ristolainen, 15; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, 10
--January: Kane, O'Reilly, 11; Eichel, Gionta, 10
--February: Eichel, 16; O'Reilly, Okposo, 10
Goals
--October: Okposo, Moulson 4; O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, 3
--November: Reinhart, 4; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Foligno, 3
--December: Kane, 8; Eichel, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, Gionta, Larsson, Ristolainen, 3
--January: Kane, 6; Eichel, Okposo, Gionta, 5
--February: Kane, 8; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, 4
Powerplay Goals
--October: Moulson, 4; O'Reilly, 2; Okposo, Sam Reinhart, 1
--November: Moulson, Okposo, 2; Eichel, Reinhart, O'Reilly, Larsson, Franson, 1
--December: Okposo, 3; Reinhart, 2; Eichel, Kane, Moulson, Ristolainen, 1
--January: Eichel, 3; Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Reinhart, 3; O'Reilly, 2; Eichel, Moulson, 1
Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 7; O'Reilly, 4; Reinhart, Okposo, Franson, 3
--November: Okposo, 5; Reinhart, Ristolainen, 4; Kane, Franson, 3
--December: Ristolainen, 12; Reinhart, 7; O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Gionta, Foligno, 5
--January: O'Reilly, 9; Reinhart, 6; Kane, 5
--February: Eichel, 14; Ristolainen, 8; O'Reilly, Okposo, 6
Powerplay Assists
--October: Ristolainen, 6; Okposo, 3; O'Reilly, Reinhart, 2
--November: Okposo, 4; O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 5; O'Reilly, 3; Eichel, Moulson, 2
--January: O'Reilly, 4; Ristolainen, 3; Eichel, Kane, Reinhart, Okposo, 2
--February: Ristolainen, 5; Eichel, Okposo, 3
Primary Assists
--October: O'Reilly, Reinhart, Ristolainen, 3; Gionta, Girgensons, 2
--November: Okposo, Kane, Reinhart, 3; Gionta, 2
--December: Ristolainen, 6; Reinhart, Okposo, 4;
--January: O'Reilly, 7; Reinhart, 6; Franson, 4
--February: Eichel, 8 Okposo, 5; Ristolainen, 4
Plus/Minus
--October: Gionta +3; Okposo, Franson +2
--November: Carrier +2; O'Reilly +1; Reinhart, Grant, Fedun, even
--December: Foligno +5; McCabe +3; Franson +2
--January: O'Reilly, +6; Kane, Girgensons, +4; Fedun Moulson, +3
--February: Bailey, +5; Ennis, +4; Moulson, +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Tyler Ennis -4; Deslauriers, Grant -3
--November: Kane, Gionta -5; Larsson, -4
--December: Kulikov, Bogosian -6; Kane -5
--January: Eichel, Foligno, C. O'Reilly, Bogosian, -5; Franson, -4
--February: Kulikov, -7; Kane, -6; Reinhart, Gionta, -4
Goalies (composite)
Robin Lehner
--October: 2-2-1; 2.61 GAA; .913 Sv%; 0 shutouts
--November: 5-7-3; 2.40; .921; 0
--December: 8-12-5; 2.51; .921; 0
--January: 12-13-5; 2.64; .918; 0
--February: 17-18-7; 2.63; .922; 2
Anders Nilsson
--October: 1-1-1; 1.96 GAA; .937 Sv%; 1 shutout
--November: 3-2-2; 2.20; .939; 1
--December: 5-3-3; 2.47; .925; 1
--January: 8-7-4: 2.60; .923; 1
--February: 9-8-4; 2.69; .921; 1
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Team Stats--Feb.--TDL Edition
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-1-2017
Stuck in the mud.
That's about the only way to describe the month of February for the Buffalo Sabres as they finished with a 6-6-2 record and are pretty much in the same spot they've been all season long.
First off, the NHL schedule-makers may still be ticked at the Sabres for their unabashed dive to the bottom only two years ago as they decided to give Buffalo their bye week in the shortest month of the year. In the end the Sabres will have played 14 games in only 23 days because of their five day bye. It meant four sets of back-to-backs all totaled including three within the a span of 18 days before the bye where Buffalo played a total of 11 games in that segment. A 6-4-1 record during that span kept their playoff hopes alive.
However, the bye week is not the reason they are now on a four game pointless streak (0-3-1) to finish the month. The Sabres, for a number of reasons, couldn't get the job done while either playing from behind, or for the last two games, playing with the lead. They held two-goal leads in both Arizona and at home last night vs. the Nashville Predators and choked them away. It's a trend that's happened quite a few times this season, especially with the pressure turned up.
Head coach Dan Bylsma has done some good coaching this season, especially considering the number of key injuries he's had to deal with as well as a sub-par defense-corps to work with, but something's amiss.
We've had the battles over systems and players and the deviation between systems is very little from team to team. Ask Buffalo captain Brian Gionta. Players are players and there's good ones and bad ones and all points in between. However, we've seen a number of in-season coaching changes that have brought back stellar results with a new bench boss coaching the same players.
Bylsma's Sabres have never been able to get out of the rut that was created early in the season with the loss of Jack Eichel to injury. And every time it looks as if they're gonna make it out, they slip back. Case in point, prior to the break they were making headway in the race for a playoff spot. They won three in a row but followed that up with their present four-game winless streak.
Should Bylsma's head be on the chopping block?
That's tough to say, not being in the room, but in looking over the season so far, he's not been able to guide them out of the rut their in and on many occasions, when a pressure situation arises, his team folds.
That's not a good sign.
*****
It's the NHL Trade Deadline day and with the Sabres on an 0-3-1 streak, and their playoff hopes faint at this point, one could safely assume that GM Tim Murray will be a seller. Names to watch are pending UFA's Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, both defensemen and backup goalie Anders Nilsson. Gionta will also be unrestricted at season's end but has stated more than once that he wishes to remain in Buffalo.
Other names to watch are forwards Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.
Buffalo Sabres Team Stats/League Rankings...(Leader):
Wins
--October: 3 (T-23rd)...(MTL, 8)
--November: 8 (T-28th)...(MTL, NYR, 16)
--December: 13 (28th)...(CBJ, 26)
--January: 20 (T-27th)...(WSH, 33)
--February: 26 (T-23rd)...(WSH, 42)
--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH, 56)
--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA, 49)
Atlantic Division Standing
--October: 7th...(MTL)
--November: 8th...(MTL)
--December: 8th...(MTL)
--January: 7th...(MTL)
--February: 7th...(MTL)
--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)
--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)
Eastern Conference Standing
--October: 12th...(MTL)
--November: 15th...(MTL)
--December: 16th...(CBJ)
--January: 15th...(WSH)
--February: 13th..(WSH)
--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)
--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)
League standing/Points
--October: 20th/8...(MTL/17)
--November: 28th/21...(MTL/34)
--December: 28th/34...(CBJ/56)
--January: 27th/49...(WSH/72)
--February: 22nd/63...(WSH/91)
--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
Points Percentage
--October: .500 (T-15th)...(MTL, .944)
--November: .477 (26th)...(MTL, .739)
--December: .472 (28th)...(CBJ, .800)
--January: .500 (24th)...(MIN, .724)
--February: .500 (T-22nd)...(WSH, .734)
--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH, .732)
--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR, .689)
Goal Differential
--October: -1 (16th)...(MTL, +17)
--November: -13 (25th)...(NYR, +29)
--December: -23 (27th)...(CBJ, +50)
--January: -21 (26th)...(MIN), +54)
--February: -24 (23rd)...(WSH, +73)
--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH, +59)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
Goals/Game
--October: 2.50 (21st)...(NYR, 3.89)
--November: 1.95 (30th)...(NYR, 3.67)
--December: 2.14 (28th)...(CBJ, 3.46)
--January: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT, 3.55)
--February: 2.46 (24th)...(PIT, 3.46)
--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL, 3.23)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
Shots/Game
--October: 27.4 (28th)...(TOR, 34.7)
--November: 29.4 (20th)...(PIT, 33.9)
--December: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 34.8)
--January: 29.8 (17th)...(PIT, 34.4)
--February: 29.7 (20th)...(BOS, 33.9)
--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 33.2)
--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI, 33.9)
Goals-against/Game
--October: 2.50 (12th)...(MTL, 1.44)
--November: 2.45 (10th)...(SJS. 2.09)
--December: 2.67 (14th)...(MIN, 2.06)
--January: 2.78 (17th)...(WSH, 2.10)
--February: 2.79 (18th)...(WSH, 2.08)
--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA, 2.29)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
Shots against/Game
--October: 30.6 (20th)...(WSH, 25)
--November: 32.5 (26th)...(LAK, 25.4)
--December: 32.6 (27th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--January: 33.3 (29th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--February: 34.1 (30th)...(LAK, 26.0)
--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH, 27.3)
--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK, 27.0)
Powerplay
--October: 25.0 (7th)...(NSH, 35.7)
--November: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 27.8)
--December: 21.6 (9th)...(CBJ, 27.4)
--January: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 24.6)
--February: 22.2 (4th)...(TOR, 23.0)
--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA, 23.1)
--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH, 25.3)
Penalty Kill
--October: 86.7 (7th)...(MIN, 96.2)
--November: 78.7 (25th)...(CAR, 89.7)
--December: 73.9 (30th)...(CAR, 88.8)
--January: 74.3 (29th)...(CAR, 87.8)
--February: 75.8 (29th)...(CAR, 86.0)
--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA, 87.2)
--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN, 86.3)
Faceoff Percentage
--October: 54.7 (3rd)...(ANA, 59.3)
--November: 51.5 (5th)...(ANA, 56.8)
--December: 51.1 (9th)...(ANA, 56.0)
--January: 50.6 (11th)...(ANA, 55.1)
--February: 49.9 (14th)...(ANA, 54.7)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
Stuck in the mud.
That's about the only way to describe the month of February for the Buffalo Sabres as they finished with a 6-6-2 record and are pretty much in the same spot they've been all season long.
First off, the NHL schedule-makers may still be ticked at the Sabres for their unabashed dive to the bottom only two years ago as they decided to give Buffalo their bye week in the shortest month of the year. In the end the Sabres will have played 14 games in only 23 days because of their five day bye. It meant four sets of back-to-backs all totaled including three within the a span of 18 days before the bye where Buffalo played a total of 11 games in that segment. A 6-4-1 record during that span kept their playoff hopes alive.
However, the bye week is not the reason they are now on a four game pointless streak (0-3-1) to finish the month. The Sabres, for a number of reasons, couldn't get the job done while either playing from behind, or for the last two games, playing with the lead. They held two-goal leads in both Arizona and at home last night vs. the Nashville Predators and choked them away. It's a trend that's happened quite a few times this season, especially with the pressure turned up.
Head coach Dan Bylsma has done some good coaching this season, especially considering the number of key injuries he's had to deal with as well as a sub-par defense-corps to work with, but something's amiss.
We've had the battles over systems and players and the deviation between systems is very little from team to team. Ask Buffalo captain Brian Gionta. Players are players and there's good ones and bad ones and all points in between. However, we've seen a number of in-season coaching changes that have brought back stellar results with a new bench boss coaching the same players.
Bylsma's Sabres have never been able to get out of the rut that was created early in the season with the loss of Jack Eichel to injury. And every time it looks as if they're gonna make it out, they slip back. Case in point, prior to the break they were making headway in the race for a playoff spot. They won three in a row but followed that up with their present four-game winless streak.
Should Bylsma's head be on the chopping block?
That's tough to say, not being in the room, but in looking over the season so far, he's not been able to guide them out of the rut their in and on many occasions, when a pressure situation arises, his team folds.
That's not a good sign.
*****
It's the NHL Trade Deadline day and with the Sabres on an 0-3-1 streak, and their playoff hopes faint at this point, one could safely assume that GM Tim Murray will be a seller. Names to watch are pending UFA's Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, both defensemen and backup goalie Anders Nilsson. Gionta will also be unrestricted at season's end but has stated more than once that he wishes to remain in Buffalo.
Other names to watch are forwards Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.
Buffalo Sabres Team Stats/League Rankings...(Leader):
Wins
--October: 3 (T-23rd)...(MTL, 8)
--November: 8 (T-28th)...(MTL, NYR, 16)
--December: 13 (28th)...(CBJ, 26)
--January: 20 (T-27th)...(WSH, 33)
--February: 26 (T-23rd)...(WSH, 42)
--2015-16: 35 (23rd)...(WSH, 56)
--2014-15: 23 (30th)...(ANA, 49)
Atlantic Division Standing
--October: 7th...(MTL)
--November: 8th...(MTL)
--December: 8th...(MTL)
--January: 7th...(MTL)
--February: 7th...(MTL)
--2015-16: 7th...(FLA)
--2014-15: 8th...(MTL)
Eastern Conference Standing
--October: 12th...(MTL)
--November: 15th...(MTL)
--December: 16th...(CBJ)
--January: 15th...(WSH)
--February: 13th..(WSH)
--2015-16: 14th...(WSH)
--2014-15: 16th...(NYR)
League standing/Points
--October: 20th/8...(MTL/17)
--November: 28th/21...(MTL/34)
--December: 28th/34...(CBJ/56)
--January: 27th/49...(WSH/72)
--February: 22nd/63...(WSH/91)
--2015-16: 23rd/81...(WSH/120)
--2014-15: 30th/54...(NYR/113)
Points Percentage
--October: .500 (T-15th)...(MTL, .944)
--November: .477 (26th)...(MTL, .739)
--December: .472 (28th)...(CBJ, .800)
--January: .500 (24th)...(MIN, .724)
--February: .500 (T-22nd)...(WSH, .734)
--2015-16: .494 (23rd)...(WSH, .732)
--2014-15: .329 (30th)...(NYR, .689)
Goal Differential
--October: -1 (16th)...(MTL, +17)
--November: -13 (25th)...(NYR, +29)
--December: -23 (27th)...(CBJ, +50)
--January: -21 (26th)...(MIN), +54)
--February: -24 (23rd)...(WSH, +73)
--2015-16: -21 (20th)...(WSH, +59)
--2014-15 -113 (30th)...(NYR, +60)
Goals/Game
--October: 2.50 (21st)...(NYR, 3.89)
--November: 1.95 (30th)...(NYR, 3.67)
--December: 2.14 (28th)...(CBJ, 3.46)
--January: 2.43 (24th)...(PIT, 3.55)
--February: 2.46 (24th)...(PIT, 3.46)
--2015-16: 2.43 (25th)...(DAL, 3.23)
--2014-15: 1.87 (30th)...(TBL, 3.16)
Shots/Game
--October: 27.4 (28th)...(TOR, 34.7)
--November: 29.4 (20th)...(PIT, 33.9)
--December: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 34.8)
--January: 29.8 (17th)...(PIT, 34.4)
--February: 29.7 (20th)...(BOS, 33.9)
--2015-16: 29.5 (17th)...(PIT, 33.2)
--2014-15: 24.2 (30th)...(CHI, 33.9)
Goals-against/Game
--October: 2.50 (12th)...(MTL, 1.44)
--November: 2.45 (10th)...(SJS. 2.09)
--December: 2.67 (14th)...(MIN, 2.06)
--January: 2.78 (17th)...(WSH, 2.10)
--February: 2.79 (18th)...(WSH, 2.08)
--2015-16: 2.62 (15th)...(ANA, 2.29)
--2014-15: 3.28 (29th)...(MTL, 2.24)
Shots against/Game
--October: 30.6 (20th)...(WSH, 25)
--November: 32.5 (26th)...(LAK, 25.4)
--December: 32.6 (27th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--January: 33.3 (29th)...(LAK, 25.9)
--February: 34.1 (30th)...(LAK, 26.0)
--2015-16: 30.6 (22nd)...(NSH, 27.3)
--2014-15: 35.6 (30th)...(LAK, 27.0)
Powerplay
--October: 25.0 (7th)...(NSH, 35.7)
--November: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 27.8)
--December: 21.6 (9th)...(CBJ, 27.4)
--January: 22.7 (5th)...(CBJ, 24.6)
--February: 22.2 (4th)...(TOR, 23.0)
--2015-16: 18.9 (12th)...(ANA, 23.1)
--2014-15: 13.4 (30th)...(WSH, 25.3)
Penalty Kill
--October: 86.7 (7th)...(MIN, 96.2)
--November: 78.7 (25th)...(CAR, 89.7)
--December: 73.9 (30th)...(CAR, 88.8)
--January: 74.3 (29th)...(CAR, 87.8)
--February: 75.8 (29th)...(CAR, 86.0)
--2015-16: 82.6 (9th)...(ANA, 87.2)
--2014-15: 75.1 (30th)...(MIN, 86.3)
Faceoff Percentage
--October: 54.7 (3rd)...(ANA, 59.3)
--November: 51.5 (5th)...(ANA, 56.8)
--December: 51.1 (9th)...(ANA, 56.0)
--January: 50.6 (11th)...(ANA, 55.1)
--February: 49.9 (14th)...(ANA, 54.7)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Bylsma shuffles the forward deck. Why? Not sure.
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-28-2017
According to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com, here were the Sabres' lines at this morning's skate:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane-Jack Eichel-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Sam Reinhart
Matt Moulson-Zemgus Girgensons-Tyler Ennis
Losing to the two worst teams in the league while having playoff aspirations certainly complicated things for Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma and seems to be mixing up his forward lines as a was to jostle them out of a three-game losing streak. Then again with their playoff hopes fading and the trade deadline tomorrow, perhaps they're showcasing Gionta in a top-six role for a playoff team. Or maybe Bylsma just wanted to reunite the Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis line as two years ago they were the top line on a last place team.
Perhaps Bylsma felt that Rodrigues deserved a bump up (which he did,) or that Girgensons, despite playing some of the best, if not the best, hockey since 2015, wasn't producing enough offensively for his liking. Or maybe he wants Reinhart to be more defensively responsible after his minus-4 rating against Colorado.
The again, there's a good possibility that Bylsma's feeling the heat from the disaster of losing to the two worst teams in the league and this was the best he could come up with.
Simple fact is, Bylsma's Sabres, who were in the hunt for a playoff spot prior to their present three-game losing streak, couldn't get the job done against the Avs and Coyotes and it's a trend that's been going on for months.
We harken back to December with the return of Jack Eichel and the surge of Evander Kane and how the Sabres kicked off the month with 4-2-1 record before two shootout losses made it points in seven of nine games. Up ahead on the schedule were five games within the conference and division with 10 points on the table. They came up way short winning only won and finishing the month with a disastrous home-and-home versu divisional rival Boston when the opportunity to make up some serious ground vanished.
After Eichel threw a post-game tantrum to end December, the Sabres got their act together in early January, won a quick three of four and were on a four-game point-streak. With momentum on their side and a chance to put some distance between themselves and two Eastern Conference wild card foes, they dropped both games to Tampa Bay and Carolina by a combined 9-4 score.
The roller coaster continued as Buffalo ripped off three wins in a row, all in overtime after coming back in the third period. They almost did it once again, but that loss in Dallas sent the Sabres on a 1-3-1 dive and after alternating wins and losses Buffalo rattled off three wins in a row with one game to go before their bye week. They got steamrolled by Chicago, had their bye, and then, with an opportunity to garner four points via two winnable games, they proceeded to lose to Colorado and Arizona.
It seems as if every time the Sabres had the opportunity to do something special, they laid an egg. One can easily lay the blame at the feet of an inadequate defense-corps, but the forward group had struggled as well with injuries and illness hindering any sense of continuity. Even with the losses the Sabres have had, it would seem as if the forward group fell into place lately.
For all of his well documented scoring woes, Girgensons has been doing exactly what Bylsma has asked him to do which is focus upon the defensive side of the game. He did that extremely well and his reward was getting dropped to the fourth line. Although one goal and two assists in his last nine games won't lead to any Gretzky comparisons, but it's the exact same output that Bailey has had through his last nine games.
Maybe even more puzzling is why Bylsma's revisiting the Gionta/Eichel experiment again, or why he's even trying to put the 38 yr. old in a top-six role. Just look at the tape from last season. Gionta couldn't keep up then, and he certainly won't be able to keep up now, especially with Kane joining Eichel on a screaming fast line.
Nothing against Bailey, who I think has an incredibly bright future, or Gionta, who's been playing his best hockey since joining the Sabres in 2014, but facts is facts.
As for Rodrigues, he played on Eichel's left wing at Boston University and had a career year but the Sabres have a need down the middle and he's played well in a bottom-six center role since that call-up. Rodrigues started as third-line center while Girgensons was out with an injury then moved to the fourth line and has goals in consecutive games. Switching him and Girgensons is understandable but switching Reinhart and Gionta doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Anyone who's watched this team dating back to last season should be able to tell you that Gionta makes his linemates better on the third line, and that's what he is at this stage of his career, a third line right winger.
I'm not sure how this shuffling does anybody any good. Perhaps it's a desperate move to try and shake the team from it's three-game losing streak or it's rewarding players, like Rodrigues and Gionta, for their good work. Or maybe Bylsma was a bleary-eyed after being at KeyBank Center until 8:30 pm yesterday meeting with GM Tim Murray and scouts, according to WGR's Paul Hamilton.
Regardless, the Sabres have a home date vs. the Nashville Predators tonight. With the Sabres slumping and the Preds surging, I'm not sure how these moves will keep Bylsma's team from falling behind early or coughing up a lead late, which they've done plenty of during this month, but hey, at least he's trying something.
Right?
According to Jourdon LaBarber of sabres.com, here were the Sabres' lines at this morning's skate:
Justin Bailey-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane-Jack Eichel-Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno-Evan Rodrigues-Sam Reinhart
Matt Moulson-Zemgus Girgensons-Tyler Ennis
Losing to the two worst teams in the league while having playoff aspirations certainly complicated things for Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma and seems to be mixing up his forward lines as a was to jostle them out of a three-game losing streak. Then again with their playoff hopes fading and the trade deadline tomorrow, perhaps they're showcasing Gionta in a top-six role for a playoff team. Or maybe Bylsma just wanted to reunite the Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis line as two years ago they were the top line on a last place team.
Perhaps Bylsma felt that Rodrigues deserved a bump up (which he did,) or that Girgensons, despite playing some of the best, if not the best, hockey since 2015, wasn't producing enough offensively for his liking. Or maybe he wants Reinhart to be more defensively responsible after his minus-4 rating against Colorado.
The again, there's a good possibility that Bylsma's feeling the heat from the disaster of losing to the two worst teams in the league and this was the best he could come up with.
Simple fact is, Bylsma's Sabres, who were in the hunt for a playoff spot prior to their present three-game losing streak, couldn't get the job done against the Avs and Coyotes and it's a trend that's been going on for months.
We harken back to December with the return of Jack Eichel and the surge of Evander Kane and how the Sabres kicked off the month with 4-2-1 record before two shootout losses made it points in seven of nine games. Up ahead on the schedule were five games within the conference and division with 10 points on the table. They came up way short winning only won and finishing the month with a disastrous home-and-home versu divisional rival Boston when the opportunity to make up some serious ground vanished.
After Eichel threw a post-game tantrum to end December, the Sabres got their act together in early January, won a quick three of four and were on a four-game point-streak. With momentum on their side and a chance to put some distance between themselves and two Eastern Conference wild card foes, they dropped both games to Tampa Bay and Carolina by a combined 9-4 score.
The roller coaster continued as Buffalo ripped off three wins in a row, all in overtime after coming back in the third period. They almost did it once again, but that loss in Dallas sent the Sabres on a 1-3-1 dive and after alternating wins and losses Buffalo rattled off three wins in a row with one game to go before their bye week. They got steamrolled by Chicago, had their bye, and then, with an opportunity to garner four points via two winnable games, they proceeded to lose to Colorado and Arizona.
It seems as if every time the Sabres had the opportunity to do something special, they laid an egg. One can easily lay the blame at the feet of an inadequate defense-corps, but the forward group had struggled as well with injuries and illness hindering any sense of continuity. Even with the losses the Sabres have had, it would seem as if the forward group fell into place lately.
For all of his well documented scoring woes, Girgensons has been doing exactly what Bylsma has asked him to do which is focus upon the defensive side of the game. He did that extremely well and his reward was getting dropped to the fourth line. Although one goal and two assists in his last nine games won't lead to any Gretzky comparisons, but it's the exact same output that Bailey has had through his last nine games.
Maybe even more puzzling is why Bylsma's revisiting the Gionta/Eichel experiment again, or why he's even trying to put the 38 yr. old in a top-six role. Just look at the tape from last season. Gionta couldn't keep up then, and he certainly won't be able to keep up now, especially with Kane joining Eichel on a screaming fast line.
Nothing against Bailey, who I think has an incredibly bright future, or Gionta, who's been playing his best hockey since joining the Sabres in 2014, but facts is facts.
As for Rodrigues, he played on Eichel's left wing at Boston University and had a career year but the Sabres have a need down the middle and he's played well in a bottom-six center role since that call-up. Rodrigues started as third-line center while Girgensons was out with an injury then moved to the fourth line and has goals in consecutive games. Switching him and Girgensons is understandable but switching Reinhart and Gionta doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Anyone who's watched this team dating back to last season should be able to tell you that Gionta makes his linemates better on the third line, and that's what he is at this stage of his career, a third line right winger.
I'm not sure how this shuffling does anybody any good. Perhaps it's a desperate move to try and shake the team from it's three-game losing streak or it's rewarding players, like Rodrigues and Gionta, for their good work. Or maybe Bylsma was a bleary-eyed after being at KeyBank Center until 8:30 pm yesterday meeting with GM Tim Murray and scouts, according to WGR's Paul Hamilton.
Regardless, the Sabres have a home date vs. the Nashville Predators tonight. With the Sabres slumping and the Preds surging, I'm not sure how these moves will keep Bylsma's team from falling behind early or coughing up a lead late, which they've done plenty of during this month, but hey, at least he's trying something.
Right?
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