Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-3-2017
If you're going to get up for a hockey game this late in a lost season, this would be the one. The Buffalo Sabres will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and their large contingent of fans descending from Mount Maple Leaf tonight with nothing but pride on the line as they try to play the role of spoiler.
Toronto heads to Buffalo third in the Atlantic Division, tied with the Ottawa Senators in points, with a three point lead and a game in hand over the Tampa Bay Lightning who are just outside the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs have made the playoffs once in the last 13 seasons and a win against the rival Sabres would give the feel of that glass slipper beginning to slip past the heel on their Cinderella season.
With nothing much left to play for as a team for the remainder of the season, an opportunity for the Sabres to make life difficult for the Leafs inside a sure to be raucous KeyBank Center should get their blood pumping even though they'll be playing in the second game of a back-to-back.
Buffalo hosted the NY Islanders on Fan Appreciation Day yesterday afternoon and proceeded to lose 4-2. With all due respect to the players, it would seem as most weren't overexerting themselves either physically or mentally as the Islanders capitalized on the Sabres generally uninspired play. NY's first two goals were the result of sloppy play and with the score tied 2-2, the Islanders Anders Lee capitalized on two mental errors for two unassisted goals. In all the Islanders only had two assists on their four goals.
I'd be remiss if I left out the effort of recently signed winger C.J. Smith who was making his pro debut against the Isles. After getting over butterflies Smith settled into his game which was skating and being hard on the puck. He got his first professional point yesterday as he found a seem at the Islanders blueline and went in 2-on-1 with Evander Kane who was streaking in on the left side. Smith calmly sent a backhand pass to a wide open Kane who proceeded to rocket a wrister home.
But the fact of the matter remains, the Sabres knew they had a back-to-back against Toronto, their 18th of a league-high 19 back-to-backs, and one couldn't blame them too much if they were saving much of their energy for tonight's game. It's one of the last chances, if not the last chance, they'll have to play a game with real meaning.
The two teams met just 10 days ago as the Leafs came to Buffalo having won three in a row and four of their previous five. Buffalo defeated the them 5-2 with Toronto starting goaltender Fredrik Andersen leaving the game because of injury. Anderson allowed two goals on 16 shots in the first period before backup Curtis McElhinney took over. Kane, Ryan O'Reilly and Dmitry Kulikov all had single markers for Buffalo while Jack Eichel had two goals and an assist. In three games vs. the Leafs with Eichel in the lineup this season the Sabres are 2-1-0, outscoring Toronto by a combined 11-7. In those three games Eichel has six points (2+4) and is a plus-1. His American phenom counterpart in Toronto, Auston Matthews, has two goals and is a minus-1 while Kane has really taken to playing the Leafs scoring four goals and chiming in with a plus-4 rating.
In addition to the renewed Sabres/Leafs rivalry, there could be some sibling intrigue throw in for good measure as Sabres rookie Alexander Nylander is rumored to be making his pro debut. Nylander's older brother William is in his first NHL season and is having a helluva year for the Leafs. The elder sibling has 22 goals and 37 assists through 77 games and was just named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for the second time this season.
Although it hasn't been a great season for Buffalo by any stretch of the imagination, the game tonight should have a playoff atmosphere and although the Sabres have waltzed through a number of games as the curtain slowly closes, this game has a lot of meaning for them as a team. It also has meaning for individuals like Eichel, who will always be compared to Matthews and Edmonton's Connor McDavid, and for Nylander, who's up against the premier rookie season his brother is having. Young Buffalo players like Smith and William Carrier are looking to make an impression while some vets are looking to hold their places with the Sabres.
And then there's the horde of Blue and White invading KeyBank Center. As Eichel did when he punctuated his goal with a glass-slam in front of a large group of Leafs fans, it's a matter of defending the home turf.
If you can't get up for this one, you probably don't have a pulse.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Monday, April 3, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Individual Stats--March
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-2-2017
It was the Jack Eichel/Ryan O'Reilly show in the month of March for the Buffalo Sabres and one could also say that they did their best dancing on the powerplay. Eichel lead the team in points (18,) goals (9) and assists (9) last month while O'Reilly was second in all three categories with 13 points, six goals and seven assists. Eichel had 10 powerplay points (4+6) while O'Reilly was second with six points (3+3.)
The powerplay that went 15 of 36 (41.6%) in March along with a strong penalty kill that killed off six of 39 chances (84.6%) meant a huge discrepancy in 5v5 scoring which made for some abysmal numbers in the plus/minus category. Only one Sabre, defenseman Josh Gorges, was above water at +1 while two others--Nicolas Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno--managed to break even. Everyone else was in the minus column with defenseman Jake McCabe, surprisingly at the bottom with a minus-9 for the month.
Goaltending remained stable as Robin Lehner kept his goals-against average (2.63) and save percentage (.922) exactly the same. Lehner went 5-5-1 in the month of March while backup Anders Nilsson went 1-2-0.
The Sabres are back on the ice for a matinee vs. the NY Islanders. Prior to the 3 p.m. start is Fan Appreciation Day which includes 40% off at the Sabres store plus the first Family Appreciation Day with events slated for starting at 1 p.m. in Tops Alumni Plaza.
On the ice newly signed college free agent forward C.J. Smith (UMASS Lowell) will make his NHL debut today for Buffalo. The 5'11" 185 lb. native of Des Moines, IA replaces forward Kyle Okposo who's still out with an illness.
According to Sabres.com, these were the lines at practice yesterday:
Kane-O'Reilly-Ennis
Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart
Smith-Rodrigues-Gionta
Carrier-Girgensons-Moulson
Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen returns to the lineup this afternoon after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel. Ristolainen leads the team in average time on ice (26:42) and assists (39) and is fifth on the team in scoring with 44 points.
The Sabres have four more games remaining after today. They'll play rival Toronto tomorrow at KeyBank Center then will finish off their final homestand of the season with a visit from the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo finishes the 2016-17 campaign on a trip to Florida with a back-to-back against the Panthers on Saturday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
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
--March: Eichel, 18; O'Reilly, 13; Reinhart, 8
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
--March: Eichel, 9; O'Reilly, 6; Kane, 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
--March: Eichel, 4; O'Reilly, 3; Kane, Moulson, Gionta, 2
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
--March: Eichel, 9; O'Reilly,7; Ristolainen, 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
--March: Eichel, 6; O'Reilly, Okposo, Ristolainen, 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
--March: O'Reilly, 5; Eichel, Moulson, 4; Ennis, Foligno, Ristolainen, 3
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
--March: Gorges, +1; Deslauriers, Foligno, 0; Reinhart, -1
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
--March: McCabe, -9; Rodrigues, Kulikov, -6; Bailey, -5
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
--March: 22-23-8; 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
--March: 10-10-4; 2.73; .920; 1
It was the Jack Eichel/Ryan O'Reilly show in the month of March for the Buffalo Sabres and one could also say that they did their best dancing on the powerplay. Eichel lead the team in points (18,) goals (9) and assists (9) last month while O'Reilly was second in all three categories with 13 points, six goals and seven assists. Eichel had 10 powerplay points (4+6) while O'Reilly was second with six points (3+3.)
The powerplay that went 15 of 36 (41.6%) in March along with a strong penalty kill that killed off six of 39 chances (84.6%) meant a huge discrepancy in 5v5 scoring which made for some abysmal numbers in the plus/minus category. Only one Sabre, defenseman Josh Gorges, was above water at +1 while two others--Nicolas Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno--managed to break even. Everyone else was in the minus column with defenseman Jake McCabe, surprisingly at the bottom with a minus-9 for the month.
Goaltending remained stable as Robin Lehner kept his goals-against average (2.63) and save percentage (.922) exactly the same. Lehner went 5-5-1 in the month of March while backup Anders Nilsson went 1-2-0.
The Sabres are back on the ice for a matinee vs. the NY Islanders. Prior to the 3 p.m. start is Fan Appreciation Day which includes 40% off at the Sabres store plus the first Family Appreciation Day with events slated for starting at 1 p.m. in Tops Alumni Plaza.
On the ice newly signed college free agent forward C.J. Smith (UMASS Lowell) will make his NHL debut today for Buffalo. The 5'11" 185 lb. native of Des Moines, IA replaces forward Kyle Okposo who's still out with an illness.
According to Sabres.com, these were the lines at practice yesterday:
Kane-O'Reilly-Ennis
Foligno-Eichel-Reinhart
Smith-Rodrigues-Gionta
Carrier-Girgensons-Moulson
Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen returns to the lineup this afternoon after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel. Ristolainen leads the team in average time on ice (26:42) and assists (39) and is fifth on the team in scoring with 44 points.
The Sabres have four more games remaining after today. They'll play rival Toronto tomorrow at KeyBank Center then will finish off their final homestand of the season with a visit from the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo finishes the 2016-17 campaign on a trip to Florida with a back-to-back against the Panthers on Saturday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
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
--March: Eichel, 18; O'Reilly, 13; Reinhart, 8
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
--March: Eichel, 9; O'Reilly, 6; Kane, 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
--March: Eichel, 4; O'Reilly, 3; Kane, Moulson, Gionta, 2
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
--March: Eichel, 9; O'Reilly,7; Ristolainen, 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
--March: Eichel, 6; O'Reilly, Okposo, Ristolainen, 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
--March: O'Reilly, 5; Eichel, Moulson, 4; Ennis, Foligno, Ristolainen, 3
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
--March: Gorges, +1; Deslauriers, Foligno, 0; Reinhart, -1
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
--March: McCabe, -9; Rodrigues, Kulikov, -6; Bailey, -5
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
--March: 22-23-8; 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
--March: 10-10-4; 2.73; .920; 1
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Buffalo Sabres 2016-17 Team Stats--March
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-1-2017
By the time the calendar turned to March, Buffalo's playoff hopes were dimming fast. A 7-5-1 month of January got the Sabres to the outer fringes of the wild card race and heading into their bye week late into February they were on a similar path having gone 6-4-1 which included a loss to Chicago the game before their bye.
With two consecutive road games against the worst two teams in the league coming out of the bye, there was a good possibility that the team could head into March with some momentum. However losses to Colorado and Arizona and an overtime loss to Nashville to end the month put the kibosh on that. That trio of games pretty much ended Buffalo's playoff aspirations and although the Sabres began the month of March with a win the nail in the coffin was the 1-5-1 record after that.
It's often said you are what your record says you are and at 32-33-12 and through 77 games the Sabres are exactly that, a 24th place team. Statistically there are some highs, like the having leagues No. 1 powerplay and some lows as shown in their league-worst 34.2 shots-against/game but by and large they're statistically in that 18-24 range which makes them a below average team.
Sure the Sabres have struggled with injuries, but they've also had numerous opportunities to climb over teams ahead of them through the course of the season only to fail, sometimes miserably. Losing to both Colorado and Arizona in late February with the playoffs in sight is inexcusable and to follow that up with five losses in eight games to begin the month of March when there was a glimmer of hope showed little gumption on their part.
As we begin looking to next season in earnest, rays of light are shining through the darkness. Buffalo's powerplay is downright dangerous and has been that way in the 2017 calendar year. The Sabres went 15-for-36 (41.7%) on the power play in 14 games in March, including 7-for-10 mark in the last five games, according to Sabres PR. They also point out that Buffalo has not finished a season ranked in the top five in power-play percentage since the 2005-06 season (third, 21.2%) and the team has led the league only once (1991-92, 22.5%.)
Also on the upswing is the penalty kill. After bottoming out at 30th in the league through December, the Sabres have slowly creeped up in that category to 26th. They've also been getting more rubber to the net as their shots/game increased to 30.4 (13th in the league.)
Buffalo's next game is tomorrow as they'll start a five game in eight-day stretch with a matinee at home against a NY Islanders, a team that's trying desperately to stay in the playoff hunt. On Monday Buffalo takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center. The Leafs are in control of their playoff destination as they're third in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of the Boston Bruins and four points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lighting who are just outside of the second wild card slot.
On Wednesday the Sabres finish up the home portion of the season with a visit from the Montreal Canadians before they head to Florida for a back-to-back season finale on the road. They'll play the Florida Panthers on Saturday before concluding the 2016-17 season with a stop at Amalie Arena in Tampa for a game against the Lightning with possible playoff implications.
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)
--March: 32 (24th)...(WSH, 51)
--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)
--March: 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)
--March: 14th...(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)
--March: 24th/76...(WSH/110)
--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)
--March: .494 (24th)...(WSH, .714)
--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)
--March: -28 (24th)...(WSH, +75)
--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)
--March: 2.48 (24th)...(PIT, 3.36)
--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)
--March: 30.4 (13th)...(PIT, 34.1)
--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)
--March: 2.79 (19th)...(WSH, 2.22)
--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)
--March: 34.2 (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)
--March: 25.3 (1st)
--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)
--March: 77.3 (26th)...(FLA, 85.7)
--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)
--March: 49.7 (16th)...(ANA, 54.6)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
By the time the calendar turned to March, Buffalo's playoff hopes were dimming fast. A 7-5-1 month of January got the Sabres to the outer fringes of the wild card race and heading into their bye week late into February they were on a similar path having gone 6-4-1 which included a loss to Chicago the game before their bye.
With two consecutive road games against the worst two teams in the league coming out of the bye, there was a good possibility that the team could head into March with some momentum. However losses to Colorado and Arizona and an overtime loss to Nashville to end the month put the kibosh on that. That trio of games pretty much ended Buffalo's playoff aspirations and although the Sabres began the month of March with a win the nail in the coffin was the 1-5-1 record after that.
It's often said you are what your record says you are and at 32-33-12 and through 77 games the Sabres are exactly that, a 24th place team. Statistically there are some highs, like the having leagues No. 1 powerplay and some lows as shown in their league-worst 34.2 shots-against/game but by and large they're statistically in that 18-24 range which makes them a below average team.
Sure the Sabres have struggled with injuries, but they've also had numerous opportunities to climb over teams ahead of them through the course of the season only to fail, sometimes miserably. Losing to both Colorado and Arizona in late February with the playoffs in sight is inexcusable and to follow that up with five losses in eight games to begin the month of March when there was a glimmer of hope showed little gumption on their part.
As we begin looking to next season in earnest, rays of light are shining through the darkness. Buffalo's powerplay is downright dangerous and has been that way in the 2017 calendar year. The Sabres went 15-for-36 (41.7%) on the power play in 14 games in March, including 7-for-10 mark in the last five games, according to Sabres PR. They also point out that Buffalo has not finished a season ranked in the top five in power-play percentage since the 2005-06 season (third, 21.2%) and the team has led the league only once (1991-92, 22.5%.)
Also on the upswing is the penalty kill. After bottoming out at 30th in the league through December, the Sabres have slowly creeped up in that category to 26th. They've also been getting more rubber to the net as their shots/game increased to 30.4 (13th in the league.)
Buffalo's next game is tomorrow as they'll start a five game in eight-day stretch with a matinee at home against a NY Islanders, a team that's trying desperately to stay in the playoff hunt. On Monday Buffalo takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center. The Leafs are in control of their playoff destination as they're third in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of the Boston Bruins and four points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lighting who are just outside of the second wild card slot.
On Wednesday the Sabres finish up the home portion of the season with a visit from the Montreal Canadians before they head to Florida for a back-to-back season finale on the road. They'll play the Florida Panthers on Saturday before concluding the 2016-17 season with a stop at Amalie Arena in Tampa for a game against the Lightning with possible playoff implications.
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)
--March: 32 (24th)...(WSH, 51)
--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)
--March: 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)
--March: 14th...(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)
--March: 24th/76...(WSH/110)
--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)
--March: .494 (24th)...(WSH, .714)
--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)
--March: -28 (24th)...(WSH, +75)
--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)
--March: 2.48 (24th)...(PIT, 3.36)
--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)
--March: 30.4 (13th)...(PIT, 34.1)
--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)
--March: 2.79 (19th)...(WSH, 2.22)
--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)
--March: 34.2 (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)
--March: 25.3 (1st)
--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)
--March: 77.3 (26th)...(FLA, 85.7)
--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)
--March: 49.7 (16th)...(ANA, 54.6)
--2015-16: 49.4 (21st)...(ARI, 54.7)
--2014-15: 44.9 (30th)...(BOS, 53.6)
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Help on the horizon? Viktor Antipin scores game-winner, while some prospects shine
Published by hockeybuzz.com 3-31-2017
Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin, who may be joining the Sabres after his KHL team finishes their season, provided the game-winning goal for Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. Ak Bars last night. In watching some of Antipin's highlights one can often find him finding open space in the slot for shots and goals and last night's eventual game-winner was no different.
Antipin joins future Sabre Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st-overall) in the spotlight. Olofsson provided the series-clinching overtime winner to send Frolunda to the Swedish Hockey League semi-finals.
Other prospects garnering attention are goalie Cal Petersen (2013, 129th) who lead Notre Dame to the Frozen Four and Western New York native Sean Malone (2013, 159th) who's Harvard Crimson will also be in Chicago vying for college hockey's national championship. Defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st,) center Giorgio Estephan (2015, 152nd) and forward Brandon Hagel (2016, 159th) are all helping their WHL teams in the playoffs.
Although the Sabres themselves are out of the playoffs once again, there's intrigue with the prospects. Sabres fans won't need to travel overseas for to see youngins in action as recently signed forward C.J. Smith looks to be making his pro debut on Sunday vs. the NY Islanders at KeyBank Center. Over in Rochester 2014 third-round pick (61st) Jonas Johansson was in goal for his first North American professional game on Saturday vs. the Binghamton Senators and came away with the win despite giving up four goals on 32 shots. Linus Ullmark (2012, 163rd) is about to finish his second pro season in goal for the organization. Ullmark spent the entire season in Rochester, has played in 52 games for the Amerks (24-26-2 record) and has faced a league-leading 1558 shots against, nearly 200 shots more than the player behind him.
There are some promising players paying their dues in various developmental leagues for Buffalo and it would seem as if the Sabres are contented taking their time with their prospects. Although this season has been disappointing for the big club, if they stick to their plan and let their prospects grow at their own pace it should pay off handsomely in the long-term.
Thanks to DailyMotion via our good friend Kris Baker of sabresprospects/sabres.com, you see what I mean about Antipin.
Russian defenseman Viktor Antipin, who may be joining the Sabres after his KHL team finishes their season, provided the game-winning goal for Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. Ak Bars last night. In watching some of Antipin's highlights one can often find him finding open space in the slot for shots and goals and last night's eventual game-winner was no different.
Antipin joins future Sabre Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st-overall) in the spotlight. Olofsson provided the series-clinching overtime winner to send Frolunda to the Swedish Hockey League semi-finals.
Other prospects garnering attention are goalie Cal Petersen (2013, 129th) who lead Notre Dame to the Frozen Four and Western New York native Sean Malone (2013, 159th) who's Harvard Crimson will also be in Chicago vying for college hockey's national championship. Defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st,) center Giorgio Estephan (2015, 152nd) and forward Brandon Hagel (2016, 159th) are all helping their WHL teams in the playoffs.
Although the Sabres themselves are out of the playoffs once again, there's intrigue with the prospects. Sabres fans won't need to travel overseas for to see youngins in action as recently signed forward C.J. Smith looks to be making his pro debut on Sunday vs. the NY Islanders at KeyBank Center. Over in Rochester 2014 third-round pick (61st) Jonas Johansson was in goal for his first North American professional game on Saturday vs. the Binghamton Senators and came away with the win despite giving up four goals on 32 shots. Linus Ullmark (2012, 163rd) is about to finish his second pro season in goal for the organization. Ullmark spent the entire season in Rochester, has played in 52 games for the Amerks (24-26-2 record) and has faced a league-leading 1558 shots against, nearly 200 shots more than the player behind him.
There are some promising players paying their dues in various developmental leagues for Buffalo and it would seem as if the Sabres are contented taking their time with their prospects. Although this season has been disappointing for the big club, if they stick to their plan and let their prospects grow at their own pace it should pay off handsomely in the long-term.
Thanks to DailyMotion via our good friend Kris Baker of sabresprospects/sabres.com, you see what I mean about Antipin.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Reinhart's tardiness without malice. "[Stuff] happens."
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-30-2017
Who amongst us hasn't been late for work?
I know I have. Sometimes it's a brain fart, other times it's getting behind a school bus and still other times it may have been a situation where a series of events set me back just enough for me to punch the clock late. And I must admit, there were times in my long employment career where I was like, "Meh, to hell with it, I'll get there when I get there."
Such are the foibles of youth.
When it comes to the Sam Reinhart benching in Columbus Tuesday night, I highly doubt there's a soul in Sabreland who thinks that Reinhart's tardiness was a case of the 21 yr. old saying, "to hell with it."
When Reinhart was being scouted amongst the traits mentioned by those who followed him was his professionalism, how he carried himself and the respect for the game of hockey. When he was sent back down to junior he got his emotions out in that meeting with GM Tim Murray and went back to junior with the mindset that he'd do what was asked of him regardless of how little time his schedule afforded him. The dictate from Murray was to go back and get stronger and despite the rigors of a WHL schedule eating up most of his time, Reinhart hit the gym whenever he could and when he came into camp with a little more meat on his bones, Murray was satisfied that the 18 yr. old did what he could to the best of his ability.
So when Murray and head coach laid out a zero-tolerance rule concerning tardiness two days prior to the Columbus game, Reinhart was the last person anyone thought would break it. "To me it's unfortunate that anybody that broke the rule the first time after it gets changed at that point," Murray told Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. "To have it be a second-year player like Sam, he might have been the last guy. If I had made public we tweaked the team rule and who is the last guy I think would break it, he might have been the guy I would have brought up. I would have said, 'It won't be Sam.' But it was."
The incident occurred prior to the Columbus game when the team, minus a morning skate was scheduled to stretch at 10:30 a.m. Reinhart had a brain fart. “When I woke up I was sitting in my bed and misread the text. It was a team stretch that was 10:30," he explained to the gathered media today. "I thought it was 11."
Reinhart intimated to the press that defenseman Jake McCabe texted him that they were starting. The second year forward said he ended up being "five or six minutes late."
It was Sam Reinhart and his friend, linemate and roommate Jack Eichel pretty much expressed how everyone in Sabreland feels about it today, “I don’t think anyone in this room’s really looking at Sam and upset with him about it," Eichel told the media today. "He’s a good kid. He comes to the rink early every day. He’s here. He was a couple minutes late for a meeting, and that happens. Just like anything, you handle it like a professional and move on from it, learn from it."
Said Reinhart today, “I just tried to let them know, ‘[Stuff] happens. I’m sorry to swear, but I didn’t sleep in. It wasn’t something … it’s just I misread a text. I woke up, and I thought the times were different. That’s going to happen, but it is what it is."
Who amongst us hasn't been late for work?
I know I have. Sometimes it's a brain fart, other times it's getting behind a school bus and still other times it may have been a situation where a series of events set me back just enough for me to punch the clock late. And I must admit, there were times in my long employment career where I was like, "Meh, to hell with it, I'll get there when I get there."
Such are the foibles of youth.
When it comes to the Sam Reinhart benching in Columbus Tuesday night, I highly doubt there's a soul in Sabreland who thinks that Reinhart's tardiness was a case of the 21 yr. old saying, "to hell with it."
When Reinhart was being scouted amongst the traits mentioned by those who followed him was his professionalism, how he carried himself and the respect for the game of hockey. When he was sent back down to junior he got his emotions out in that meeting with GM Tim Murray and went back to junior with the mindset that he'd do what was asked of him regardless of how little time his schedule afforded him. The dictate from Murray was to go back and get stronger and despite the rigors of a WHL schedule eating up most of his time, Reinhart hit the gym whenever he could and when he came into camp with a little more meat on his bones, Murray was satisfied that the 18 yr. old did what he could to the best of his ability.
So when Murray and head coach laid out a zero-tolerance rule concerning tardiness two days prior to the Columbus game, Reinhart was the last person anyone thought would break it. "To me it's unfortunate that anybody that broke the rule the first time after it gets changed at that point," Murray told Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. "To have it be a second-year player like Sam, he might have been the last guy. If I had made public we tweaked the team rule and who is the last guy I think would break it, he might have been the guy I would have brought up. I would have said, 'It won't be Sam.' But it was."
The incident occurred prior to the Columbus game when the team, minus a morning skate was scheduled to stretch at 10:30 a.m. Reinhart had a brain fart. “When I woke up I was sitting in my bed and misread the text. It was a team stretch that was 10:30," he explained to the gathered media today. "I thought it was 11."
Reinhart intimated to the press that defenseman Jake McCabe texted him that they were starting. The second year forward said he ended up being "five or six minutes late."
It was Sam Reinhart and his friend, linemate and roommate Jack Eichel pretty much expressed how everyone in Sabreland feels about it today, “I don’t think anyone in this room’s really looking at Sam and upset with him about it," Eichel told the media today. "He’s a good kid. He comes to the rink early every day. He’s here. He was a couple minutes late for a meeting, and that happens. Just like anything, you handle it like a professional and move on from it, learn from it."
Said Reinhart today, “I just tried to let them know, ‘[Stuff] happens. I’m sorry to swear, but I didn’t sleep in. It wasn’t something … it’s just I misread a text. I woke up, and I thought the times were different. That’s going to happen, but it is what it is."
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Plenty of intrigue concerning the Sam Reinhart benching.
Publishes by hockeybuzz.com, 3-29-2017
The score read Columbus Blue Jackets-3, Buffalo Sabres-1 and that loss coupled with wins by both Boston and Toronto officially eliminated the Sabres from the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Normally the game itself and the fact that the Sabres now have a little 'x' by their name in the standings would be the crux of a story, but last night some drama was in play for Buffalo at Nationwide Arena. When you look over the Event Summary you'll find No. 23, Sam Reinhart's name and you'll find a series of empty white boxes across his stat-line.
Nothing.
Reinhart is on the summary because he did in fact dress for the game but Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma had him sit on the bench the entire game for disciplinary reasons. According to Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News a source had told him that Reinhart was late for a team meeting at the hotel and Bylsma laid down the punishment.
“Earlier in the day, Sam Reinhart violated a team policy, and the discipline was not playing in tonight’s game,” said Bylsma post-game. “We’re going to move forward from here. Disappointing, but it happened and we dealt with it. We’re going to move on from here.”
There was a dark cloud hanging over the Sabres dressing room after the game last night as their should have been. They lost the game despite spending oodles of time in the Columbus zone and outshooting the Blue Jackets by a 42-29 margin and there's little doubt they knew the fate of their season after the loss, but they also were witness to a strong statement by Bylsma that the team comes first and that a violation of team rules has it's consequences, however harsh it may be perceived as.
Sabres captain Brian Gionta came out after showering and graciously answered questions about the incident. Gionta had just celebrated his 1000th NHL game the night before by scoring the eventual game-winner against Florida and now he was at the other end of the spectrum. “We’re building a culture here, so everybody needs to learn from it," he said of Bylsma benching Reinhart for the infraction. "It’s about the long term of this franchise and where we go and how we grow as a team and as an organization. While it’s a small hiccup tonight, it’s better in the long run for what we’re trying to get to.”
When I asked the 16-year veteran if he'd seen this type of benching before Gionta said, "Yeah, it's happened plenty of times over the course of my career. Like I said, it's where we're trying to get through as an organization and we need everybody into it.
"I think it will be good in the long run."
Fellow second overall pick, linemate and roommate of Reinhart, Jack Eichel, sat in the locker room post-game peeling away his sweat-drenched pads. He had the typical Eichel redness about him after exerting himself for 23:41 of ice-time while spending time on the ice with every forward who skated last night.
Eichel hates to lose, and no doubt he hates to be out of the playoffs for the second time in his only two pro seasons. Perhaps there was even more consternation about him as his linemate and roommate was so visibly punished. He didn't have much to say afterwards. When I asked about being double-shifted down two top-six forwards he simply stated, "yeah, being down a few guys I got a little more, it was nice."
That was about it.
Reinhart is having a solid sophomore season for Buffalo from a statistical perspective. He's already surpassed his total of 42 points from last season with 17 goals and 29 assists and although his goal-total is down from the 23 he has last season, Bylsma said earlier yesterday morning on WGR550 radio that Reinhart has had a net-front presence this year but that he's not been able to get the tips or the rebounds to go in. Bylsma counted nine tip-ins last season and another four net-front goals but this year the coach said that the playmaker in Reinhart has been coming to the fore
"Sam has always been a pass-first guy," Bylsma told host WGR host Jeremy White yesterday. "He has shown, I think, that he's a true play-making, pass-first guy."
That said, there has been a bit of a change form his rookie year that's been noted by beat reporters in that Reinhart was no longer a constant presence at Ryan O'Reilly's after-practice sessions. Last season Reinhart played mostly on a line with O'Reilly and was a constant at the informal practice sessions soaking up everything the vet had to offer. And it showed as his game slowly gained traction. In his first 23 games Reinhart scored seven points (4+3) or .30 points/game while in his last 56 games he had 35 points (19+16) for .58 ppg.
This year he's been largely absent for the post-practice sessions and is on a pace for .51 ppg while playing mostly on a line with Eichel.
Is there a correlation?
Maybe. Maybe not. But who'd have thought that Reinhart, who grew up in a hockey family and who is considered to be a mature, professional player, would get suspended?
It's been rough and rocky travelling for the Sabres this season and the end result is that they'll miss the playoffs. There has been constant speculation that Bylsma may be losing the room and that there's some friction between Eichel and Bylsma. With that in mind, keeping Reinhart benched for the entire game certainly doesn't help matters even if Reinhart was needed to hit the NHL mandate for dressing a minimum of 20 players with Kyle Okposo as a late scratch due to illness.
Emerging from the cloud that hovered over the locker room last night was GM Tim Murray. Whether it's a peculiar sight having the GM on the road with the team at this point in the season is up for discussion, but he was there. The first thing that popped into my head upon seeing him was what Murray told a disappointed and emotional Reinhart after he was sent back down to junior back in 2014, "you're my first 1st-round draft pick as a GM."
Again, whether or not the Reinhart situation had anything to do with Murray being there is unknown but in the very least, he has some impeccable timing.
The Sabres have four days between games. They're off today and then begin to get ready for a matinee with the NY Islanders on Sunday. More on the incident will come out and it will be put to rest. As the season finishes up and as we begin the post-season we'll know more about the direction of the team. But as for now, the Sabres lost last night, were eliminated from the playoffs and have five games remaining in their season.
The score read Columbus Blue Jackets-3, Buffalo Sabres-1 and that loss coupled with wins by both Boston and Toronto officially eliminated the Sabres from the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Normally the game itself and the fact that the Sabres now have a little 'x' by their name in the standings would be the crux of a story, but last night some drama was in play for Buffalo at Nationwide Arena. When you look over the Event Summary you'll find No. 23, Sam Reinhart's name and you'll find a series of empty white boxes across his stat-line.
Nothing.
Reinhart is on the summary because he did in fact dress for the game but Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma had him sit on the bench the entire game for disciplinary reasons. According to Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News a source had told him that Reinhart was late for a team meeting at the hotel and Bylsma laid down the punishment.
“Earlier in the day, Sam Reinhart violated a team policy, and the discipline was not playing in tonight’s game,” said Bylsma post-game. “We’re going to move forward from here. Disappointing, but it happened and we dealt with it. We’re going to move on from here.”
There was a dark cloud hanging over the Sabres dressing room after the game last night as their should have been. They lost the game despite spending oodles of time in the Columbus zone and outshooting the Blue Jackets by a 42-29 margin and there's little doubt they knew the fate of their season after the loss, but they also were witness to a strong statement by Bylsma that the team comes first and that a violation of team rules has it's consequences, however harsh it may be perceived as.
Sabres captain Brian Gionta came out after showering and graciously answered questions about the incident. Gionta had just celebrated his 1000th NHL game the night before by scoring the eventual game-winner against Florida and now he was at the other end of the spectrum. “We’re building a culture here, so everybody needs to learn from it," he said of Bylsma benching Reinhart for the infraction. "It’s about the long term of this franchise and where we go and how we grow as a team and as an organization. While it’s a small hiccup tonight, it’s better in the long run for what we’re trying to get to.”
When I asked the 16-year veteran if he'd seen this type of benching before Gionta said, "Yeah, it's happened plenty of times over the course of my career. Like I said, it's where we're trying to get through as an organization and we need everybody into it.
"I think it will be good in the long run."
Fellow second overall pick, linemate and roommate of Reinhart, Jack Eichel, sat in the locker room post-game peeling away his sweat-drenched pads. He had the typical Eichel redness about him after exerting himself for 23:41 of ice-time while spending time on the ice with every forward who skated last night.
Eichel hates to lose, and no doubt he hates to be out of the playoffs for the second time in his only two pro seasons. Perhaps there was even more consternation about him as his linemate and roommate was so visibly punished. He didn't have much to say afterwards. When I asked about being double-shifted down two top-six forwards he simply stated, "yeah, being down a few guys I got a little more, it was nice."
That was about it.
Reinhart is having a solid sophomore season for Buffalo from a statistical perspective. He's already surpassed his total of 42 points from last season with 17 goals and 29 assists and although his goal-total is down from the 23 he has last season, Bylsma said earlier yesterday morning on WGR550 radio that Reinhart has had a net-front presence this year but that he's not been able to get the tips or the rebounds to go in. Bylsma counted nine tip-ins last season and another four net-front goals but this year the coach said that the playmaker in Reinhart has been coming to the fore
"Sam has always been a pass-first guy," Bylsma told host WGR host Jeremy White yesterday. "He has shown, I think, that he's a true play-making, pass-first guy."
That said, there has been a bit of a change form his rookie year that's been noted by beat reporters in that Reinhart was no longer a constant presence at Ryan O'Reilly's after-practice sessions. Last season Reinhart played mostly on a line with O'Reilly and was a constant at the informal practice sessions soaking up everything the vet had to offer. And it showed as his game slowly gained traction. In his first 23 games Reinhart scored seven points (4+3) or .30 points/game while in his last 56 games he had 35 points (19+16) for .58 ppg.
This year he's been largely absent for the post-practice sessions and is on a pace for .51 ppg while playing mostly on a line with Eichel.
Is there a correlation?
Maybe. Maybe not. But who'd have thought that Reinhart, who grew up in a hockey family and who is considered to be a mature, professional player, would get suspended?
It's been rough and rocky travelling for the Sabres this season and the end result is that they'll miss the playoffs. There has been constant speculation that Bylsma may be losing the room and that there's some friction between Eichel and Bylsma. With that in mind, keeping Reinhart benched for the entire game certainly doesn't help matters even if Reinhart was needed to hit the NHL mandate for dressing a minimum of 20 players with Kyle Okposo as a late scratch due to illness.
Emerging from the cloud that hovered over the locker room last night was GM Tim Murray. Whether it's a peculiar sight having the GM on the road with the team at this point in the season is up for discussion, but he was there. The first thing that popped into my head upon seeing him was what Murray told a disappointed and emotional Reinhart after he was sent back down to junior back in 2014, "you're my first 1st-round draft pick as a GM."
Again, whether or not the Reinhart situation had anything to do with Murray being there is unknown but in the very least, he has some impeccable timing.
The Sabres have four days between games. They're off today and then begin to get ready for a matinee with the NY Islanders on Sunday. More on the incident will come out and it will be put to rest. As the season finishes up and as we begin the post-season we'll know more about the direction of the team. But as for now, the Sabres lost last night, were eliminated from the playoffs and have five games remaining in their season.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Buffalo/Florida Round 3, plus some background on the Cats rebuild
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-27-2017
The Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres are both coming off of decisive wins on Saturday. Despite both teams being out of the playoffs and playing for pride, the Panthers laid a 7-0 shellacking on the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks while the Sabres beat down the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 5-2 score. Tonight the Panthers and the Sabres will meet for the third time this season with a little spring in their step.
Florida will step on to the KeyBank Center ice with 77 points and in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of Buffalo who are in seventh. The teams have split the season series thus far with the home team winning each time--Buffalo 3-0 and Florida 4-3 in the shootout. Last year when the Panthers were on their way to 103 points atop the division Florida took both games in Buffalo and going 3-1 vs. the Sabres while outscoring them by a combined 17-10 margin.
This year has been disappointing for both clubs as both will be out of the playoffs with the Panthers taking a major step backwards. Injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad early in the season left the team struggling and was said to be the impetus for the ouster of head coach Gerard Gallant who had a 11-10-1 record when he was fired. That said, philosophical differences were said to be the real reason.
After a somewhat disappointing first-round exit in last year's playoffs, the Panthers moved in earnest towards a more analytics-based philosophy. Old-school GM Dale Tallon who built much of the Chicago Blackhawks three time Stanley Cup winning teams and who was also responsible for the progress of Florida since his hire in 2010 was kicked up to the front office to make room for an analytics oriented GM in Tom Rowe.
The analytics focus had been in swing for months dating back to the prior season and continued came in a Draft-day trade with the Buffalo Sabres when they traded gritty defenseman Dmitry Kulikov for "analytics darling" Mark Pysyk. The two clubs got what they wanted but the team results have been disastrous with the Cats taking a major step back and the Sabres struggling to surpass their points-total from last season.
Then again, the injuries to key players early in the season--Huberdeau and Bjugstad for Florida, Jack Eichel, Kulikov and Evander Kane for Buffalo--really put a crimp in their respective seasons.
So with both teams all but mathematically eliminated from the post season, they'll meet tonight with minimal history but similar rebuild stories.
The Panthers perennial rebuild gained traction with the hiring of Tallon in May, 2010. Kulikov was already in the fold as a 2009, 14th overall pick and at the 2010 draft Tallon took defenseman Eric Gudbranson (3rd) and Bjugstad (19th) in the first round. Huberdeau was selected third-overall the following season and after a brief taste of success coupled with a playoff birth in 2011-12, it was back to the high picks. Alexsander Barkov was selected second-overall in 2013 and in 2014 the Panthers won the lottery over the Sabres and selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad with first overall choice.
Adding Barkov and Ekblad, as well as some key free agent signings like Brian Campbell and Jaromir Jagr, to a strong core got the team from 66 points in 2013-14 to 91 points the following season to 103 points last year and their second playoff birth in five seasons.
Gudbranson was traded away as part of their analytics movement and Campbell was allowed to walk but they still have a ton of talent. However, like the Sabres, the Panthers were unable to put it all together this season.
For Sabres fans who were looking for a quick jump to a playoff birth after years of futility, as shown with the Panthers climb, it doesn't happen overnight.
Tonight's Round-3 between two clubs with different philosophies. Granted, hockey is hockey, but ownership and management dictate how they'll approach their team-building. Buffalo GM Tim Murray began his rebuild in 2014 seemingly with a LA Kings "heavy" philosophy then began altering his views more towards speed as the league got faster. The Panthers moved towards analytics after Tallon built a team with some bigger, grittier hockey players.
It will be a couple years or more before we find out where this all leads, but for tonight we have two teams coming off of impressive wins with similar skill-sets, at least up front, who don't have much to play for.
Hopefully it will be an entertaining game.
*****
Congratulations to Sabres captain Brian Gionta who will be playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight. The 38 yr. old has a 48-goal season under his belt, a Stanley Cup ring (NJD) and can lay claim to being the first American-born player to wear the lone 'C' for the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise.
At 5'7" 178 lbs. Gionta was a longshot to make it but he's managed 585 points (288+297) in his 999 games thus far and looks as if he's got plenty more gas in the tank.
*****
And congratulations to Kulikov who unknowingly played his 500th game on Saturday in Buffalo's 5-2 win over Toronto. The former Panthers pick had a goal and an assist in his first game back from a concussion.
Kulikov has had a brutal season for the Sabres so far this year. He missed most of camp while playing in the World Cup of Hockey then suffered a tough tail-bone/back injury after getting checked into an open bench door in the preseason. He never could get it together as the injury to his back lingered and he suffered under the weight of playing a lot of competitive hockey prior to the season. Perhaps the concussion was a blessing in disguise as he remained away from the ice for nine games which may have finally allowed his body to catch up.
His last game was easily his best game as a Sabre.
*****
The Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres are both coming off of decisive wins on Saturday. Despite both teams being out of the playoffs and playing for pride, the Panthers laid a 7-0 shellacking on the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks while the Sabres beat down the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 5-2 score. Tonight the Panthers and the Sabres will meet for the third time this season with a little spring in their step.
Florida will step on to the KeyBank Center ice with 77 points and in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, three points ahead of Buffalo who are in seventh. The teams have split the season series thus far with the home team winning each time--Buffalo 3-0 and Florida 4-3 in the shootout. Last year when the Panthers were on their way to 103 points atop the division Florida took both games in Buffalo and going 3-1 vs. the Sabres while outscoring them by a combined 17-10 margin.
This year has been disappointing for both clubs as both will be out of the playoffs with the Panthers taking a major step backwards. Injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad early in the season left the team struggling and was said to be the impetus for the ouster of head coach Gerard Gallant who had a 11-10-1 record when he was fired. That said, philosophical differences were said to be the real reason.
After a somewhat disappointing first-round exit in last year's playoffs, the Panthers moved in earnest towards a more analytics-based philosophy. Old-school GM Dale Tallon who built much of the Chicago Blackhawks three time Stanley Cup winning teams and who was also responsible for the progress of Florida since his hire in 2010 was kicked up to the front office to make room for an analytics oriented GM in Tom Rowe.
The analytics focus had been in swing for months dating back to the prior season and continued came in a Draft-day trade with the Buffalo Sabres when they traded gritty defenseman Dmitry Kulikov for "analytics darling" Mark Pysyk. The two clubs got what they wanted but the team results have been disastrous with the Cats taking a major step back and the Sabres struggling to surpass their points-total from last season.
Then again, the injuries to key players early in the season--Huberdeau and Bjugstad for Florida, Jack Eichel, Kulikov and Evander Kane for Buffalo--really put a crimp in their respective seasons.
So with both teams all but mathematically eliminated from the post season, they'll meet tonight with minimal history but similar rebuild stories.
The Panthers perennial rebuild gained traction with the hiring of Tallon in May, 2010. Kulikov was already in the fold as a 2009, 14th overall pick and at the 2010 draft Tallon took defenseman Eric Gudbranson (3rd) and Bjugstad (19th) in the first round. Huberdeau was selected third-overall the following season and after a brief taste of success coupled with a playoff birth in 2011-12, it was back to the high picks. Alexsander Barkov was selected second-overall in 2013 and in 2014 the Panthers won the lottery over the Sabres and selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad with first overall choice.
Adding Barkov and Ekblad, as well as some key free agent signings like Brian Campbell and Jaromir Jagr, to a strong core got the team from 66 points in 2013-14 to 91 points the following season to 103 points last year and their second playoff birth in five seasons.
Gudbranson was traded away as part of their analytics movement and Campbell was allowed to walk but they still have a ton of talent. However, like the Sabres, the Panthers were unable to put it all together this season.
For Sabres fans who were looking for a quick jump to a playoff birth after years of futility, as shown with the Panthers climb, it doesn't happen overnight.
Tonight's Round-3 between two clubs with different philosophies. Granted, hockey is hockey, but ownership and management dictate how they'll approach their team-building. Buffalo GM Tim Murray began his rebuild in 2014 seemingly with a LA Kings "heavy" philosophy then began altering his views more towards speed as the league got faster. The Panthers moved towards analytics after Tallon built a team with some bigger, grittier hockey players.
It will be a couple years or more before we find out where this all leads, but for tonight we have two teams coming off of impressive wins with similar skill-sets, at least up front, who don't have much to play for.
Hopefully it will be an entertaining game.
*****
Congratulations to Sabres captain Brian Gionta who will be playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight. The 38 yr. old has a 48-goal season under his belt, a Stanley Cup ring (NJD) and can lay claim to being the first American-born player to wear the lone 'C' for the storied Montreal Canadiens franchise.
At 5'7" 178 lbs. Gionta was a longshot to make it but he's managed 585 points (288+297) in his 999 games thus far and looks as if he's got plenty more gas in the tank.
*****
And congratulations to Kulikov who unknowingly played his 500th game on Saturday in Buffalo's 5-2 win over Toronto. The former Panthers pick had a goal and an assist in his first game back from a concussion.
Kulikov has had a brutal season for the Sabres so far this year. He missed most of camp while playing in the World Cup of Hockey then suffered a tough tail-bone/back injury after getting checked into an open bench door in the preseason. He never could get it together as the injury to his back lingered and he suffered under the weight of playing a lot of competitive hockey prior to the season. Perhaps the concussion was a blessing in disguise as he remained away from the ice for nine games which may have finally allowed his body to catch up.
His last game was easily his best game as a Sabre.
*****
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