STRUGGLING SABRES LOOK TO BUILD SOME MOMENTUM
It was at the end of Thursday’s practice when head coach Phil Housley brought in the Buffalo Sabres together at centre ice for a group chat and cheer.
Wait a second, he said. Someone was missing.
Housley then gestured toward Ryan Vinz, a staff worker at the team’s practice facility who on this day was also working overtime as the emergency practice goalie. As he joined the circle, the rink erupted in laughter and cheers.
“Our backup to the backup to the backup,” Housley said, smiling afterward. “It was all in fun. The guys enjoyed it.”
For the Sabres, who are 1-4-2, it was one of the few times this year the team has had a chance to smile.
We’re only two weeks into the NHL season, but it’s been a familiar story in Buffalo. Once again, the team is struggling out of the gates. Once again, the losses are starting to pile up. Once again, up the highway on the Queen Elizabeth Way, the Toronto Maple Leafs are rubbing salt in the wound by having the sort of success Sabres fans thought their team would have.
Again, it’s really early. The Sabres, who play the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, are only four points out of the final playoff spot, which won’t be decided until another five months from now. And it’s not like they are the only team dragging their feet in the early going.
From the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers to the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks, several would-be playoff teams find themselves stuck near the bottom of the standings. The expectations are significantly lower in Buffalo. After missing the playoffs in each of the last six years and finishing with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, no one was really counting on the Sabres to challenge for a playoff spot. But fans expected to see a step in the right direction, especially after watching Toronto’s young guns seemingly go from worst in the league to Stanley Cup contender in a the blink of an eye.
That hasn’t happened yet, and while no one inside the dressing room is content with one win in seven games, the players are trying to keep things in perspective.
“Panic’s a pretty high-end word,” said forward Evander Kane, who leads the Sabres with five goals and 10 points. “I think urgency is the right word, coming out to play the right way now. The first five, six, seven games are over and done with and we have to be an urgent hockey club starting tomorrow night to the rest of the season.”
There are signs the Sabres might be turning a corner. The team defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 last Sunday for its first win of the season and came away with a point in an overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights after scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes of the third period.
But as Kane said, “Positivity only takes you so far, right?”
The team needs better results. They need to take a giant step forward, just as Toronto did last year. To do that, they need to start believing in themselves. Of course, it’s hard to believe in yourself when Ryan O’Reilly is telling reporters that he’s been “useless” and the team is losing on a nightly basis.
Maybe that’s why Housley tried to get the players laughing on Thursday. After all, there hasn’t been a lot of that in Buffalo lately. And yet, with Jack Eichel signed long-term and highly touted prospect Alex Nylander waiting in the wings, there could be a lot to look forward to.
It’s just a matter of building some momentum. For now, a come-from-behind loss in overtime will have to do.
“You look at the third period of the Vegas game, that was a good step in the right direction,” said Eichel, who has nine points in seven games. “The first 40 minutes we probably want to have back, but the last 20 minutes the guys started to play. They stopped worrying — stopped worrying about what was going on — and just started playing. Usually when you do that, you start having success.
“I think that’s one of the problems right now. We’re just doing a little too much thinking, not making plays and not letting our instincts take over. It’s a long season. Every team goes through adversity. It’s just how you handle it. For us, it’s important to try and get better every day.”