The Buffalo Sabres have done this dance multiple times this season. They put up a few impressive wins, like the 4-0 road win over the Ottawa Senators, and lure everyone into thinking, just maybe, this team is finally turning the corner.
They then slam right into the corner and collapse into a pile of mush every single time. The Sabres lost in embarrassing fashion to the Seattle Kraken, even earning a reaming at the hands of coach Lindy Ruff. Let’s get into the three takeaways from the latest embarrassment in this season.
Jack Quinn Continues to Play Well
Let’s start with something positive before we dive right into the negativity. Jack Quinn played well, racking up his eighth goal of the season to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead in the later stages of the first period. It wasn’t quite Tage Thompson-reminiscent but was still a well-placed one-timer.
Quinn now has points in six of his last nine games (10 points total) and four multi-point games since Dec. 23. It isn’t quite the breakout season that we all anticipated, but it is nice to see him have something of a resurgence given how bad the first 25-plus games were.
Since Quinn rejoined JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens on the “Kid” line, he has looked something like his old self again. Hopefully, he can continue to play well and at least build momentum going into next season.
Sabres’ Inability to Hold a Lead Is Incredible
It’s getting to a point where we can only talk about prospects and potential trades because that’s how bad the season has been going. What’s frustrating is that the Sabres are one of the best teams in the NHL in the first period. They’re second in the league with a plus-16 goal differential in the opening frame.
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When they get a lead, however, they freak out literally and figuratively. Once again, the Sabres had a lead – 2-0 after one – only to give it back in the second period and then completely shut down in the third period. It’s uncanny at this point how much of a guarantee it is that they will lose the lead.
According to Champs or Chumps, the Sabres are second in the NHL with 14 blown leads, six of those coming in the third period. They’ve blown several multi-goal leads this season, including having their season destroyed by the Colorado Avalanche (twice).
Sabres: No Accountability, No Leadership
This isn’t going to be a section targeting captain Rasmus Dahlin, specifically.
There is no visible leadership on this team. You can see Sidney Crosby leading the Pittsburgh Penguins. The same goes with Nathan MacKinnon with the Colorado Avalanche. Those two would sooner die than let their team give less than 100%.
There is nothing like that on this team. As soon as teams begin a comeback, you can see the Sabres begin to fold. Everyone plays tighter, makes more questionable decisions, and starts to play the complete opposite kind of game they had shown just minutes before.
It’s fine and well that Ruff is tearing them apart after games like this. Without effective leaders in place, however, it won’t mean much. This is the youngest team in the NHL and it shows on a nightly basis with the lack of leadership and accountability.
Same Old Story in Buffalo
At this point, it’s going to be much of the same. The Sabres will probably lose to the Carolina Hurricanes (at least), then rip off a couple of wins to make people think that they’ve turned the corner. Nothing will change and we’ll be right back to having this discussion in a week, 10 days at the most.
We keep hearing stories about owner Terry Pegula being in town to watch games or stopping in the locker room, but none of it matters. For all the good he has done with the Buffalo Bills, he is the only connective thread left for the Sabres’ failures. Bring in experienced hockey people and get out of the way or this is the future for as long as fans will tolerate it.
