The Buffalo Sabres continue their Jekyll and Hyde season. They put together impressive wins, only to suffer an embarrassing loss to a low-level team like the Philadelphia Flyers. To say that they are frustratingly inconsistent would be generous.
Facing a Winnipeg Jets team that they have already beaten, the Sabres had a chance to regain some momentum. Instead, they continued their porous road play, turning in an abysmal effort in a 4-1 loss to the Jets.
The Road Woes Continue
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Sabres lost on the road. This season, the Sabres are 2-8-2 on the road, far and away the worst mark on the road in the league. Even bottom-feeder teams like the San Jose Sharks (4-8-0) and Nashville Predators (4-5-2) are more respectable on the road.
The struggles on the road are inexplicable. The Sabres have one of the most frustrated and disgruntled fan bases in the league, so surely it isn’t a case of there being a definitive home-ice advantage compared to being on the road.
That is perhaps the most frustrating part of the last 15 years. We can see what is bad, but we don’t understand why. The Sabres continue to be among the worst teams in the NHL on the road and it is going to cost them yet again.
Worst Net-Front Team in the League?
Things have been bad enough that head coach Lindy Ruff has been openly discussing “big shakeups.” We hear more about trade rumors involving Sabres than any positive progression. The only consistencies are negative, like the fact that the Sabres are still abysmal at protecting the front of their net.
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Every single night, even in winning efforts, the front of the net is left untended. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been looking better and better since returning from injury, but there is only so much that can be done when the opposition is untouched three feet in front of you.
Multiple goals once again were scored from below the hash marks. Nothing changes defensively for this team, no matter who is in charge. They can never play responsible defense in their own zone, and it routinely bites them.
Major Defensive Breakdowns
Leaving guys wide open in front of the net is bad enough. Letting them walk unabated to the front of the net is even worse. Twice in the second period, the Sabres allowed breakaways because of terrible turnovers and lapses. One of which led to a goal, the other a penalty shot that Luukkonen turned aside.
On the third goal by the Jets, Cole Koepke took a pass at about the right faceoff dot and walked to the front of the net untouched for the goal. These major defensive breakdowns happen all the time to the Sabres, and nothing ever changes.
Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and others were either horribly out of position or turned the puck over directly. Power, specifically, has been a constant issue defensively this season. When you have a mix of poor coaching and players who can’t execute in their own zone, this is what happens.
Nothing Changes
It’s rinse, repeat with these Buffalo Sabres. They win a few games to trick fans into thinking that maybe, just maybe, this could be the start of something promising. They then follow that up with a few abysmal performances, sometimes stretching that into a prolonged losing streak.
The culture in Buffalo is toxic, and it permeates throughout the entire franchise. There are no “gimmes” on the schedule. Given their performance on the road, the next four games could lead to yet another ugly streak that just further cements how dead this season really is.
