Recently, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News wrote a news article where he discussed some of the actions and issues of the current players on the Sabres (from ‘Inside the NHL: Fans have noticed Sabres’ lack of postgame salutes:’ The Buffalo News, Feb. 18, 2024). He speaks on their lack of post-game ritual of saluting the fans after a win in response to the “Fire Donny” chants after their 9-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 29, 2023. He speaks on the fact that the fans incessantly boo them off the ice in the first periods when they are losing in any capacity, and as someone who attends every home game, I can validate that it happens. I don’t personally partake in the actions of the “boo birds” in the crowd, but I can confirm that it happens nightly.
The players voiced how upset the fans are making them with these types of reactions, and it got me to thinking as to how to solve the issue. What actions could Sabres’ players take to prevent further booing on home ice? How could they truly stand up for their coach and show the fans that they are a better team than their record shows, and how can they respond to the adversity shown to them by the fans? The answers are actually fairly simple, so let’s get into it.
Sabres Need To Win More Games at Home
While it might sound simple and obvious, it really is the biggest reason that fans are so impatient with this team. The fan experience down at Keybank Center is a tough one between overpriced food and beverages, average giveaways and events, expensive parking, and then a poor on-ice performance from the team at the end of the night. The Sabres’ home record this season is 12-16-1, and last season it was also fairly poor sitting at 17-20-4. It is difficult for a lot of fans to have patience for a team that has a recent history of not showing up to win at home, and it is even harder to keep their voices silent for that same reason.
With only 29 combined wins in 82 home games, the vibe in Keybank Center is not a positive one as a whole. The Sabres may be getting booed, but they aren’t showing up to win games for fans who are looking for entertainment and are paying for that entertainment. That isn’t even considering the casual fans who show up for a few games each season, and all they get is to watch the Sabres play poorly. It doesn’t incentivize those fans to want to purchase more tickets, and it definitely does not make season ticket holders want to renew theirs. It is this slight back and forth that feels like a tug-of-war between the two parties, but the responsibility is on the players to perform to a standard they set for themselves at the start of the season. It isn’t right to turn on the fans that are showing up to the arena as they voice their displeasure for the on-ice product that continuously disappoints them. Enough is enough… win some games.
Sabres Need to Score on the Power Play
Again, another simple concept, but it has been a pain point all season long. After a dominant power play performance in 2022-23, this season has been such a let down when it comes to the man advantage. The Sabres sit in 27th place on the power play with a 14.9% efficiency, and it has looked terrible up until recently. For the start of the season, it was the same predictable formula of waiting for Rasmus Dahlin to shoot it into a defensive player, or passing to Tage Thompson for a one-timer that he would miss, have picked off, or blast right into the goalie’s chest; or watching Owen Power fiddle with the puck at the point looking for some perfect pass and never shooting it. Between the predictability and the perceived lack of effort on the power play, fans grew very weary, very fast.
In the past few games however, there has been some adjustment in how the puck gets moved, and there has been much more promise coming from both groups. If they continue to trend up in this regard, and the scoring chances happen more consistently, fans will definitely notice and appreciate the increased effort and efficiency. Once the puck starts going into the back of the net more often, the team will not need to worry about being booed when a power play ends.
Sabres Need To Show Up Consistently
It is hard to enjoy a hockey game when it looks like the team is sluggish. The Sabres have been the poster child for inconsistency all season, and have not strung any long win streaks together. In fact, their longest win streak was two-straight games. That kind of performance leaves much to be desired when it comes to getting excited for a hockey game. So how to solve the issue? Is it trades, prospects, new coaching, new management, or some combination of those options? What will solve the issue of inconsistency, while also leaving fans with enough hope and excitement to get them back into the seats and cheering, rather than booing?
Truth be told, the responsibility lies with the players, and general manager Kevyn Adams. Adams did nearly nothing in the offseason to improve the roster while the majority of the rest of the league made their needed adjustments. It is on him to build this roster to be more diverse in talent, and it is on the players to perform each night. The brightest spots of this season are JJ Peterka, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Rasmus Dahlin, and Casey Mittelstadt. The remainder of the roster is underperforming, and some of the stat comparisons are ridiculous. If they want to win the fans back, the scorers need to score, plain and simple; that means more point and goals out of Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens, and Alex Tuch. All had massive seasons in 2022-23, and there was some drop off expected, but not to the extent that none of them are even at the 20 goal mark nearly 60 games in. The players need to adjust and string wins together, or they will be doomed to be booed for the rest of the season.
Sabres Need to Win Their Fans Back Before Next Season
Booing is just the beginning when it comes to losing fan support. It is when jerseys – or other objects from concessions – start getting thrown on the ice that the problems start getting bigger. So far, I have only noticed a jersey get thrown on the ice once this season, but it was from a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in a Sabres 9-3 win. For now, the Sabres should be counting their blessings that all fans are doing to show their frustration during games is booing and yelling. The fanbase has been through a lot in the last 13 seasons, and while this team is not responsible for all of those failed years, they are responsible for their own failures this season. For 13 seasons, fans have been asked to be patient and trust the process as they watched two rebuilds fail, and watched multiple of their former star players (Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel) go on to win Stanley Cups. They have every right to show how much they are frustrated, and how much they truly want this team to win.
Related – Should the Sabres Trade Okposo or Girgensons
I cannot say how many times I have said the phrase, “what happened to this team?” this season. The only thing that they have done consistently is be inconsistent. It is tiring, and after nearly 11 years of writing about the poor performances of this franchise, I find myself siding with the fans on this particular issue. Last season was a very fun time to watch them battle every game and score a bunch of goals as they worked towards a playoff push. Missing the playoffs by one point stung for sure, but following that kind of performance with how this season has gone is bordering on pathetic. This team is capable of more, and it is fair for the fans to demand that from them. The simple fact of the matter is if these players don’t like getting booed at home, the playoff drought needs to end. It’s on the core to pull it off.
