It’s just a matter of sticking it out until the end for Buffalo Sabres fans. The losses continue to mount, and the Sabres are going to miss the playoffs for the 14th straight season. They surprise us all by mixing in a win here and there, like the one they had over the Edmonton Oilers the last time out.
This team is unable to build any real momentum, however. They followed up an inspired win with one of the worst performances of the season. Let’s just get into the takeaways from the 7-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Tage Thompson and Josh Norris are Pairing Well
Let’s start with something positive. Everyone is talking about the hot start for Dylan Cozens since being traded to the Ottawa Senators for Josh Norris. Instead, let’s talk about how Norris is fitting in with his new team. The long and the short of it? He’s doing well.
Norris got on the stat sheet for the first time in the win over the Oilers, using his speed and hustle to set up a goal by Tage Thompson. Against the Red Wings, Thompson started the play with a nice keep in the offensive zone. The puck cycled around, finding Norris in front of the net for his first as a Sabre.
The sample size is small, but there is a lot to like. Norris’ speed pushes the play and Thompson has been showing the high-end skill that made him arguably the breakout star of the 2022-23 season. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come over the next few seasons with Norris and Thompson.
This Team Is an Embarrassment After the First Period
It’s to the point where this team can’t even be talked about for what happens on the ice. Talking head Paul Bissonnette is earning the ire of the Sabres fan base by saying that he “hears” Rasmus Dahlin wants to leave if things don’t turn around. That’s where things are with this season.
Related: NHL Rumors: Dahlin, Sabres, Rantanen, Hurricanes, Oilers
What we really should be talking about is how bad the Sabres are after the first period. They are the best team in the league in terms of goal differential in the first period. In the other two? They are among the handful of the worst teams out there.
They actually managed to walk away with an even differential in the second period before going minus-3 in the third period. The coaching staff needs to vigorously study this team’s efforts after the first period. If the Sabres want to get better, they have to be better in the periods that matter most.
Special Teams Need a Major Overhaul
There are probably a few things that you can point to as being problematic for the Sabres over the course of the drought. We all heard the narrative that they aren’t tough enough, that they blow leads left and right, etc.
But the special teams have been equally as bad over that stretch. The power play came to life in 2022-23, only to die a horrible death since. The penalty kill is as Jekyll and Hyde as it gets. Given how good this team is at 5v5, it’s safe to say that they would have a few more wins if the special teams could get it together.
At this stage, multiple coaches have come and gone with middling (at best) results. What has to change to get this team to where it was two seasons ago? Is it the personnel? This has to be addressed in the offseason because it is an Achilles’ heel right now.
So, That Happened
At this point, games like these aren’t even aggravating or frustrating. They become expected. The Sabres will shock a team that they have no business beating (the Oilers), only to follow it up with an absolute egg of an effort.
They looked fine for the first 20 minutes, but still trailed 3-2. When things started to get out of hand, no one batted an eye. We’re all just trying to gut through the last 15 or so games so we can all look forward to the start of the Buffalo Bills season.
