Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato wasn’t the least bit happy with his team’s sixth-straight loss on Tuesday to the lowly Vancouver Canucks.
Losing to the Boston Bruins on Saturday was understandable, but there is absolutely no excuse for this team to come out against one of the worst teams in the NHL and think it’s going to be easy.
During postgame locker room interviews, I listened to Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner talk about how Vancouver came out with desperation and determination, and they were right.
The first two periods, especially the first 20 minutes, were an absolute disgrace by the Sabres. They showed no awareness whatsoever, as the Canucks were open in the slot for easy goals. Buffalo just had no idea that the opponent was standing in high-danger scoring areas by themselves.
It’s not very often that Granato stands at the podium and is that angry. I asked if there was enough desperation and he said not enough.
"We can sit here and ask, 'Why?' and 'Why?' and 'Why?', but it has to change, period," said Granato after Tuesday's loss.
Was the team too easy to play against for 40 minutes?
"No question," Granato answered. "Too easy out of the gate, and that is a big lesson that needs to be learned now, period."
The explanation was very direct. The head coach says it's pretty simple.
"[The Canucks] were willing to work harder and they showed more determination out of the gate, and we were on our heels," Granato said.
“Through the end of the first, we looked a little rattled and through the second, but they set the tempo through their work ethic and we did not.”
Granato likes to let his leadership group put pressure on from within, but that obviously isn’t working.
“From a coaching side, we’ll continue to push and to demand, and we’ll be doing plenty behind the scenes," Granato said.
“I’m not going to stand here and throw people under the bus, but if your team can’t get the push themselves or through older and more experienced guys, we, as a coaching staff, we’ll be looking to pick up where needed.”
This team played the Canucks way too soft in many situations. At times, they were getting pushed off pucks and it was leading to goals.
“I’d rather stick with the compete. I think a little more competitiveness, a little more determination would flip a lot of these scenarios,” Granato said.
Tuch, Skinner, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power were engaged in this game, but they can’t do it alone.
Things happen within a season, but this team is not putting forth the effort it did in the final 28 games of last season and the first 10 of this season.
Granato says this has to change, and it has to change now. He couldn’t be more right, because if it doesn’t, it’ll be just another season where they’re out of the playoff race by December.
That is unacceptable.
