Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550/WBEN) – For the second time in three games, the Buffalo Sabres embarrassed themselves during the most important part of the season.
The Sabres returned home on Wednesday night from a disappointing five-game road trip and watched the Ottawa Senators blow them right out of the back of their own building, 5-0, in the first period.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn’t ready to play, and neither were any of his teammates other than Devon Levi, who replaced him at the 8:49 mark after four goals got past him on nine shots.
Levi played 50:14, and managed to stop 31-of-32 shots faced.
Sabres head coach Don Granato is out of answers. He doesn't know what to do with this group that has failed him for two seasons. They do care about their coach, I totally believe that, but in my mind, they've done nothing to help save his job.
It astounds me how Granato never uses his timeout to try to help stop the bleeding.
Ottawa took a 1-0 lead at the 2:37 mark, then it was 2-0 at 4:56, and it got to 3-0 at the 6:01 mark before the Senators increased the lead to 4-0 with 11:11 still remaining in the opening period.
Granato just stood in-behind the bench like a deer in headlights, and never called his timeout. I guess he didn’t think ripping into his team for an unacceptable performance would do any good.
After the loss, he said it was because they had three or four glorious scoring chances, so he didn't think he needed to use it.
I asked Granato during his postgame press conference why, after playing so well since Jan. 1, has this happened in 2-out-of-3 games. He was defiant, saying it was different because they gave up six goals in the final 20:29 in Edmonton, and here it was five goals in the first 19:11 of the game.
Sorry, but that’s 11 goals given up in just over two periods of hockey in two of your last three games.
This team worked hard to get to within three points of the playoffs, but when things got tight, they got tighter and went 2-4-0, giving up 24 goals in the six games.
It’s just amazing how mentally weak this team is. It certainly isn’t everybody, but it just appears to me that Granato can’t get them past that. He’s taken them as far as he can.
There’s absolutely no question these players like and respect their coach, but he’s out of answers, and they have nobody to blame but themselves.
