Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Losing to the San Jose Sharks, 6-2, on your home ice should be the low point of your season, but the Buffalo Sabres are so bad, it may not even rank in the team's top-five losses this season.
Buffalo lost to the team that is in last place in the NHL, a team that is the worst in goals-against average, 29th in goal scoring and had lost 14-of-16 games and 17-of-20 contests.
Only one loss was worse than any this season, and it came back on Dec. 3 when after 11 minutes, Buffalo led the Colorado Avalanche, 4-0, and chased goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
Georgiev now plays for the Sharks, and was playing on back-to-back nights on Tuesday in Buffalo. He only gave up two goals on 22 shots faced against the Sabres this time around.
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Too many times this season I’ve heard players say they thought it was going to be easy, or they took a team for granted.
Tage Thompson is the latest, saying he hoped they didn’t take the Sharks for granted, but actions made it look that way. Actions certainly speak louder than words.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said following the loss there were too many passengers in this game. He added that their puck play was awful, and too many guys took the night off.
Ruff put out a goal for the team that he felt would help them claw back into the playoff race. He wanted to see seven points in every five-game stretch, which is a 3-1-1 record.
Buffalo came out flying in the first two games since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but then went out and showed their coach what they think of him and his ideas, losing four-straight contests.
In Montreal on Monday, Ruff told his group they must stay out of the penalty box, and they promptly showed him, again, what they think of him, taking five first period penalties. That gave the Canadiens four power plays chances, in which they scored on two of them.
I’ve watched this core group for almost three full seasons now, and they rarely play the way their coach wants them to. They don’t mesh well together. And when I say they don’t play the way their coach wants them to, I’m talking about two different coaches.
Players talked again about how they played too casually. They aren’t wrong, but why?
Thompson said they didn’t battle or compete, and took the night off. It’s interesting that the Sharks are have trouble scoring goals, but they put up four in the third period alone.
Goaltending is, once again, a problem too in Buffalo.
In Montreal, James Reimer let in two goals that he’s got to stop, including the game-winner in overtime.
On Tuesday, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen couldn’t stop Will Smith, who was leading a 3-on-1 rush, or William Eklund, who beat the Sabres netminder between his body and the post on the short side.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said many times he wants players that want to play in Buffalo, but from what I’ve witnessed this season, it seems like some players are playing like they don’t want to be here.
Adams has had five years to build the last place team in the Eastern Conference and the 29th place team in the NHL. He has proven he doesn’t know how to fix this team, but will he continue to flounder while he tries?
Only owner Terry Pegula has those answers.
Buffalo is in Tampa Bay on Thursday to face the Lightning, and then the NHL Trade Deadline comes this Friday at 3 p.m. while the team is in Fort Lauderdale.