Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres lost their fifth-straight game in the Sabres Prospects Challenge in two years on Monday, falling 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Buffalo has now lost 6-of-7 games in the annual tournament.
This was a tournament where the Sabres created a lot of chances, but missed the net constantly with wide-open Grade-A shots. Defensively, they were horrible, missing coverages all over the ice, which led to many tap-in goals.
"If you look at the two games, we had close to 90 shots on goal (84), and we probably missed the net 20-to-30 times," said Rochester Americans head coach Mike Leone following the loss Monday. "I thought we had the puck a lot. I’m a big believer in shot volume, creating chaos, and I thought we did that. So it wasn’t the lack of chances. We missed a ton, and we missed the net quite a few times."
Konsta Helenius had not been good in the first two games, but he was flying around the ice on Monday and was easily Buffalo’s best player. He did pick up one assist, his only point in the three games.
Meanwhile, this is Isak Rosen’s fourth pro season, and he needed to dominate this tournament. He had no points in three games, and was, quite frankly, awful. I think they need more out of him, so I posed that question to his coach.
"I think it’s just a matter of the willingness to do it all the time and the consistency in his game. You see it in flashes, but I think for him going into training camp, it's just to do it all the time," Leone said. "You’re on the last year of your contract, it’s just being consistent in the game and not getting frustrated. And it’s not getting points, it’s how you impact the game. You’re going to go through stretches where you don’t get points, but how’s your play away from the puck."
In my opinion, it wasn’t good at all, and I think he showed, once and for all, he’s not an NHL player. There is a good chance he could be a bust as a first-round pick.
The first night of the tournament, Buffalo’s best player was 2025 fourth-round pick Matous Kucharcik. In three games, he had a goal and an assist.
Kucharcik’s line along with 2025 seventh-round picks Ryan Rucinski and Melvin Novotny were the Sabres' best line every night. The 18-year-olds, who will play in the United States Hockey League this year, had two goals and three assists for five points combined. There were all over the ice and created numerous chances, as they spent most shifts in the offensive zone.
In the second game, 2022 first-round pick Noah Ostlund was Buffalo’s best player. He ended the tournament with one goal and no assists.
This year’s top pick, Radim Mrtka, showed pretty well in the tournament. He showed his speed and the accuracy he has making that first pass out of the zone. Yes, he did have some young mistakes, but overall, I thought he accounted pretty well for himself.
During the last two playoff seasons for Rochester, I thought defenseman Nikita Novikov looked really good. I was thinking that within a year, he might be a third-pair guy with the Sabres. This tournament did nothing to make me think my original thought was right.
Both he and Vsevolod Komarov looked off and did not play well. Training camp needs to be better for both of them.
The players report to training camp on Wednesday. We’ll bring you press conferences with both general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff, starting at 10 a.m.
Here's how the scoring finished for the Sabres in three games of the Sabres Prospects Challenge:
Matteo Constantini: 1-2-3
Riley Fiddler-Schultz: 2-0-2
Radim Mrtka: 1-1-2
Red Savage: 1-1-2
Matous Kucharcik: 1-1-2
Ryan Rucinski: 1-1-2
Isaac Belliveau: 1-1-2
Olivier Nadeau: 1-1-2
Simon-Pier Brunet: 0-2-2
Melvin Novotny: 0-2-2
Noah Ostlund: 1-0-1
Nikita Novikov: 0-1-1
Noah Laberge: 0-1-1
Vsevolod Komarov: 0-1-1
Viktor Neuchev: 0-1-1
Konsta Helenius: 0-1-1
Goalies:
Topias Leinonen: 0-1-0 record, 4.00 GAA, .852 save %
Ryerson Leenders: 0-1-0 record, 7.12 GAA, .813 save %
Samuel Meloche: 0-1-0 record, 6.00 GAA, .800 save %
Finals Standings:
1.) Pittsburgh Penguins: 2-0-1, 5 points, 12 goals for, 9 goals against
2.) New Jersey Devils: 2-1-0, 4 points, 16 goals for, 10 goals against
3.) Columbus Blue Jackets: 2-1-0, 4 points, 14 goals for, 17 goals against
4.) Boston Bruins: 1-1-0, 2 points, 7 goals for, 6 goals against
5.) Buffalo Sabres: 0-3-0, 0 points, 10 goals for, 17 goals against
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