Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) - Many fans are worried that Jeff Skinner is going to not even give Buffalo and chance and leave in unrestricted free agency this summer.
Skinner has told me numerous times how much he enjoys this city and enjoys playing here, but in the past month or two, things have turned really ugly around here. The losses have been piling up and Skinner has slumped.
The winger does have a career-high 38 goals, but he's only scored two in his last 23 games, and eight in his last 32. Skinner didn't want to talk too much about contracts because his focus is on the final two games, but he did say he's still very open to remaining in Buffalo, "Yes, for sure. I'm a Sabre, I'm part of this team and those type of things will sort themselves out, but I'm not closed out to anything."
Skinner has stayed consistent throughout the season and not said much about free agency. He said, "For me, I'm part of the team. I think in the midst of a season you're trying your best as a player to try to help the team win and that's my focus the whole season and in particular the last couple of months when things haven't been going our way and that will continue to be my focus the last two games and then after that, you can reflect and think about the season as much as you want and break it down."
Skinner said he's not an overly superstitious man, but he did change his routine up a little. He said when it goes that long, it can get to you a little bit, "When you get into a slump like that maybe it snowballs a little bit and you start thinking about it."
Skinner has never scored 40 goals in a season. He said that's not an individual thing, "For me it shows how well the line is or how you're playing as a team. To create and score goals in this league you need all five guys on the ice."
It's possible Thursday could be Skinner's last home game in Buffalo, but it could also be the final home game for many players including Jason Pominville, who has played 731 games as a Sabre. Rasmus Ristolainen has played 422 games in Buffalo, while Zemgus Girgensons has 418. They too could be wrapping up their careers as a Buffalo Sabre.
Phil Housley held an optional practice on Wednesday. Ottawa wraps up Buffalo's home schedule on Thursday.
Will Borgen was on emergency recall and went back to Rochester late Wednesday afternoon.
