Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – This Buffalo Sabres team just gets more-and-more pathetic every time they play.
This team is now winless in 11-straight games, going 0-9-2. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Sabres have been shutout four of their last five home games. The only other NHL team in the last 90 years to do that was the Calgary Flames in the 2013-14 season.
Buffalo had two whole shots in the first period. Carter Hutton had to stop Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway after he totally undressed Rasmus Dahlin, as well as T.J. Oshie when he got behind Jacob Bryson who had no idea he was there.
Hutton also robbed Oshie alone in the slot on the power play.
Hutton finally broke down at 18:46 when Evgeny Kuznetsov beat him from the right wing boards. Hutton had to make 12 saves, while Vitek Vanecek did what most goalies do against the Sabres - stand there and do nothing.
Vanecek is a rookie, who is feasting on the Sabres this season. He’s 4-0-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage against this lifeless bunch. Against the rest of the league, his goals-against average is 3.14 with a .895 save percentage.
During this losing stretch for the Sabres, they’ve scored 17 goals in the 11 games, while giving up 47. Somehow, Jason Botterill thought the Edmonton Oilers were wrong for firing Ralph Krueger after just one season of 48 games, despite being 3-9-0 in his final 12 games. In his last 34 games with the Sabres, Krueger has won just seven.
The first period was bad enough, but it leaked into the second, where Krueger thought they played better. If giving up three goals in the period for the third time in 10 days is better, than go for it. They got outscored 3-0 in the frame, and outshot 11-7.
Krueger was very impressed with the third period, even though they were outscored, 2-0, because they out shot Washington, 14-6. Krueger failed to take into account that Washington was in cruise control just waiting to hop on their plane to get out of town.
This game featured Jeff Skinner leading a 3-on-0 and 3-on-1 without getting a shot on net or a scoring chance. On the 3-on-0, the winger shot wide, and on the 3-on-1, he crossed up Casey Mittelstadt on, what should’ve been, an easy pass to a wide-open player.
Those two plays were nothing compared to Washington’s second goal.
I have never, and I mean never, seen three defensive players play so disinterested as this goal. Oshie came down the right wing (remember I said Oshie and not Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Connor McDavid), and he easily blew by Dahlin, who appeared to be in great position but hardly touched him. As Oshie cut through the faceoff circle, Colin Miller just stood there as Oshie faked him out of his jock, and finally Eric Staal gave a half-hearted stick check as Oshie skated by him to the slot. Hutton made the save right in front of him, but through the chaos, Nick Backstrom was left alone and scored on the rebound for his fifth goal and eighth point in six games against Buffalo.
I’m being totally honest, I would expect three players from the Cincinnati Cyclones to play that better than that effort.
As the goals were going in, the team showed very little interest, as Richard Panik had all sorts of room in the slot for a one-timer, and Daniel Sprong was allowed to walk in clean on Hutton.
Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson were on the ice for four Washington goals, while Dahlin, Staal and Brandon Montour were on the ice for three goals-against.
The Sabres left right after the game for New Jersey, where they collected their last win on Feb. 23 against the Devils.
Something has to give, because Lindy Ruff’s Devils are winless in 11 straight games at home, going 0-10-1. That includes two victories by Buffalo. New Jersey’s last win at home was back on Jan. 24 against the New York Rangers.
Overall, the Devils have one win in their last 10 games.
