'We're all concerning the subsequent recreation': Why the Sabres nonetheless consider they are a playoff group

The Buffalo Sabres had been virtually pronounced lifeless earlier than the NHL season had formally begun.

Buffalo went out of the gate early for the league’s newest International Sequence showcase in Prague, Czechia. That put the Sabres some 4,000 miles from dwelling, getting beat up by the New Jersey Devils in a pair of consecutive losses by a mixed 7-2 rating.

It might be days earlier than one other NHL group opened its schedule — leaving ample airtime dedicated to debating how the immediately 0-2 Sabres had already blown their possibilities of being a playoff group.

As a result of wasn’t that the one acceptable final result for Buffalo anyway? Is not this the Sabres’ time to finish the 13-year postseason drought — longest amongst golf equipment within the 4 main sports activities leagues — and reward a fan base that is patiently waited for Buffalo to drag it collectively?

That continues to be the aim. Abroad debacle be damned.

“We realized what to not do,” Sabres ahead Alex Tuch stated. “There have been some good takeaways I believe; it was an enormous studying expertise. It is one thing the place you simply have to comprehend that on this league, it is powerful. It doesn’t matter what’s occurring, who you are enjoying, while you’re enjoying them, the place you’re on this planet, you must present up, and for those who do not, it isn’t going to go your manner. So I believe it was eye-opener for this group, and we all know how a lot better we have to be.”

These sensible phrases promptly appeared to fall on deaf ears. Buffalo — nonetheless with out injured ahead JJ Peterka after he was injured towards the Devils — had practically per week to arrange for his or her dwelling opener towards the Los Angeles Kings, and had been introduced down once more, blowing an early 1-0 lead that was undone by an abysmal third interval (and Anze Kopitar pure hat trick) within the eventual 3-1 loss.

Now Buffalo was staring down the barrel of an 0-3 begin having scored simply three objectives in three video games. The facility play was 0-for-11. The Sabres’ greatest forwards — Tage Thompson and Tuch amongst them — appeared snakebit. Zach Benson was fighting an damage. And newly minted captain Rasmus Dahlin was clearly nonetheless feeling results of the ailment he suffered in the course of the preseason.

This wasn’t the Buffalo group anybody anticipated. Not when the group introduced again Lindy Ruff as head coach. Not after they had a number of maturing younger skills on the roster prepared to interrupt out. Not when GM Kevyn Adams had basically stood pat in free company to offer these homegrown skaters an opportunity to flourish.

Buffalo was already a complicated paradigm. After which the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers got here to city — and the Sabres slapped them 5-2 for that elusive first win of the marketing campaign.

Huh?

Suffice to say, the Sabres have been on a wild trip. Might the preliminary turmoil assist Buffalo’s final aim of punching a long-awaited ticket again to the postseason?

It is not like anybody’s confidence contained in the room is shaken … proper?

“No,” stated Tuch, when requested if the Sabres had been rattled.

There’s not even a little bit concern about mounting strain?

“Nope. We’re all concerning the subsequent recreation.”

There are 78 extra probabilities to show there’s nonetheless cause to consider in Buffalo. Here is why the playoff dream is not lifeless but.

MARTIN BIRON HAS DONE the European factor, too.

He was one in every of three goalies the New York Rangers took to Sweden in 2011 for their very own common season opener. Whereas the expertise itself was top-notch, Biron was “dragging” after the primary 5 or 6 days.

It was no shock then to Biron — now an analyst for MSG Community — that Buffalo wasn’t precisely firing on all cylinders when it got here time to face the Devils some 12 days into their European sojourn that included an exhibition outing towards EHC Purple Bull Munich in Germany, too.

“It is not the perfect [way] to start out,” Biron stated. “However I nearly really feel like you have to put these video games apart. It was a very long time [in Europe] and so they simply did not have their legs. And you progress on. So it is an 80-game season [then], and also you’re making an attempt to get to 95 factors in 80 video games, proper? Is it difficult? Sure. However that is how you must take a look at it.”

On paper, it appeared Buffalo did not rise to the event of their subsequent alternative towards the Kings. Biron begs to vary, although. It is not that the Sabres — who whacked the Kings twice final season by a mixed 12-3 — performed poorly within the dwelling opener; they simply did not execute when it mattered.

“They appeared actually good,” Biron stated. “In case you take a look at the anticipated objectives and the possibilities created, they had been plus-14 in high-danger probabilities. The Sabres have by no means had a recreation the place [the margin] was that prime. They only could not rating. They could not end. And there have been two [other] issues that did not go properly: the facility play didn’t rating once more, and L.A. had a 5-on-3 for a minute [in the third period]. That did not work out good. They took a pair unhealthy penalties [on Jason Zucker and Mattias Samuelsson]. That is it.”

These power-play woes may be probably the most constant factor of Buffalo’s season to this point. By 4 video games, the Sabres are 0-for-14 with the additional man. Ruff has devoted lengthy stretches of observe time to attempt remedying the issue; he is tweaked the group’s seems, he is yelled over botched makes an attempt, however nothing to date is penetrating.

“We’re making an attempt to generate a little bit bit extra pace,” Ruff stated. “We have to get linked on the entries, and clearly each items modified when [Peterka and Zach Benson] went out.”

Biron’s notion on the particular groups issues are comparable, and he is direct about what Buffalo should do to repair them.

“The primary two video games [in Prague], they had been horrible on zone entries, and so they had been by no means within the zone as a result of they could not get possession,” he stated. “That was higher towards L.A.; now it is about getting second probabilities. I really feel like they obtained some first rate seems. However they actually did not get any rebound seems, any display screen seems, and that is what the facility play’s basis ought to be about. You’ll be able to’t simply depend on a Tage Thompson one-timer. There’s nonetheless quite a lot of work to be executed there.”

BUFFALO NEEDS MORE from its high gamers in each respect. The win over Florida was the Sabres’ most cohesive show offensively. And it is easy to say Buffalo had an edge in that outing as a result of the Panthers began backup goaltender Spencer Knight — his first since Feb. 18, 2023 — and so they had been lacking each Aleksander Barkov (with an ankle damage) and Matthew Tkachuk (sickness).

The Sabres overcame a 1-0 deficit within the first interval due to key contributions from Jordan Greenway, Thompson and Tuch. That is signal. Their greatest gamers — like every other group’s — must be those driving offense. And there are others the Sabres are nonetheless ready on to step up.

One of many blights on Buffalo’s 2023-24 season was the lack of ahead Jack Quinn in January to a lower-body damage. That was after Quinn had been out long-term with an Achilles tendon problem. The prospect of getting Quinn — who the group drafted eighth total in 2020 — totally wholesome to start out this season was thrilling. However he hasn’t fairly clicked but in a second-line spot with Dylan Cozens and Jiri Kulich, recording only one help by the group’s first 4 video games.

Quinn is relying on extra manufacturing out of himself to align with some lofty objectives for the season forward.

“I wish to be a very good offensive participant on this league,” Quinn stated. “I wish to set up myself as that this 12 months.”

Does Quinn really feel like he is begun doing that?

“No, in no way.”

Biron agrees that Quinn “hasn’t had begin to the 12 months” and it is on him, Thompson, Peterka and Cozens — amongst others — to drag their weight as Buffalo drags itself out of less-than-ideal circumstances. And Ruff should push the precise buttons to make {that a} actuality.

“Lindy has to begin to information this group into having the ability to grind out some lengthy shifts within the offensive zone,” Biron stated. “It is not nearly rush probabilities, and you then’re out [of the zone]. Rush chances are high nice, however how about you spend 40 seconds or a minute within the offensive zone with good puck possession, with some extent shot, with a restoration from a unfastened puck, and get the cycle going. That is what I have not seen sufficient.”

Buffalo’s victory over Florida might be foundational, then. It was Ruff’s first win behind the Sabres’ bench since being fired throughout his preliminary go-around as coach from 1997-2013. Adams introduced Ruff again after firing Don Granato in April, a response to the Sabres’ third failed try at making playoff underneath Granato’s management.

Ruff has had prior success in Buffalo. He guided the group to eight playoff appearances and a Stanley Cup Last look in 1999. Kicking off this tenure with a 1-3 mark wasn’t precisely the plan, however Ruff may see the Sabres maybe beginning to flip the proverbial nook.

“I sensed the identical sort of urgency [against] Florida as our final recreation [against L.A.],” Ruff stated. “You may get pissed off, you possibly can deviate; however I believed our guys had been fairly locked in making an attempt to play the precise manner, and for probably the most half I believed for 60 minutes we did. We obtained rewarded.”

After which some. It was a weight off Thompson’s shoulders to see a few of these pucks — which had an annoying behavior of discovering each crossbar recently — hitting the web.

“You get one, and also you begin to really feel good, particularly after you’re feeling like you possibly can’ve had a couple of, and a goalie robs you otherwise you simply get a little bit unfortunate,” Thompson stated. “You’ve got simply obtained to keep it up. Hold capturing pucks and hold going to the web and stuff will open up.”

All of it sounds proper, anyway. The Sabres simply must again it up now on the ice. And their again finish will likely be a big think about simply how good Buffalo can finally be. Dahlin claims to be at full energy once more. Owen Power has been making progress. Henri Jokiharju is producing offense from the blue line, and Bowen Byram has untapped potential. If that group can proceed to jell, will probably be instrumental in getting Buffalo over the hump.

One other vibrant spot for the Sabres? Goaltending. And that hasn’t at all times been the case in Buffalo.

Proper now they’re leaning on tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after dropping James Reimer — their projected third-stringer — on waivers. This can be a huge season for Levi particularly, who’s poised to tackle his heaviest NHL workload to this point (he went 10-8-2 final season with an .899 save share and three.10 goals-against common). Luukkonen was a go-to choice for the Sabres in 2023-24, recording a 27-22-4 document with a .910 SV% and a pair of.57 GAA.

If each goalies can enhance on that, it will give the Sabres a combating likelihood each evening.

“The least of their worries proper now could be goaltending,” Biron famous. “They’re good, and the place they need it to be. If Luukkonen and Levi keep wholesome, they will be advantageous. And I really love the upside in Levi and what he confirmed in coaching camp and what he confirmed within the one recreation [in Prague] when he nearly stole them some extent.”

THERE ARE NO ethical victories, in fact. The Sabres cannot be glad with one other so-so 12 months that leaves them exterior trying in on the postseason area. And it is manner too quickly to saddle them with such a destiny.

There are too many current examples — just like the Edmonton Oilers beginning final season 2-9-1 and nonetheless reaching the Cup Last — to depend the Sabres out of an actual playoff push.

It will not be simple. The margin for error is already small, and can solely really feel suffocating if Buffalo hits any extra pace bumps within the close to future. There is no use specializing in that, although. Because the Sabres start a three-game street journey, it is about redemption, and momentum, and exhibiting proof that one unhealthy week is not any cause to cease believing.

“I will give them a cross,” Biron concluded. “The 0-3 begin, it was actually extra like being 0-1 for my part from one unhealthy recreation [in Prague]. They put themselves in a tricky, powerful spot early on for certain. However you have to press on.”