Robin Lehner has been a point of contention since being acquired by the Sabres via trade, and he’ll be a point of contention until he wins the Vezina or until the Sabres win the Cup.
But tonight, it was Lehner who called out his teammates after a poor effort against a bottom-dwelling opponent.
In a firey post-game interview, Lehner called his team’s disregard for the game plan “disrespectful,” and compared their ego to that of a much better team.
Fire/brimstone from Lehner. “We haven’t done anything. We win one game and we think we’re Chicago.” Said “disrespectful” game plan ignored.
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) February 13, 2017
Kyle Okposo echoed his goalie’s comments, calling his team’s effort “Gross,” and anyone who watched the game can’t deny that statement. The Sabres effort was especially harsh considering they were coming off a much-needed win over Toronto, and with every point mattering more and more as the season progresses.
The game got off to promising start with an entertaining first period that saw each team score twice. The Sabres struck first, thanks to Tyler Ennis, who scored on an assist from Evan Rodrigues, his first of the year. Vancouver would score the next two, but the Sabres would come back to score in the final 15 seconds thanks to Kyle Okposo’s 18th goal of the season.
Unfortunately, the Sabres second period would doom them once again, as it has so often this season. They were outscored 2-0 and outshot 12-6 as the game slipped away from them.
One thing that didn’t help them tonight was the penalty distribution. Buffalo took seven penalties to Vancouver’s four, most of which came late, and thus the Sabres were behind the eight ball for much of the game, not to mention the fact that they have a god-awful penalty kill.
When it was all said and done, the Sabres couldn’t mount any sort of comeback tonight, and the Canucks escaped with the win. “The game we played we played was disrespectful to the process,” said Dan Bylsma, and we have to agree.
Two Questions
1. Can the Sabres power play continue to dominate?
Nope.
2. How will Buffalo’s legs hold up as the game progresses?
The Sabres played well in the first, but fell off quickly in the final two frames. Luckily they have days off in between their next three games.
Comment of the Game
Well that’s disappointing, if not predictable.
Posted by TEMSON