Buffalo continue to be consistently inconsistent.. again
Score: Coyotes 2-0 Sabres
Shots: ARI 22-28 BUF
Arizona Coyotes Goals: Keller (10), O’Brien (3)
Buffalo Sabres Goals: N/A
Minus 1: What The Heck Guys
Following up that complete, 60-minute effort against the Vegas Golden Knights was always going to be hard to follow. You would think that after such a comprehensive win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, a game against an opponent they had just thoroughly beaten less than a week ago would be a chance to win two consecutive games for only the second time this season, and first time in six weeks.
Well, no. The Sabres came into the game 3-1-1 with the only regulation defeat there the strange spineless capitulation in Denver, and thought they could put away an average opponent without putting in the effort, and that is where the game caught them napping.
The level in the NHL is such that it’s only the very best teams that can sleepwalk their way into win after win, night after night. Buffalo is not one of those teams, and on current performance will not be for a very long time either.
Minus 2: Hit The Damn Target
There has been plenty of analysis about how much of the Sabres’ offensive struggles this season has come from the inability to get shots on frame. While shot attempts are expectedly lower than last season, the number of shots that are getting past blocks and are actually on target are more than correspondingly low too. Some of the puck luck they had last season has deserted them but the players are partly to blame too.
After the game coach Don Granato wanted more of his players, and rightly so.
“We missed the net on a lot of good quality opportunities, that was the difference. We had more than enough good looks. And it’s very frustrating how the first goal was scored. We had some pretty skilled guys shooting over the net or wide of the net from pretty close range. We were trying to pick the perfect shot.”
– Don Granato
He’s onto something.
Minus 3: Points On The Bloody Table
What a puzzling side the Buffalo Sabres are, beating strong opponents with incredible all-round performances but then subsequently losing to average teams. One two-game winning streak all season long so far tells you everything you need to know.
Granted the Coyotes are better than they have been in recent years and just came off a shutout win over the San Jose Sharks, but the Sabres had no business losing this game. They return from this road trip with just two unlikely points from Vegas, having been smacked around by the very same Avs team they had already beaten 4-0 earlier this season and then shutout by the very same Coyotes team they had already beaten 5-2 earlier this week. See the symmetry there?
Buffalo have six games to close out 2023, three against very good opponents that are all jockeying for leadership of the Eastern Conference, and then three against a pair of teams with worse records than the Sabres. Are they really going to beat the Leafs, Rags, and then the B’s before losing to the Blue Jackets (twice) and the Sens? Don’t write this team off, they’ve done crazier things before.
“The last five or so, we’ve been pushing the pace and making plays and getting more [offensive] zone time. At the same time, we’re here to win games and get results. We’ve got to put some of those (chances) away for sure.
“We need to move forward as a team. Let’s keep it going and … let’s keep doing the things that led to some of the chances.”
– Casey Mittelstadt
Final Thoughts
Another game the Sabres outshoot their opponent but simply fail to score enough goals to win. Dylan Cozens had spoken of the maturity that the team is instilling with the win against the Knights, but another evening comes and it’s like another team altogether that takes to the ice.
When does General Manager Kevyn Adams start to ask himself what he is seriously expecting to get out of this squad this season, and whether he wants to be a buyer or a seller with the trade deadline coming up? Maintaining this status quo seems odd, as the Sabres will end up neither here nor there unless Adams decides he’s had enough and wants to shake things up in a more significant manner than just adding another bottom six forward.