The Anaheim Ducks are a good hockey team – last season they finished first in the Western Conference. The Buffalo Sabres are a bad hockey team – last year, they were worst in the East.
Sometimes that’s all the analysis you need.
The Sabres were routed today by the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 5-1, and the game truly showed the talent disparity between one of the best teams in the league and one of the worst. The Sabres were outshot by the incredible score of 44-12 – yes, you read that right. Buffalo’s anemic offense never truly threatened Frederik Andersen, despite a goal from Tyler Ennis, and twelve shots wouldn’t win you the game versus most junior hockey goaltenders, let alone the netminder for one of the best teams in the league.
Buffalo didn’t help themselves by taking six penalties, four in the first period, which put the Sabres behind from the get-go. They hurt themselves even more by winning just 21 of 66 faceoffs, and even gave up a penalty shot later in the game, which resulted in the final Anaheim goal.
It was a rout all around, the quicker forgotten, the better. With the loss, the Sabres now fall to 0-3-0, and will face Carolina tomorrow in a battle of the two worst teams in the league.
Three Questions
1. How will Tyson Strachan look in his first game as a Sabre?
Strachan didn’t play tonight, as Ted Nolan gave a “last chance” to the current six starting defensemen. But he might get a chance tomorrow, as I don’t see how he can continue to trot our the so-far-awful Andre Benoit and Andrej Meszaros game after game.
2. Can Zemgus Girgensons continue his hot start?
Nope.
3. Can the Sabres earn their first win?
See above.
Comment of the Game
Benoit knows that playing a man short is better for the Sabres than him being out there
smart penalty
He has truly been awful this year.