Alexander Sulzer left the game at the 3:27 mark of the first period in Saturday's 4-0 skunk job to the NY Islanders. Sulzer left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return to the game. In his post game presser, head coach Ron Rolston mentioned that Sulzer was to be re-evaluated.
No news on the severity of the Sulzer injury on Sunday, as the team had the day off from practice and instead participated in the Bowl-A-Rama to benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
Losing Sulzer for a period of time is certainly not something that Rolston had hoped for. Sulzer has three goals and has an assist this season.
Rolston will re-convene practice on Monday morning to correct the atrocious turnovers that his team committed against the Islanders on Saturday night. The Sabres will play the Tampa Lighting on Tuesday night, and the Florida Pathers in Sunrise on Thursday night. They will return to Buffalo to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. Then, the Sabres will hit the road for four games in a row against the Rangers, Hurricanes, Devils, and Flyers.
Rolston will have to make a decision about his dinged up blue line with Sulzer and Jordan Leopold (upper body) on the shelf. TJ Brennan was a healthy scratch on Saturday night and he could replace Sulzer in the starting six. If Sulzer's injury is of a long term nature and Leopold is a no-go to play in Tampa, then Rolston will have to dip his beak in the Rochester pool for a defenseman.
Adam Pardy has played well since he was waived to Rochester. He has 1 goal and 4 assists in 11 games played. He's +8.
Brayden McNabb has shown some serious signs of improvements in his game since he struggles to find his consistency in the early stages of the season. He has 4 goals and 25 assists in 49 games. He's +4.
Lets face it. The Sabres D have been a collective failure in consecutive losses to Toronto and the Islanders. Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Sekera, Weber, Regehr, Myers and Brennan have taken turns making ugly mistakes with the puck. Leopold is absolved of any criticism since he has sat out the past three games.
Rolston needs to change the culture of his D corps, and he needs to do it now. They appear to be playing so tight that they squeak. It appears to me that they are are playing with paralysis from analysis.
Ask me what's killing the Sabres right now and I'll tell you two things:
1. Stupid decisions with the puck
2. Zero sustained attack time in the enemy zone.
I'll be blunt:
The Sabres' young centres have got to step up their game. They are 19 games into an otherwise dreadful season and they have to start pushing back against the top centres in the NHL. Hodgson and Ennis have had nightmares against top centres from enemy teams this season. Think of the 12 games that the Sabres have lost, and look directly at their centre play.losing faceoffs to better draw-men is one thing, however, losing physical and mental battles to other centres is a huge problem for Buffalo. The Staal Brothers have feasted on Buffalo's young centres, as have Bergeron, Crosby, and Malkin. Steven Stamkos must be licking his chops looking forward to the Buffalo meeting in Tampa on Tuesday night.
Young, productive centres can be found on every roster in the NHL these days.
Take for example 22 year old John Tavares.
This jaw-dropping goal by the Mississauga native is a perfect microcosm of what is wrong with the Sabres this season: they lose battles, they allow opponents free will in the Buffalo zone, and they out-work the Buffalo centres and D.
Thanks, islanders.com
Tavares absolutely abused Reggie Sekera on his virtuoso one man cycle play. He used his big frame, tree trunk legs and forearm shiver to shield the puck and to cause Sekera to blow a tire and to lose coverage on the inevitable goal. Sekera's not the only person who deserves blame on this play. Where was Hodgson's puck support? Where was the battle and physicality on Tavares? There was none. No resistance. No aggression. No passion. No purpose.
No wonder the Sabres are 29th overall in the NHL.
Lindy Ruff said it numerous times before he was shown the door. The Sabres' young centres
continue to struggle this season in their baptism by fire. They are making far too many mistakes at this juncture. Meanwhile, Mikhail Grigorenko continues to sit and watch as his teammates fail miserably. The kid played only 6 minutes on 10 shifts in the 4-0 loss to the Islanders. Were I Rolston, I'd move Grigo to the top six, surround him with play makers and watch him develop. Will he make mistakes? Of course he will. he's young. However, he's going to make plays and he'll play on the correct side of the puck.
If they don't think that Grigo is ready to play a top six role, then make a trade today for a Tavares and Toews clone in Ryan O'Reilly. Seriously, I'd call Colorado GM Greg Sherman today and tell him to take anyone not named Ott, Vanek, or Miller. I'd throw in a D and call it a deal. My deal would include: Pominville, Leopold, and a draft pick for Ryan O'Reilly. If they balk at Leopold, I include Sekera. Thats how serious I am about healing the gaping wound in the middle of Buffalo's lineup. The sabres are at the 20 game mark and they have just 6 wins. Its way past overdue to pull the trigger and to make a major roster move that will add immediate value to the Buffalo roster.
Tavares is a #1 centre. There are very few like him. When a team is lucky enough to draft and develop one like JT, they don't let him skate away. They sign him to a long term contract.
The Sabres would be wise to bundle up some assets and to trade them to Colorado today for Ryan O'Reilly. Thats how they will get on the right side of he puck. Until then, its more cross your fingers and hope that the Sabres young centres can get to the same level as Tavares.
Before you tell me that JT is not a two-way centre, save it. He playes against the other team's top lines. He skates 21+ minutes a game. He's a 50+% face off man. He plays special teams. He's usually on the ice at the end of games.
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