Last place hosted first place in a tale of two Eastern Conference teams inn Tuesday night.
Tampa took two points and skated home while Buffalo fell to last place overall in the NHL standings (16 points).
The Buffalo Sabres (2-7-2 in their last 11 games) had their hands full with the Tampa Bay Lighting, who entered the game 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Sabres have now lost six straight games to Atlantic division opponents.
Andrei Vaselevskiy earned the 2-0 shut out by making 26 saves on all 26 shots faced. The Sabres have been blanked two games in a row. Phil Housley's team has been shut out in consecutive games for the first time since October 17 and 18, 2014.
Want to know the difference between the Lightning and the Sabres?
The Sabres do not get balanced scoring from its forwards and defense. The Bolts get bushels of goals from its forwards and D.
Stamkos, Kucherov and company have scored 87 goals in 24 games (3.7 GPG, #1 in NHL). The last place Sabres have scored a lowly 55 goals in 25 games (2.29 GPG, #31 in NHL).
In their last five games, the Sabres have scored nine goals. Good luck winning games in the NHL scoring less than two goals per game.
It's come down to this:
Opponents have figured out the Sabres.
Eliminate Evander Kane and Jack Eichel from the score sheet and you will likely win the game.
The Sabres have yet to have a goal scored by one of the defensemen while Tampa got two goals from two of their rear guards, Mikhail Sergachev and Dan Girardi.
After 25 games played, the Sabres are 6-15-4 and lying at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Sabres fans have had it up to here with all of the losing the past few seasons. This season was supposed to be the dawn of a new day. The new er was supposed to include the return of long trm winning. Sabres fans have had to suffer through the 3-8-1 record on home ice.
The players are forcing the hand of Sabres GM Jason Botterill. The Sabres have now been shut out by Montreal and Tampa. Teams that win just one game in their last ten efforts don't make the playoffs.
Botterill need only look up to the sky to see the NHl vultures circling his team.
Lately, NHL team dignitaries and scouts have been watching the Sabres play live in person. There are some valuable players on the current Buffalo roster. If they can't malke it work in Buffalo with Housley and Botterill, maybe they should go elsewhere.
The Sabres will likely be in selling mode between now and the NHL trade freeze in the third week of December.
Tonight in Buffalo, the Columbus Blue Jackets Director of Hockey Administration was among the eyes in the sky watching Sabres-Lightning. Columbus doesn't just send their resident capologist-CBA czar-contract negotiatiator-research-analytics-scouting expert to Buffalo to pick up suicidal wings from Duff's. The Blue Jackets were in Buffalo last Monday. It is well known in NHL circles that Jax GM Jarmo Kekalainen was hot after center Matt Duchene, who was at long last traded to Ottawa. Kekalainen has current roster defensemen and D prospects that he is willing to trade for a center. Might the Jax be looking at Sabres centers or Samson Reinhart or Zemgus Girgensons?
The Minnesota Wild played the Sabres last week. The Wild have been searching even strength scoring and top six forward depth. Are the Wild watching Evander Kane? They have defense depth to trade away. Their Director of Player Personnel was in Buffalo tonight as well.
In need of a third line center and a veteran backup goalie to replace the injured Matt Murray, who was injured Monday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins sent a pro scout to Buffalo to watch Sabres-Bolts. The Sabres and Pens play back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Jim Rutherford has a solid piece of trade currency in the form of defensemen Ian Cole, who has been given permission to speak with other team. Cole will be UFA on July 1, 2018 and the Penguins will not be re-signing him. Better to trade Cole now and get value back in return rather than risk watching him skate away for zero compensation. Sabres GM Jason Botterill served as Pens AGM for ten seasons. He knows what Rutherford is looking for. Botterill can upgrade his blue line by adding Cole. The Sabres have centers Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson who can play third line pivot ala Nick Bonino the past two seasons. Bonino signed a UFA contract with Nashville last summer. The Pens traded for Riley Sheahan in the hoopes that he could drive scoring on the third line. He has just 1 goal in 16 games played. Thus, Rutherford contiues to search for a L3 pivot who can score 5v5 and on PP. If Rutherford wants Reinhart, he will have to part with Cole and D Olli Maattaa or Cole and a top six forward. I don't see that happening.
The San Jose Sharks are in desperate need of a veteran winger who can score at 5v5. Patty Marleau's departure has really put a crunch on even strength scoring in San Jose. The Sharks are among the worst scoring teams at even strength. The Sharls had a scout in Buffalo to watch Sabres-Bolts. Are the Sharks looking at Evander Kane, again? Doug Wilson will have to trade a top pair D to Buffalo if he is indeed serious about acquiring Kane, who has 40 goals (33 even strength) since December 3, 2016.
The Arizona Coyotes have been scouting Buffalo a lot lately. The Desert Dogs are in serious need of a veteran top six center. Samson Reinhart would fit that bill to a tee. The Yotes just called up center Dylan Stroe from the AHL, however, Rick Tocchet will be playing him at wing. Odd, isn't it? Strome has 8 goals and 26 points in The A this season playing center. So, why play him at wing? Are the Yotes showcasing Strome for a trade? On a related note, the Coyotes just sent defenseman Jakub Chychrun to their AHL affiliate for a conditioning assignment. Chychrun has yet to play a gain for the Yotes this seaosn due to ooffseason surgery. He scored 7 goals and 13 assists in 68 games his rookie season. Chychrun was the 16th overall pick in 2016. Could a Chychrun for Reinhart (2nd overall 2014) deal be in the works between Arizona and Buffalo? On a larger, seismic shift scale, is a Reinhart for Oliver Ekman-Larsson be in the cards?
Will OEL re-sign with the Coyotes?
OEL, 26, will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season. OEL is a $5.5M AAV.
Reinhart, 22, is a pending RFA and is looking for a long term contract extension.
OEL will hit the lottery when he is an unrestricted free agent in July 2019, the same summer that LA Kings D wizard Drew Doughty becomes UFA.
One wonders if Ekman-Larsson wants to change his mailing address now?
The Edmonton Oilers are free falling for Dahlin. Peter Chiarelli's club is the most disapointing team in the NHL this season. Most talking heads and scribes had the Oilers winning the Western Conference this seaosn. Nope. Not even close, bud. Like Buffalo, the Oilers are on the bottom looking up.
Chiarelli is ready to make trades. plural. One deal won't fix his terrible goaltending and the dreadful lack of speed on his D and forward units. Chiarelli is looking for a center and a top four D. I'm told that Darnell Nurse can be had, if the price is right. Last week, Chiarelli scouted Buffalo in person. The Sabres defeated the Oil 3-1 on Black Friday.Chiarelli may be ready to make Jason Botterill an offer on Samson Reinhart or Zemgus Girgensons. Todd McLellan has been forced to break up the Connor McDavid-Leon draisaitl duo that worked so well together last season. In search of more offense, Draisaitl has been moved to third line center while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been left alone at second line center. McDavid has been playing with sow vets Milan Lucic and Mike Cammalleri. Needless to say, McDavid needs line mates who can skate at his tempo and pace. Acquiring a top six center-winger would allow McLellan to give appropriately skilled linemates to McDavid.
Montreal, Toronto, Nashville also scouted Sabres-Bolts.
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