Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Ennis Snipes; Benn Snaps; Kopi Calls In Sick

January 16, 2017, 1:31 PM ET [5 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Welcome back, Tyler Ennis.

The water buggy forward needed just 19 second to score a goal in his first game back in the lineup after missing the previous games due to groin surgery.

Before the game, Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said:


"Getting up to his speed I think will be a challenge for him (Ennis) over the next two weeks but you'd like to see him get in there with good players and good lines and see how effective he could be".


Needless to say, Ennis made Bylsma very happy by scoring on his first shift of his first game since early November.






Ennis is playing alongside Kyle Okpooso and Ryan O'Reilly, with who he formed great chemistry while playing together for Team Canada's gold medal winning team at the 2015 IIHF World Championships.






Ennis clearly injected creativity and speed into the Buffalo attack.


Jake McCabe deposited a Jamie Benn giveaway behind Lehtonen for his first goal of the season that gave Buffalo the 2-0 lead. McCabe's PPG was the game winner and provided a timely pick me up to the Buffalo offense which stung the Stars.





Jack Eichel scored to give the Sabres the 3-1 lead early in the second period.




Samson Reinhart assisted on the Eichel PPG and now has three goals and 10 assists in his past 13 games.



Eichel, who landed a career high 10 shots on goal in the game, added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left in the third for his 10th goal of the season.

Final score:

Buffalo 4
Dallas 1


After the game, the Sabres boarded their bus to Toronto where Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews will lock horns on Tuesday night in a must-not-lose-game for Buffalo.






**




Stars captain Jamie Benn is a frustrated leader right now.

Late in the second period of a 3-1 Buffalo lead, Benn destroyed his stick by breaking it over his knee. Not an easy feat when you consider an NHL stick is made of composite materials.

Benn didn't stop there. He also snapped two twigs when he got back to the Dallas bench.





Not a good look when the team leader is losing it in front of his boys and the coaching staff.


I call that bad leadership. Bad body language.


I love Benn as a player, but he has to be better than that. Snapping $750 worth of twigs is ridiculous. Score a goal already.






Benn tried to explain his team's no-show in Buffalo. Benn was fuming at himself for serving Jake McCabe the assist on the eventual game winning goal.

Benn's tantrum cost him three shattered hockey sticks and likely some of the respect of his teammates and coaches . Lindy Ruff said during his presser that Benn was still spitting hot lava takes in the losers locker room. Ruff said that his captain has to do a better job of putting the adversity behind him during the game. Move on, Ruff said.





After the game, Lindy Ruff was none too pleased wit his team, nor his captain, Benn.





Benn missed four games with an injured foot, however, returned to the lineup week week.

Last summer, Benn underwent surgery to repair a core muscle ailment. In 2015, Benn had surgery on both hips. Benn won't say it, but he's playing injured right now.


"He's fighting through his injury, but he is in the lineup, so you've got to assume he is ready to go," an annoyed Ruff said after the loss in Buffalo.

"I see the frustration. It's hard. I actually had to bump him down (in the lineup) and see if we could get the other guys up a little bit. It's been a tough year for him."




***

LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar missed Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to an illness.

The Kings made the announcement during pregame warm-ups for the matinee game.


The slumping Kopitar did not play against the Lightning because of what illness exactly??


Kopitar has scored just four goals and twenty assists in his 38 games played this season. The Kings captain has zero power play goals.

Kopitar is in year one of an eight year, $80 million contract that pays him $10M AAV per season.

What's more, Kings management stripped Dustin Brown of the captaincy and gave it to Kopitar last summer.

Kopitar has led the Kings in scoring for nine consecutive seasons. Mysteriously, Kopitar's goal production has disappeared this season. Where has it gone all of a sudden? Earlier this season, Kopitar missed five games with a hand injury. Last Wednesday, his head coach Darryl Sutter proclaimed Kopitar's hand and body healthy when asked by reporters if his number one center was struggling due to injury.


Jeff Carter has 23 goals and 17 assists this season. Tanner Pearson has pumped in 13 goals and 10 assists.


Kopitar scored three points in LA's win over Winnipeg on Saturday.


The Kings lost 2-1 to the Bolts. After the game, Kings bench boss Darry Sutter got downright salty and surly when he was asked about Kopitar's illness and whereabouts.




Thanks, Kings team website


The Kings are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have struggled mightily to score even strength goals this season.

As a team, the Kings have scored 110 goals in 44 games this season, however, only 72 of those markers have come at 5v5, They have scored two goals at 4v4, and 8 goals at 3v3.

That's a 1.66 goals per game average at even strength. The Kings have scored 22 power play goals.

Marian Gaborik has been disappinting scoring 3 goals and 5 assists for his $4.875M AAV (times five seasons).

Dustin Brown has scored just 6 goals and 13 assists for his $5.875M AAV ( times 6 seasons)


The Kings are in fifth place in the Pacific Division with 48 points.


There will be changes in La La Land. Kings GM Dean Lombardi will be making trades to shake up his lethargic leadership core.
Join the Discussion: ยป 5 Comments ยป Post New Comment
More from GARTH'S CORNER
» Hailing Taxis
» He With The Gold Makes The Rules
» Sedentary Seven
» The Sedentary Seven
» GadZuccs