At the end of the day, Phil Housley was very with pleased with the speed and dexterity with which his Buffalo Sabres defensemen played in their first exhibition game on Monday night. The Sabres dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Housley's D corps played with Housley's trademark pace and passion.
The difference in the game? Buffalo power play was 0-7. The Sabres were the number one PP in the NHL last season. No worries. The special teams play will improve when training camp cuts are made and the regular units are set and practicing together.
Watching the game from press row, I saw with my own two eyes the efficiency, pace, and precision required to succeed in Housley's high octane, 5-man attack. I was very impressed with the speed and precision with which the new look Sabres played. I saw several tape to tape stretch passes completed with regularity. I saw short, quick D to D passes. I also saw Sabres D men using their speed and strength to win pucks on walls and in corners. At the end of the night, the Sabres D seemingly spent less time in their end of the rink and more time in the o-zone. This was a huge departure from the now defunct Dan Bylsma template.
September sloppiness was evident in the first 25 minutes of play. There were a few times when the D and forwards fumbled breakout opportunities but things settled down as the first game nerves melted away. Five on five play was choppy in the early stages. The power play looked like a work in progress, too. That's to be expected since Housley only installed the Carolina power play scheme on Monday morning.
"I thought as the game went on we got better and better," Housley said. "I liked the way the fellas played."
The Sabres recorded 35 shots on goal, 16 of which were produced by the rear guards.
Housley and his D coach Chris Hajt were pleased with the individual performances of their six man D group, which featured three Rochester Amerks D-men.
From the very moment he was hired as Sabres head coach in June, Housley has been preaching production from his D corps. Through the first four days of his first training camp, Housley has been very vocal about his D playing fast and north. Watch one of his practice sessions and you will hear Housley barking orders at his D to jump up and join the three forwards in the attack. I have already witnessed dozens of occasions where Sabres D are below the dots and in the old trapezoid area behind the opponent's cage. Housley will admonish his D if they are not slamming walls and playing in the low post.
On Monday night, two Sabres mainstay D-men and one very bright light prospect made significant contributions to the first exhibition game. At times, it looked like Nashville in Buffalo.
Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe were rock solid. Brendan Guhle made significant contributions. Ristolainen led the Sabres with 23:54 TOI, 6:26 of which game on the PP. Ristolainen had 4 shots on goal.
Jake McCabe skated 20:12 (4:40 PP) and scored a beauty of a goal off the rush. The goal had Phil Housley's Sharpie autograph written all over it.
McCabe caught a perfectly executed quick slant, in stride, and took it to the house. McCabe's rip from the left dot beat the Carolina goalie glove side. High cheese.
"It's one of those things where you want to have a 5-man attack," McCabe said after the game. "When we get the green light to jump in and you feel it's the right time to jump in, you for sure should. They're barking at us on the bench to make sure we're in the offensive zone, defensive zone."
"I thought our D's timing up the ice was really good," Housley said. "They got involved with the play, they got involved with the rush, you could see the weak side was open on a break out and the guys joined the rush. Jake McCabe's goal was a perfect example of that."
Thanks, Sabres.com
Guhle skated 21:04 (5:20 PP) and was dynamic in all three zones. I spoke with guhle after the game. He liked his performance in the second half of the game.
"I could have been better early in. Once I settled in, my speed and decision making were better".
If Guhle continues to play the way he did Monday night, he will be taking a veterans job in the starting six D group. Guhle was a star at the recent Prospects Challenge and was a star at the July development camp.
What was most impressive about the play of Ristolainen, McCabe and Guhle was the fact that their eyes were always up, looking to hit their forwards while moving north. Combined, Ristolainen, McCabe and Guhle had 10 shots on goal.
Casey Nelson skated 20:37 TOI and looked good. He was tripped by the ice monster on the OT GWG. PTO recipient Cody Goloubef skated 19:29 TOI. Taylor Fedun played 17:12.
Join the Discussion:
»