I'm thankful for the health and well being of my wife, my kids, my extended family and my friends. I'm also thankful for all of my great friend and acquaintances that I've accumulated inside the game of hockey. There are far too many to count. Hockey is a wonderful culture that connects so many of us, on both sides of the border and from all over the world. I'm humbled by the support that this blog continues to receive from hockey fans all over the world.
Thank you to the many brand loyal followers of this blog and @SabresBuzz on hockey Twitter.
From Grand Island, NY to the beautiful Baltic nation of Latvia, to Hawaii to Tampa, Florida and all points in between. Thank you for sharing your passion for hockey with me. A special thank you to the thousands of men and women in the armed forces who stay connected to their beloved Buffalo Sabres and the NHL via this blog. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who lay it on the line everyday to protect my freedoms of speech and expression. The world is a ball of confusion right now. Thank you for preserving our freedoms and for protecting us from the evil factions that sadly populate the world.
I've always said that this space is a virtual sports bar in the sky that connects us all.
We may not always see eye to eye, but that's okay. We respect one another.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families from me and my family.
It was one of those kind of nights. The kind that are becoming all too familiar to the Sabres.
Work hard. Do your chores. Bust your asses. Dominate an opponent physically and on the shot clock only to get stiffed on the scoreboard.
The Sabres played well enough to win but came up snake eyes in the end.
The Sabres trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes. It was 3-1 after 40 minutes aND 3-2 loss the Predators. After winning three consecutive games to reach .500, the Sabres have dropped straight loss (0-4-2)
The Sabres got the fast start that they wanted against Nashville. They peppered Carter Hutton with shots in the early going. In fact, Buffalo held an 11-0 shots advantage midway through the first period. The Sabres were fast and forceful as they finished all of their che ks in the first period.
Then, in the matter of a blink of an eye, the Preds, who had gone the previous 239 minutes of game action without a goal approximately got their first three shots of the game on Linus Ullmark which resulted in Mike Fisher scoring his team's first goal in 3.5 games.
The Sabres are now owners of an 8-12-2 record and have lost six straight games (0-4-2).
The Sabres out shot Nashville 11-4 in the first period and 32-20 overall. The Sabres led the Predators in shots attempted 65-37.
Craig Smith made it 2-0 on a shot that Linus Ullmark would love to have back.
Then, for desert, ex-Sabres forward Cody Hodgson scored on teh back door tap-in to put the Preds up three cob.
Evander Kane gave Buffalo life when he pinged the post and in to made it 3-1 with his second goal of the season with 1:38 left in the second period, and Jack Eichel made it 3-2 with 1:19 left in the third period with his seventh goal of the season.
"We're playing well, but then we're shooting ourselves in the foot," Kane said. "It's OK to have a breakdown or two here or there where they get a chance and it doesn't cost you. But we're giving up 3-on-1s … they have a guy wide open on the back door for an empty net. Those are the kind of things that we can't have happen."
I spoke with Sabres D Josh Gorges after the game. He didn't like Buffalo's mental breakdowns against Nashville.
"That's a frustrating loss because we were prepared for tonight's game," Gorges said. "We came ready to play. We did a lot of good things, especially in the first period. But that just goes to show you have to be ready every shift. We make some mistakes that cost us goals when we're controlling plays."
We talked about this brutal stretch of tough games against the best teams in the West. The schedule maker should be slapped for giving Buffalo 2 games vs. Dallas, St. Louis, and Nashville, plus a one-off versus San Jose all in a two week period of time in November.
Gorges isn't buying any excuses about strength of opponent.
"You play the games that are on your schedule. Regardless of opponents. We have played some big, fast, tough teams. Have we played well against the best teams in the league? Yes. You notice that the best teams don't make the mental makes that the middle of the pack teams do. The great teams don't give up the off man rushes against and the back door tap ins. "
Linus Ullmark were due to play a clunker of a game. After allowing three goals on just 7 shots, the Minion Man was replaced by Chad Johnson after Hodgson's goal made it 3-0. Ullmark made five saves on eight shots; Johnson made 12 saves.
My Take:
Sure. Losing six games in a row really sucks. You'd rather win than lose.
I'm a firm believer in playing the game the right way. I sincerely believe that that the Sabres, to a man, are playing the game the right way right now. I know that this team will eliminate the mistakes like blown D zone coverage, dumb penalties and back door tap-ins.
I told Josh Gorges that which does not kill a team can only make a team stronger.
The NHL schedule maker didn't do the Sabres any favors by giving them 4 games with Tampa, 2 each with Dallas, St. Louis, and Nashvhille in the first 22 games.
The Sabres have more than held their own against some of the best players in the NHL like Stamkos, Kucherov, Benn, Seguin, Sharp, Klingberg, Backes, Tarasenko, Steen, Pietrangelo, Weber, Forsberg, Josi, and others.
This too shall pass.
If life as in hockey, you need to lose before you can win.
Buffalo's losing days are done.
I see the Sabres pounding the Carolina Hurricanes by three goals on Friday night which will usher in a multi-game winning streak that the Sabres will ride into Christmas and New Years.
**
I'm speculating, however, I think that I have pinpointed where and when Tyler Ennis was injured.
Go back to the first period of Monday night's loss to St. Louis when Blue banger Robert Bortuzzo got the best of Ennis with a thundering body check. Ennis dropped to the ice immediately after being rammed by a guy who is 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than himself.
Watch the video as Marcus Foligno rushed in and knocked the snot out of Bortuzzo, Ennis rushed immediately to the Buffalo bench.
After the Nashville loss, Bylsma said that Ennis is suffering from an upper body ailment and that there is not time table yet for his return to the lineup. Ennis will be re-evaluated.
More to come on the Ennis injury front on Black Friday.
Speaking of King Marcus, I had a nice long chat with him after the loss to Nashville. I complimented him on the aggressive, heavy, fast brand of hockey that he has been bringing to the rink on most every night this season.
"That is the way that I have to play. I have to use my size, strength and speed and go hard to the net. That is when I am my most effective. I've been finishing my checks and I feel good about my overall game".
Yeah, you may feel good about your demolition derby game, but what about Robert Bortuzzo?
What about poor Carter Hutton?
Marcus made a yard sale out of teh young Nashville back up goalie who was dumb enough to dare to Foligno to a game of full contact "Chicken".
What the Hell was Hutton thinking? The guy must not value his life that much as he lost a battle with a 6'4" 227 lb. flying missile.
Isn't it ironic that ex-Sabres Paul Gaustad was on the ice for the Lucic-Miller explosion? Goose was also on the Preds bench for the Foligno bombing of Hutton.
I was shocked that the Preds didn't challenge Foligno to a brawl for trucking their goalie.
Foligno told me that he was ready for battle after the incidental, unavoidable collision with Hutton, however, nobody from the Preds challenged him.
***
There were very few NHL scouts in the Buffalo press box on Wednesday night.
Perhaps it was due to the 13 game NHL schedule and the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
Perhaps it was because Tyler Ennis was an injury scratch.
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