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Housley’s D Seeing Red

October 20, 2017, 9:25 PM ET [45 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Updated:





Phil Housley's blue line was supposed to be better. Much better than it's been to date.

Jason Botterill and Housley rebuilt the Buffalo blue line in their own image, with their own players during the summer. They are getting the same results that Dan Bylsma got last season and the season before.

Botterill already had a bedrock solid core to work with from the Tim Murray administration in Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun. Botterill then traded for Marco Scandella and Nathan Beaulieu. He signed Russian free agent Viktor Antipin and Carolina Hurricanes UFA Matt Tennyson.

Different defensemen. Same below average results.

Housley's five-man attacking system is not working yet in Buffalo.

As a group, the Sabres are struggling to keep the puck out of their own net. The defensemen are thinking too much. The D-men and forwards are not supporting one another in thenD zone. Opposing forwards are consistently being left unmarked in scoring areas.


Sabres D-men are getting muscled off pucks below the faceoff circles.

Housley’s D are not playing freely and instinctively. They are making egregious errors with the puck.











Combined, Ristolainen, Scandella, Antipin, McCabe, Tennyson, and Beaulieu are minus 18 after just eight games this season.

They need help.


The Buffalo Sabres have called up veteran defenseman Zach Redmond from the Rochester Amerks.

Nathan Beaulieu suffered an upper body injury in Friday night's 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.


The Sabres have placed veteran defenseman Josh Gorges on injured reserve.


Veteran righty Zach Bogosian was injured in a preseason game and hasn't played since. He is listed as week-to-week.

Just Falk is dinged.

Having four defensemen in the M*A*S*H unit is certainly not something that Housley had asked for. Too bad. Deal with it.






The Sabres play in Boston tonight.

The Bruins have had a brutal week in terms of injury news. Tukka Rask has a concussion and is sidelined indefinitely. Ryan Spooner will miss 8 weeks. Adam McQuaid is gone for 2 to 3 months. David Krejci appears to have an injury issue that he is playing with.

Will the Sabres take advantage of the bruised Bruins? Or, will they retreat?

Redmond, 29, joins the Sabres for his first recall since being acquired on October 4 from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Nicolas Deslauriers. Redmond is a right shot D with 130 NHL games in his hockey bag.

In four games this season, he is tied for the Amerks’ team lead in points with a goal and two apples, and +2 rating.





Selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round (184th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Redmond has appeared in parts of five NHL seasons, totaling 38 points (9G, 29A) and a plus-11 rating in 130 games with Montreal, the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets. The Traverse City, Michigan native has recorded 103 points (30G, 73A) in 194 career regular-season AHL games.



**









Four minutes and twenty seven seconds.

That is how long it took the zebras to render a decision on a controversial offside play in Buffalo on Friday night.

Earlier in the day, the NHL copped to an offside challenge mistake.

Do you think the NHL would have the stones to make two admissions of guilt in the same day?

No way.

On Friday, the NHL admitted that a decision denying the Colorado Avalanche a tying goal against the St. Louis was wrong.


Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen’s goal in the third period was overruled because Sven Andrighetto was feened to be offside following a video review challenge by the Blues.

So nice of the NHL to admit their mistake:


“St. Louis requested a Coach’s Challenge to determine whether Sven Andrighetto of Colorado was off-side prior to the Avalanche goal. The video review decision determined the play was off-side but that determination was based on a play prior to the puck clearing the zone.

Per Rule 78. 7 (Note 1) Coach’s Challenge: ‘Goals will only be reviewed for a potential “Off-Side” infraction if: a) the puck does not come out of the attacking zone again; or (b) all members of the attacking team do not clear the attacking zone again, between the time of the “Off-Side” play and the time the goal is scored.

Although there was an off-side, it occurred prior to the puck clearing the zone which nullifies any goal review related to that off-side. The entry in to the zone immediately prior to the goal was on-side, therefore the goal should have counted.”


Friday night in the Sabres-v-Canucks game, a tied game, mind you, Daniel Sedin scored the go ahead goal.


Or, did he?


Phil Housley immediately challenged the play for offside. The Jumbotron and TV broadcast replays showed Canucks forward Jake Virtanen bobbling a puck at the blue line. The replay confirmed that Virtanen didn't have clean possession of the entry pass.

The play eventually resulted in the Sedin goal. Houlsey argued that Virtanen wasn't in possession of the puck as he entered the Buffalo zone. Houlsey wanted the call reversed. The zebras phoned Toronto and what followed was one of the longest, most backwards assed goal reviews I have ever witnessed.

Housley was stiffed twice when the ref upheld the goal and assessed the Sabres bench boss a minor penalty for delay of game.





Virtanen was offside.





The NHL offered this flimsy explanation of there glaring error in judgement.


"After reviewing all available replays and consulting with the Linesman, NHL Hockey Operations staff confirmed that Vancouver’s Jake Virtanen had possession and control of the puck as he entered the attacking zone prior to the goal.

According to Rule 83.1, “a player actually controlling the puck who shall cross the line ahead of the puck shall not be considered ‘off-side,’ provided he had possession and control of the puck prior to his skates crossing the blue line.”



The Sabres lost 4-2.

After the game, Housley disagreed vehemently with the botched challenge ruling.

“He (Virtanen) never has possession. I’d call that 10 out of 10 times offside and I’d challenge that again.”



Thanks, Sabres TV


Housley is cranky. You would be too if your team earned just one win in the first 8 games of your head coaching career.

The Sabres jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against the Canucks but then transitioned into sleep mode for 40 minutes of play.

Were I Housley, I would be less pissed off at the blown offside call that led to a Vancouver goal. I would be more infuriated with the six shorthanded goals against that the Sabres have allowed in their first eight games played. Dan Bylsma’s Sabres allowed only 4 SHG against in 82 games last season when the Sabres owned the #1 PP in the NHL. Housley’s power play has allowed six shorthanded goals against in just eight games played this season.

Sabres fans have every right to be irate with their team's management, coaching and players right now. This season was supposed to be different.


Buffalo will play in Boston on Saturday night.
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