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Don't ask me why, but the Buffalo Sabres power play units have fallen from grace.
The NHL's number one power play unit from the 2016-17 season has fallen flat on its face. Inexplicably, the Sabres have now allowed four shorthanded goals in the first 9 periods of the 2017-18 season.
What is going on??!
When rookie Jesper Bratt scored shorthanded in the second period of Monday's matinee in Buffalo, it marked the fourth time that the Buffalo PP has been victimized by an opponent this season. For perspective, consider this:
In 82 games last season, the Sabres allowed only 4 shorthanded goals.
Sabres have equaled their shorthanded goals allowed output from 2016-17. Danault, Tavares, Cizikas, now Bratt have scored SHG past 9 periods pic.twitter.com/xIAeV1s2JM
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) October 9, 2017
In 2016-17, Buffalo Sabres were the best power play production team in the NHL. The Sabres finished the season with a sterling 24.5% power play success rate. They scored 77 total power play goals in 233 PP opportunities, 35 at home and 22 on the road.
In 82 games played, the 2016-17 Sabres power play units allowed only four shorthanded goals against.
For as bad as Dan Bylsma’s 5v5 system was for the young Sabres to execute to success, the man advantage was the saving grace. It was the ointment that healed all wounds.
Last season, there were three absolute truths: death, taxes and the Buffalo Sabres power play.
As advertised, the NHL officials and fun police have been whistle happy during the first week of the regular season. They are calling all faceoff interference, taps, slashes, trips, obstruction and delays of game.
Great news for the Sabres. Right?
More penalties equals more power play opportunities equals more scoring chances equals more goals.
It’s a small sample size, but in the first three games of this season, Housley’s power play specialists are out to lunch. This year's PP units on the dry erase board look better than the 2016-17 vintage.
The waiting is the hardest part.
The Sabres have ten new players in their lineup thus season. There are new assistant coaches. Housley is still getting settled in.
The time for making excuses is over. Housley and his coaches must are now confronted with their first official crisis. Failure is not an option. The team will be flying west for four games in six nights. There is little to no time to perform surgery on this sick power play unit. The players will have to figure it out on the practice ice. If I'm Jason Botterill, I'm sending back to Rochester Seth Griffith and Matt Tennyson. I'm then recalling Brendan Guhle and Justin Bailey. I'm not stopping there. I'm sitting Matt Moulson and calling up Nick Baptiste.
Look at the star power that Buffalo has on it's PP units: Jack Eichel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evander Kane, Samson Reinhart, Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Jason Pominville, Matt Moulson, Viktor Antipin, and Nathan Beaulieu.
The Sabres have more fire power on their PP this season. So where are the PPGs?
The power play units of the Sabres have been brutal thus far. Both PP units are guilty of sloppy zone entries. Both units are over-passing the puck around the umbrella.
Housley’s Achilles heel has been the four shorthanded goals that have been scored against the Sabres in their first three games. Not one. Not two. Not three. But four SHG's in the first three games of the season.
How can it be that Bylsma's Sabres allowed only 4 SHG in 82 games played last season?
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Happy Indigenous Peoples Day. Happy Columbus Day. Happy Thanksgiving, Canada.
Happy Hockey Day! It's a great day for hockey.
The Buffalo Sabres host the new look New Jersey Devils at 3pm EDT today.
Chad Johnson will get the net for Buffalo. Johnson mopped up for Robin Lehner in Brooklyn on Saturday night and made 15 save on 16 shots faced. The Sabres made a valiant third period push after trailing 4-0, but lost the game 6-3. Don't buy into the internet chatter about a Buffalo goalie controversy. Johnson likely would have started this game anyway.
Phil Houlsey will dress the same lineup today as he iced in Brooklyn on Saturday night. Jordan Nolan and Josh Gorges will be the scratches.
The Devils will have to play without former Sabres forward Drew Stafford and veteran Kyle Palmieri, who suffered lower body injuries on Saturday.
Drew Stafford and Kyle Palmieri will not dress for Devils
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) October 9, 2017
These are not Jacques Lemaire's New Joisey Devils. The 1-3-1 trap has been scrapped for a high octane attack. These Devils are fast and skilled. Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Nico Hischier (2017 first overall pick), Jimmy Hayes, Jesper Bratt and others spearhead the Devils' offense. Will Butcher--yes, THAT guy-- collected three assists in his first NHL game on Saturday. In August, Butcher, the 2017 Hobey Baker winner, opted to sign a free agent contract to play for the Devils rather than the Sabres. Butcher became a free agent after declining to sign an entry level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him in 2013.
Butcher was booed incessantly each time he touched the puck during the Prospects Challenge tourney in Buffalo that featured the Sabres, Devils, Bruins and Penguins in September.
Hell hath no fury like Sabres Fans scorned @WillButcher4 pic.twitter.com/28hwBr46e8
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) September 8, 2017
The Buffalo forecast calls for more boos for Butcher today.
An area of concern for the Sabres is that their power play units have allowed three shorthanded goals in their first two games of the season. Opoonents have scored 8 goals on the Sabres, with only four coming at 5v5 (3 SHG, 1 ENG).
Corey Schneider will get the start for the Devils, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 in their season premiere on Saturday afternoon. The Devils scored all of their goals on special teams: 3 PPGs, 1 SHG.
This is first of three meetings between the Sabres and Devils this season.
New Jersey defeated Buffalo 2-1 in New Jersey on February 6. These Eastern foes will lock horns again on December 29 in New Jersey
The Sabres are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Devils; 4-5-1 at home.
This is the 152nd game all-time between Buffalo and New Jersey; Buffalo has a 74-51-26 series record.
The Sabres are 40-25-11 at home against the Devils all-time.
With 12 shootouts in the 33 match-ups since the beginning of 2007-08 season, the Sabres have played more shootouts against the Devils than any other non-divisional opponent, going 7-5 in those shootouts.
Buffalo needs a win today to avoid its first five-game home losing streak against New Jersey since the Devils won six in a row in Buffalo from March 9, 1997 to January 6, 2000.
Nathan Beaulieu has an assist in each of his last three games against the Devils. Ryan O’Reilly has five points (2+3) in his last five games against New Jersey.
Buffalo had a franchise-record 10 players in the opening night lineup who weren’t on the team’s roster in 2016-17. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the most new players an NHL team has had in its opening night lineup since the 2011-12 Florida Panthers (11).
The Sabres will stab westward for four games in six nights beginning Thursday in San Jose. Then its off to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Las Vegas before heading home to face Thomas Vanek and the Vancouver Canucks on October 20.
After today’s home matinee vs. Devils, Sabres will stab westward for 4 games against 4 tough teams in 6 days. Next home game 10/20 vs. Vanek pic.twitter.com/mijaNB8ecw
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) October 9, 2017
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Phil Housley played in New Jersey during the 1995-96 season for 22 games, compiling 16 points (1G, 15A).
Jacob Josefson played for the Devils from 2010-2017, tallying 60 points (18G, 42A) in 276 games. Josefson was selected by the Devils in the first round (20th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.