What started out as a fun Saturday matinee game devolved into yet another Kids Day disaster for the Blue and Gold. The Calgary Flames erased a 2-0 deficit with four goals in the first 8 minutes of the second period, killed Buffalo’s playoff momentum, and firmly exposed this team’s fatal flaw en route to a 7-2 win.
This game should finally act as the catalyst for General manager Kevyn Adams to pull the trigger on an a blueline upgrade.
It all started so positively.
The Mittelstadt-Jost-Olofsson line was the best forward line early on as they had a couple of glorious scoring chances thanks to some offensive magic from Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin led a 3-on-1 into the Flames zone that looked like it could have led to a goal if Jost and Mittelstadt were able to spread out a little more. They did manage to get a shot off before putting on some good offensive pressure down low. Dahlin was hilariously all alone in front of the net but neither Jost nor Mittelstadt were able to get the puck off the wall.
Jost subsequently drew the interference penalty on Brett Richie that set up Tage Thompson’s 35th goal of the year. Speaking of penalties, the referees in this game were brutal to Buffalo in the first, starting with an embellishment call on Peyton Krebs who had been crosschecked in the back by Michael Stone. It was as if the ref was reacting to the fan noise earlier in the shift when Krebs was getting the business along the boards. It wasn’t just that call, though; the Flames were getting away with all manner of holds and trips, while Okposo received a ticky tacky hooking call. There was just no rhyme or reason as to what was called versus what wasn’t called.
It didn’t matter much.
The “Triple 7s… Line* continued its terrific period as Olofsson found Casey Mittelstadt in the high slot with a pass that Mittelstadt was able to corral and fire past Jacob Markstrom for his 8th of the year. Weirdly, that second goal of the game came on the Sabres’ third shot of the period which would be the last shot the Sabres would take in the first 20 minutes. Shots were 11-3 Calgary in the first, even if it didn’t feel like a lopsided period at all.
Then it all went to hell.
The second period started with more sustained pressure by the Flames and 2019 first-round pick Jacob Pelletier got the first of his career on a nifty two-on-one pass from Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund got his 10th, Dennis Gilbert got his first of the year, and Nazem Kadri scored the 4th goal for the Flames in an 8-minute span. It was a brutal stretch.
That’s the kind of epic collapse that the Sabres cannot afford if they want to be a real playoff contender. The defensive breakdowns are becoming more and more frustrating and it’s become clear that this team desperately still needs an impact guy patrolling the blue line like Calgary has in MacKenzie Weegar.
It’s not easy to find someone as good as Weegar, of course. Still, until the team locates and trades for someone who can play something resembling defense, the Sabres will keep blowing leads. There is nothing organizationally coming to save them. Frustrating is an understatement. This team cannot give up 4-5 goals and consistently win games.
One last thought on this point. Henri Jokiharju is not – and likely will never be – a #4 defenseman. He is a depth defenseman.
So, for all intents and purposes, the game was over halfway through, and for all the people who came out to see the team make a push for a playoff spot, it was a bitter disappointment.
It appears the Sabres are finally starting to win back more fans based on the attendance for Saturday’s matinee against Calgary. Don Granato’s squad has an unfortunate tendency to have a strong road trip followed by a home stinker that quickly extinguishes enthusiasm gained while the team was away. The team is now 15-7-2 away from KeyBank center and a miserable 11-14-2 at home. There was also a healthy contingency of Calgary Flames fans in attendance on Saturday, for whatever reason. Maybe there are a lot of Flames fans in Southern Ontario or maybe Flames fans are willing to travel across the continent.
It's a real shame that Sabres management is unwilling to upgrade the best most exciting roster they’ve had in nearly a decade. Fan engagement will not fully turn around until the team invests in their roster and shows the fans that they too want to win.
Anyway, the Flames scored again early in the third period to really, really end the game as Tyler Toffoli scored the Flames’ 5th goal on yet another 3-on-1. The rest is all academic.
Time’s a wasting for the Sabres to make their playoff push. We’ll see if management responds.
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*No one calls them this.