Three games into the new season, the Buffalo Sabres' blue line is an active work in process.
There have been multiple D combos in the past week. The mixing and matching will continue until Bylsma gets all of his soldiers back in the lineup.
Dan Bylsma and Terry Murray have had take their team into three different battles with three respectable Eastern Conference teams without the services of their best defenseman.
Injuries and inconsistent play by some of the veteran blue liners have hamstrung the Buffalo D corps. For example, in the first two games of the season, both losses, Bylsma had had to skate his third pair D-men in top four D roles. The result is that the additional TOI has caused fatigued at times inside shifts.
On Monday, Bylsma scratched Carlo Colaiocovo. Nothing personal against Colaiocovo, however, Bylsma had to fortify his D corps in light of the success that the Tampa Lightning had on Saturday by exploiting the Buffalo PK and even strength D. The Bolts won 4-1, however, the Sabres could have won the game 2-0. Chad Johnson was that good for the Sabres.
On Monday, Tim Murray called up Jake McCabe from Rochester to take Colaiocovo's place in the lineup. The Sabres won their first game of the season largely by tightening up their D-zone structure.
Against Columbus, Terry Murray deployed the following D pairs:
Gorges-Ristolainen McCabe-Pysyk Weber-Franson
Playing Mike Weber and Cody Franson on the third pair for 14-17 minutes per game is a wise coaching strategy. However, Bylsma has had to play Weber and Franson 18-20 minutes per game. Necessity is the mother of invention while Bylsma is still doing his diligence on his D and forwards.
Not to worry. Help is on the way.
Bylsma said Monday that Zach Bogosian is close to returning to the starting lineup. He has been nursing an abdominal ailment for the past two weeks and has yet to play in a regular season game. He has been listed as week to week since the second week of training camp.
The Sabres had the day off on Tuesday. They will return to work on Wednesday morning to work on their game plan for their upcoming two-game roadie to Florida. First stop: Sunrise on Thursday night. The status of Bogosian will be updated on Wednesday. He's getting closer to making his season debut. It may happen in Sunrise or Tampa. Bogosian will add the bite and ferocity that the Buffalo blue line has been lacking in the early stages of games. His ability to pop opponents with heavy body contact gives them pause early in games. Bogosian sends messages to his opponents that if they are going to skate into the danger areas below the dots and in the corners, you are going to pay a heavy price for doing so.
When he return to the lineup, I see the following D pairs:
Gorges-Bogosian Pysyk-Ristolainen Weber-Franson
McCabe will be the seventh D or will be sent back down to Rochester.
The team also made two more tweaks to their D corps by sending 2015 second rounder Brendan Guhle back to juniors. Matt Donovan was also placed on waivers for the purposes of sending him to the Rochester Amerks.
We will know Wednesday at Noon if Donovan clears waivers.
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Prince Albert Raiders announced on Tuesday that defenceman Brendan Guhle has been returned to the team by the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres.
Guhle was selected by the Sabres in the second round, 51st overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Sherwood Park, AB product was signed by the NHL team to a three-year entry-level contract on July 27. In four games with Buffalo during the NHL pre-season, Guhle picked up two assists and recorded an even plus-minus rating.
The six-foot-two, 189-pound blue liner dressed in all 72 games for the Raiders last season, compiling five goals and 27 assists for 32 points.
Guhle is expected to make his 2015-16 debut with the Raiders tonight as the team takes on the Portland Winterhawks.