It doesn’t get any easier for the Buffalo Sabres. The road now leads the struggling Sabres to St. Louis, then Minnesota.
Ted Nolan told WGR Buffalo that he has to try new forward lines and D pairs until they work.
Nolan is still patiently waiting for his players to show him their best efforts. He wants to see them exact their will on the Blues. Nolan said when faced with an obstacle, his players can stop at it, or, the players can go around it or through it. Nolan wants his team to compete. Win or lose, he wants to see more competition in all three zones.
At Monday's practice, Nolan played around with his line rushes and D pairs. Marcus Foligno and Pat Kaleta were given the thumbs up by team doctors to resume playing and they competed in the full workout session. Nolan has the option of playing 82 and 36 in St. Louis.
The lines:
Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis Mitchell-Flynn-Gionta Foligno-McCormick-Stewart Deslauriers--Stafford-*Kaleta/Hodgson
If Kaleta draws in, Hodgson will likely be the scratch to make room for the feisty winger.
Nolan said that Drew Stafford isn't a first time center iceman. He said that his veteran forward walked into his office the other day, closed the door, looked his coach in the eyes and told him that he knows that the team is struggling at center ice. Stafford told the coach that he would like to help the team by moving to the low man position in the offensive zone to use his size and strength to control the puck and to create more scoring chances.
The Sabres have scored 20 goals on the season, tied for the fewest in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, who have played four fewer games. The Sabres have scored two or fewer goals in 15 of 16 games this season.
"You run out of words," a flummoxed Ted Nolan told reporters after a Pittsburgh pillaged his Sabres 6-1 on Saturday night.
"Our fans pay good money to watch us play, or at least compete and perform for that if there's nothing else. We've got to find a way; we've got to keep searching for it."
The Blues tied the Anaheim Ducks for the longest winning streak in the NHL this season with seven but had their streak snapped with a 2-1 loss Saturday to the Nashville Predators.
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Nolan said that there is a process to earn ice time in the NHL. Nolan said that Nikita was not doing the right things, off and on the ice, to prohibit himself from playing in games earlier this season. Nolan said that Zadorov “worked on his craft…, without complaints, by coming in early for extra skating and staying late for more skating. Nolan said Zadorov didn’t pay because of his physical fitness. The coach likes the improvement that he’s seen from the big Russian in the past month. Now, he’s being rewarded by his head coach. He’s earned his ice time. Nothing was given to him. Nolan doesn’t believe in pampering prospects by handing them free ice time. If they want it, they have to earn it.
Zadorov will paly alongside Rasmus Ristolainen tonight.
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Nolan is very impressed with the play of his trio of youngsters in Zadorov, Zemgus Girgensons, and Rasmus Ristolainen.
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Michal Neuvirth has faced the Blues once in his career. He stopped 25 of 27 shots on March 3, 2011 vs. The Blues to earn his 21st win of the season, setting the Washington Capitals’ franchise record for wins by a rookie.
Chris Stewart and Tyson Strachan both played for the Blues in the loss.Stewart will face the Blues tonight for the first time since the Sabres acquired him from St. Louis last season. He leads the Sabres with 15 career points (8+7) in nine games against the Blues, including five straight multi-point games from Dec. 7, 2009 to Nov. 15, 2010 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
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Is Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste on his way to Erie to play with Connor McDavid?
The OHL trade deadline is approaching fast is playing a last place Sudbury team.
Erie Otters GM Sherry Bassin said in Buffalo a couple of weeks ago that he's going to be adding a veteran or veterans to his roster to give his team and honest chance to win this year's Memorial Cup. Bassin has the requisite assets that are essential to make a blockbuster trade to add a game breaker to his lineup right now.
Connor McDavid and Baptiste know one another and would make an amazing one two punch an Erie's top line in the playoffs.
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