@boosbuzzsabres
Before we get into the individual stats, some quick notes on the Sabres 2-1 overtime loss at Toronto.
I was "Bruhed" last night for suggesting that the first goal let in by Buffalo Sabres netminder Carter Hutton against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a softie. Perhaps it was a matter of frustration on my part with the Sabres 2-1 loss that was decided by a definite softie let in by Carter in overtime. Or perhaps the first goal was indeed a goal that should have been stopped. Regardless, whatever way you cut it, the outcome was an extremely disappointing one especially when you consider that the skaters left everything they had on the ice in a game that they most certainly could have won.
Toronto's William Nylander opened the scoring on the powerplay at the 5:30 mark of the second period when he drove from the red line to the front of the net and his shot was deflected by Hutton over his shoulder as the Buffalo goalie tried to poke-check the puck in the blue paint. The score would remain 1-0 until Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen took the same route on a pinch-in from the point and slid one far-side past Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen 6:58 into the third period.
In and around those goals was some stellar goaltending. Andersen was a wall last night and was aided by a couple of crossbars and a post hit by Buffalo and to his credit, Hutton did his part in keeping the game close by stopping 39 of 40 Toronto shots in regulation to help Buffalo snare a point on the road.
All-in-all the Sabres played a helluva a game and huge props should go to coach Ralph Krueger and his team as they finished a five-game in seven-night span with a 2-1-2 record. But perhaps more important than getting six out of a possible 10 points during this brutal stretch is the way they played. Last night against Toronto was as gutsy a performance as we've seen in years and they should be lauded for playing inspired hockey during the fifth game of this stretch while facing the wall that was Andersen (and his partner, Lady Luck) in the second game of a home-and-home at Toronto.
^^^^^^^^^^
It was a rough month for the Sabres as they happily said goodbye to November with a rather paltry 3-8-3 record. Through the first nine games they sandwiched an overtime loss and a win between a four-game losing streak to start the month and a three-game losing streak. Buffalo would begin to pull out of their rut in a 3-2 loss at Boston by playing quite possibly their best game of the season and followed that up with a 2-1-2 record to finish the month, which isn't bad considering the funk they were in and the fact that those five games were played in a seven-day span.
The cool part of this month is that we saw Captain Jack Eichel bring out the superstar within him. For four-plus seasons we've seen Eichel's skating and skill-set on many occasions and we've seen him dominate games on occasion. However, beginning with the Ottawa game on the 16th where he scored all four Buffalo goals in a 4-2 win, we saw Eichel reach that elite level of all-around play where he began carrying the team on his back, and that even included a fight in a 4-1 loss against Minnesota two games later. Eichel would use that Ottawa game as a springboard and finish November on a nine-game point-streak (8+8) after starting the month slow.
The rest of the team would struggle mightily this month save for Eichel's linemates Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson. Olofsson was dropped from the top line for a spell but came back and had another strong month as he scored his first even-strength goal on a strong individual effort in Stockholm, Sweden during the 2019 Global Series and tacked on three more 5v5 goals while showcasing his wicked shot. Reinhart once again quietly did his thing, but the rest of the team sputtered.
If you look down the stats for November, you'll see one of main reasons why the Sabres had 11 total losses (eight in regulation.) Under powerplay goals you'll see one name, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. That powerplay goal came against Boston with Krueger deciding to use him in front of the net. Ristolainen was an immovable object in the crease and swung around to deposit an Eichel shot for his first goal of the season. That would be it for the Sabres powerplay as they finished the month an incredulous 1/37 with the man advantage.
That wasn't the only problem this month. Goaltending took a dive as both Hutton and Linus Ullmark's numbers plummeted. Along with defensive breakdowns that plagued the team, both goaltenders allowed too many soft goals with Ullmark at least making enough timely saves on an intermittent basis to snag all of Buffalo's three wins for the month.
Krueger had an interesting quote yesterday prior to the Leafs game saying that he's more interested how his team progresses while learning his system and that their "not going to care about the standings at all until April 4 (the end of the season.)" Point being that if his team plays the way they are capable of within what he wants them to do, the score will take care of itself. If the final six games are any indication of what lies ahead, with a little help from the front office they could be in the playoff mix in March, which is exactly where they wanted to be from the get-go.
Buffalo Sabres 2018-19 Individual Stats leaders
Points
--October: Eichel, 17; Reinhart, 11; Skinner, Olofsson, 10
--November: Eichel, 18; Olofsson, 10; Reinhart, 9
Goals
--October: Eichel, Skinner, 7; Olofsson 6; Reinhart, 5
--November: Eichel, 9; Reinhart, Olofsson, 4; Vesey, Skinner, 3
Powerplay Goals
--October: Olofsson, 6; Eichel, 4; Reinhart, Johansson, Mittelstadt, Sheary, 1
--November: Ristolainen, 1
Assists
--October: Eichel, 10; Dahlin, 8; Reinhart, 6
--November: Eichel, 9; Dahlin, Olofsson, 6; Reinhart, 5
Powerplay Assists
--October: Dahlin, 7; Eichel, 5; Reinhart, 4
--November: Olofsson, Eichel, 1
Primary Assists
--October: Eichel, Johansson, Okposo, Dahlin, 4; six with 3
--November: Eichel, 6; Ristolainen, 3; five with 2
Plus/Minus
--October: Scandella, +8; Johansson, Mittelstadt, +5; Sobotka, +4
--November: Eichel, +8; Vesey, Dahlin +4; five with +3
Plus/Minus (Bottom)
--October: Girgensons, Larsson, -3; Eichel, Dahlin, -2; Olofsson, McCabe, -1
--November: Mittelstadt, -8; Miller, -7; Johansson, -6
Goalies
Carter Hutton
--October: 6-1-1 record; 2.21 GAA; .926 SV%; 2 shutouts
--November: 0-4-2; 3.71 GAA; .884 SV%; 0 shutouts
Linus Ullmark
--October: 3-1-1 record; 2.56 GAA; .932 SV%; 1 shutouts
--November: 3-4-1; 3.29, .894; 0 shutouts
Sabres record for the month:
October--9-2-2
November--3-8-3
Join the Discussion:
»