Updated:
Add Zach Bogosian to the list of the walking wounded who have been discharged from the Buffalo Sabres infirmary.
This marks the first time that all six of Buffalo's regular defensemen are in the lineup at the same time. It took 30 games to achieve the goal and Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, Zach Bososian, Josh Gorges, Dmitry Kulikov, and Cody Franson have yet to play together.
Bogosian has missed the past 20 games with an MCL sprain. In 9 games played this season, Bogosian has averaged 18:59 TOI.
To make roster room for Bogosian, Taylor Fedun has been sent back to AHL Rochester.
Justin Falk will sit down tonight in Raleigh.
**
The Buffalo Sabres enter tonight’s game with the Carolina Hurricanes with a 7-3-2 record in their last 12 games. Since Jack Eichel has returned from his 21 games injury layoff, the Sabres have been a different team.
Different in a good way.
When Eichel was injured and unable to play, the Buffalo offense was notoriously bad. So bad that at one point the Sabres were averaging only 1.79 goals per game.
However, since Jack's been back, the Sabres offense has been producing lake-effect offense at a rather impressive rate. The goals keep stacking up.
With Eichel in the lineup, the Sabres have scored 26 goals in their past 8 games. That's an average of 3.25 goals per game.
The Sabres are scoring nearly 1.5 more goals per game with Jack back in the lineup.
I call that a windfall.
Lake-effect snow is a weather phenomenon created when cold, dry air picks up moisture and heat by passing over a relatively warmer lake, such as Lake Erie, which is adjacent to the back door to HARBORCenter and the arena where the Sabres play.
In these parts, we call the recent deluge of frozen vulcanized rubber the
"Eichel Effect".
It's kind of like the Midas Touch.
Seemingly, these days everything that Jack touches turns to gold. Eichel's inclusion in the nightly lineup is inspring those around him to give better effort offensively. There is no question that Buffalo's overall skill level and team IQ has jumped a few points with Jack back in the fold. When Eichel has the puck on his stick, the other four men on the ice with him have to keep their stick on the ice and their feet driving the net at all times because Eichel will whip a tape to tape pass their way for a scoring chance.
It's the trickle down theory of Eichel-nomics.
Eichel has had a profound impact on Buffalo's productivity whether he's scoring or setting up the other four players in his unit of five.
In his eight games played since his return from the dreaded high ankle sprain, Eichel has five goals (2 PPG) and three assists. Two of Jack's goals have been game winners. Eichel currently leads the Sabres in shooting percentage with a 17.2% efficiency (5G, 29 shots). Eichel has 14 points (6G, 8A) in his last 13 games dating back to last season, including eight points (5G, 3A) in eight games in 2016-17.
There is anecdotal evidence to prove that this recent
"Eichel Effect" has been propelling teh Sabres to victory. The Sabres have a 5-2-1 record this season with Eichel in the lineup and have improved to 28-14-4 (.652) in Eichel’s brilliant career when he records a point and 11-3-1 (.767) when he has at least two.
Sabres fans have been clearing their throats with greater frequency with Jack back in the lineup than they did when he was tricking around the arena on his orthopedic knee scooter.
Ok, I have established and explained the "Eichel Effect".
For as hot as Eichel has been playing for the past two weeks, he is not as blistering hot as
Rasmus Ristolainen has been playing since training camp opened in mid-September.
Ristolainen has evolved into one of the top five defenseman in the NHL this season. To watch his ascent and the growth in his game has been remarkable. There may not be a better 200 foot defender in the NHL right now than Rasmus Ristolainen. He's been a godsend for hi steam thi season. The Sabres somehow kept their heads above water for those seven weeks when Jack Eichel was rehabbing his wonly ankle.
Dare I say, the Sabres would be a last place team overall in the NHL right now were it not for the nightly heroics and exceptional play at both ends of the rink by Rasmus Ristolainen.
If you were to take Rasmus Ristolainen out of the Buffalo lineup for seven weeks, this team would be in the gutter right now.
I'm not just pumping the kid's tires because I've watched him in person dominate portions of games since he was an 18 year old rookie. I'm heaping praise on the kid because what he is accomplishing at age 22 against the nest players in the world is astounding to me.
Trust me when I tell you, watching two and a half seasons of Sabres tanking hockey games live and in person, then writing about the experiences was mind numbing at times. On many nights, Ted Nolan's Sabres teams resembled house hockey teams. The majority of players on those rosters could not make or receive a 5 foot pass to save their lives. It was ugly, awful hockey.
For me, the bright light that I trained my eyes on was #55 Rasmus Ristolainen. He refused to play garbage hockey. He was Nolan's best defenseman despite being 18 years old. Ristolainen rose above the negative influences and the terrible work habits around him. Risto took the high road by playing upwards of 30 minutes TOI per night and learning the NHL craft on the job. The brilliant player I see today in Ristolainen has been forged over and pressure tested over 223 career NHL games (21 goals, 65 assists, 86). I truly believe that Ristolainen would not be the exceptional player he is today were it not for fighting in the trenches, mucking and grinding through seemingly endless acrimony and the losing culture.
In life, you can't win until you lose. You can't succeed until you've failed. You can't sing the blues until you've lived the blues.
Rasmus Ristolainen has done his chores and has paid his dues.
In my opinion, Rasmus Ristolainen is a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate who is every bit as valuable and integral to the success of his Sabres teammates that Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban, Shea Weber, Cam Fowler, and Drew Doughty are to their respective teams.
I said it and I meant it.
If you agree with me, use the has tag
#Norristolainen on Twitter to show your support for Rasmus Ristolainen.
Ristolainen, 22, has worked hard to become one of the best top pair defenseman in the NHL. He plays 26 minutes TOI per night against the other team's best forwards. Not only is Ristolainen shutting down the best offensive players in Eastern Conference and NHL at large, he is killing penalties, and has been quarterbacking one of the best power play units in the NHL for 30 games. Ristolainen is second on the Sabres with 82 hits and has 56 blocked shots.
Ristolainen is making his 6 year, $32.4 million contract look like a bargain just two months into the new pact. Ristoalinen's $5.4 million AAV just might be one of the most economical average annual values among elite young NHL defensemem. Tim Murray was wise to lock up the kid to the long term deal when he did. Imagine what Ristolainen's ask would be if he were to become RFA on July 1, 2017. He would easily be a $6.5M to $7M AAV per season. Ristolainen wisely took less in AAV in order to free up cap dollars for Murray to be able to lock up Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart to long term, lucrative contracts when their entry level deals expire.
Buffalo was ranked third in the NHL in power play percentage (22.9%), sixth in team faceoff percentage (51.9%) and 10th in goals against per game (2.55) after Friday night's dramatic come from behind 3-2 victory over the NY Islanders. Ristolainen rose to the occassion and called for the puck the entire length of the ice. That is cajones right there. The 22 year old kid imploring the high-IQ, high impact veteran teammates Kyle Okposo and Ryan O'Reilly:
"Hey, give me the damn puck now! I'm closing the show and sending fans home with smiles on their faces"
Risto tapped the beaver tail and was rewarded for it.
In this season of giving when Ristolainen has ben gift wrapping goals for Okposo, O'Reilly, Eichel, Matt Moulson, Evander Kane, Samson Reinhart and other teammates, it was great to see Ristolainen receive a gift of his own.
I love the spirit of reciprocity inside the very close knit Sabres room.
These guys all like one another and tehy want to see one another succeed. As a rule, the 2016-17 Buffalo Sabres check their egos at the door and they go to work for the man seated next to themselves on the bench. It's been very refreshing to see the younger stars like Ristolainen, Eichel, Reinhart, Marcus Foligno, Jake McCabe, Johan Larsson grow their respective contributions with the guidance and mentorship of the captain Brian Gionta and the veterans like O'Reilly, Okposo, Moulson, Kane, and Josh Gorges.
If you were to take Risto away from Buffalo's power play at any point this season the Sabres would be a hurting unit right now. Ristolainen has scored 2 goals and 19 asists in his first 29 games of the season.
With 12 power play points, the young Finn is tied for 10th in the NHL in PPP. With 11 power play assists, Ristolainen is tied for second in the NHL. His 26:39 TOI/GP is 5th best in the NHL. His 19 assists rank him third among all NHL defensemen.
Ristolainen has 13 points (2G, 11A) in his last 11 games, including 12 (2G, 10A) in his last seven. He is currently on a career-best five-game point streak that has included two overtime goals.
For those seven weeks of agony when Eichel was wearing a Hugo Boss custom-tailored suit to the rink on game nights, and the Sabres were failing miserably at scoring at 5v5 (1.80 GPG first 21 games) Ristolainen was maximizing his power play prowess and getting his teammates on the score sheet with the man advantage. They call it "special teams" for a reason. I contend that Ristolainen singlehanded saved the season for the Sabres and gave them hope while Eichel was injured because he spread the wealth around Buffalo's power play unit.
Buffalo's power play success has served as the defibrulator that has been used successfully to shock the heart of the Sabres and to keep it pumping fresh, oxygenated blood.
At even strength and on the power play, Ristolainen is distributing the puck to his teammates and giving them Grade A scoring opporunities that they are capitalizing on.
Ristolainen has recorded an assist on 31.1% of his teammates’ goals.
Think about that for a moment.
Teammate goals are defined as total team goals minus the player’s goals and shootout-winners.
After Friday night's thrilling 3-2 OT win over the Islanders, it was the fourth-highest such percentage in the league, trailing only Erik Karlsson (35.0%), Connor McDavid (33.8%) and Vladimir Tarasenko (31.4%).
This would rank as the second-highest percentage in franchise history, behind only Pat LaFontaine (33.7%) in 1992-93.
Only one Sabres defenseman has ever recorded an assist on more than 20 percent of his teammates’ goals: Phil Housley (22.6%) in 1989-90.
Ristolainen would need to fail to record an assist on each of the Sabres’ next 25 goals to fall behind this pace.
Kyle Okposo has 12 points (4G, 8A) in his last 11 games?
Ryan O’Reilly has eight points (3G, 5A) in his last eight games. Evander Kane has seven points (4G, 3A) in his last eight games.
Ristolainen is the gift that keeps on giving.
***
With a win tonight, Dan Bylsma would become the 47th head coach in NHL history to record 300 regular-season wins. Among coaches with at least 300 career wins, Bylsma would rank fourth with a 300-164-49 record (.633), trailing only Bruce Boudreau (.659), Scotty Bowman (.657) and Toe Blake (.634).
**
The Sabres are looking to extend their winning streak against the Hurricanes to five games for the first time since April 18 to December 28, 2006.
Brian Gionta enters tonight’s game on a six-game point streak against the Hurricanes dating back to February 8, 2014, and has seven points (3G, 4A) in those games.
Matt Moulson has 19 points (6G, 13A) in his last 17 games against the Hurricanes.
Kyle Okposo has tallied 12 points (5G, 7A) in 12 career visits to Carolina.
Jack Eichel had three goals in three games against the Hurricanes last season, including two of his seven career game-winning goals.
Evander Kane had three points (1G, 2A) in three games against Carolina last season.
Johan Larsson has three points (2G, 1A) in three career games against the Hurricanes.
**
The polar vortex that has gripped Buffalo, NY for the past 4 days has not intimidated inquiring eyes from the Sabres-Islanders game tonight.
With the December 19 NHL trade freeze approaching, many NHL dignitaries and pro scouts have braved the lake effect snows and sub zero wind chills to travel to Buffalo to study the Sabres and Islanders in Buffalo on Friday night.
The Sabres and Islanders hae players whose names have been prevalent in trade rumors since last summer. Buffalo forwards Evander Kane and Zemgus Girgensons are interesting players to many NHL teams right now. Travis Hamonic, Calvin De Haan, Nick Leddy, Ryan Strome, and Casey Cizickas are among the many Islanders being mentioned in trade rumors.
For the umpteenth time in the past two months, the director of player personnel for the Anaheim Ducks is was in Buffalo. THe Ducks are still searching for a veteran two-way center/forward.
The Toronto Maple Leafs dispatched their director of pro scouting to Buffalo. The Leafs are looking to bolster their blue line.
The direcort of pro scouting of the Montreal Canadiens made the trip to Buffalo. The Habs are still looking for a veteran centerman.
The Edmonton Oilers' senior vice president of hockey operations made the trip to Buffalo as well. The Oilers are always looking to improve their forward ranks and D corps.
Also in attendance were pro scouts from Colorado, Chicago, Carolina, Dallas, NY Rangers, Las Vegas, Boston.
Per teh NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, the annual NHL holiday roster freeze starts Monday at midnight, effectively shutting down any player movement until after the holidays.
CBA Article 16.5(d)) states that NHL rosters are frozen from December 19th at 11:59pm through to December 28th at 12:01am.
Translation:
No trades, loans, and waivers. Â
There are a few exceptions to the rule. They are:
Players recalled from the minors.
A player can be recalled from a team’s AHL or ECHL team during the roster freeze. This allows teams to replace injured NHL players with those in the AHL.
Players claimed from waivers if placed before the roster freeze.
If a player was placed on Regular Waivers before the freeze, and was claimed during the freeze, that player will still have to report to his new club immediately.
Players reassigned after emergency recall. Any player in the NHL on an emergency recall may be loaned back to his minor league team during the freeze.
Waiver-exempt players recalled after December 11th. Any waiver-exempt player recalled after December 11th may be loaned back to his minor league team until 11:59pm on December 23rd.
Any movement necessary to make room for a player returning from LTIR. Teams are permitted to waive or reassign players if the team needs to make roster space for a player returning from Long-Term Injury Reserve. The clause states any transactions necessary, but it is unclear whether that would allow trades between NHL teams (assuming the moving team received non-frozen assets in return).
Aside from these exceptions, NHL rosters remain static until the 28th to provide stability for players and their families during the holiday period.
Join the Discussion:
»