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Sabres singin' the KeyBank blues as St. Louis comes to town |
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The Buffalo Sabres have been simply abysmal at home this season. There's no other way to put it. Not only are they a paltry 6-14-3 so far at KeyBank Center, they've been blown out in four of those games by a combined 24-7 score. The Sabres have lost their last three at home, and are 1-4-0 at KeyBank Center since the calendar turned to 2018.
Which isn't a very good situation to be in considering eight of their remaining 13 games in February are at home and they just can't seem to get it right in front of their fans.
Tonight's matchup against the St. Louis Blues will be the third game of a five-game homestand and comes against a team that they're 1-7-2 against in their last 10 (2-8-0 at home.) St. Louis sits third in the Central Division and have won five of their last seven games. The two teams met in St. Louis back in December with the Blues coming out on to 3-2 in overtime.
Attendance is dwindling dramatically with Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News writing that he hasn't seen so many empty seats since the 2003 when the team was in bankruptcy. Below is a list of home records dating back to that season. Makes one pine for the Lindy Ruff years.
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Buffalo will be without forward Johan Larsson who was suspended two games for a crosscheck that rode up the shoulder and into the face of Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trochek. Even though he'd never faced disciplinary action before, the NHL's Department of Player Safety laid a suspension on him. Here's the video and explanation from the NHL:
"My intention was not to cross-check him in the head," Larsson told the gathered media in KeyBank Center yesterday. "I was trying to go for cross-checking him in the shoulder, chest, and the stick got up in his face."
And as for the verdict handed down, Larson said today, "I was kind of surprised I got two games. The guy didn't get hurt or anything. I was a little surprised, but you can't do anything."
He will not appeal the ruling.
With Larsson missing, it looks like forward Evan Rodrigues looks to get the not at center on the third line. Rodrigues, who has seven points (2g + 5a) in 22 games with Buffalo this year, was a healthy scratch against Florida.
Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has been out of the lineup since going to the ice hard in Calgary after a fight with Flames forward Curtis Lazar. He could be back in the lineup tonight. Meanwhile, defenseman Casey Nelson has been drawing praise from Sabres Phil Housley. "I really like the way Casey's playing," said the coach to the media yesterday. "I think he moves the puck really well, he's defending really well, his gaps are really tight. That's why he remains in the lineup. It's always nice to have a right-hand shot as well.
"You look at his shots from the point, he finds ways to get pucks through to the net. He's uncanny in that way."
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For posterity's sake, a list of Sabres home records dating back to their bankruptcy season:
2017-18: 6-14-3
2016-17: 20-15-6
2015-16: 16-19-6
2014-15: 14-22-5
2013-14: 13-21-7
2012-13: 11-10-3 (NHL lockout shortened season)
2011-12: 21-12-8
2010-11: 21-16-4 (the last time the Sabres made the playoffs)
2009-10: 25-10-6 (finished 1st in Northeast Division)
2008-09: 23-15-3
2007-08: 20-15-6
2006-07: 28-10-3 (President's Trophy, Eastern Conference Finals)
2005-06: 27-11-3 (Eastern Conference Finals)
2004-05: NHL Lockout
2003-04: 21-13-4-3 (owner B. Thomas Golisano's first year as owner)
2002-03: 18-16-5-2 (team run by the NHL, files for bankruptcy protection)
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