The first set of grades for the Sabres were rather promising. Buffalo had closed October and opened November with some strong hockey. Prior to Ryan Miller’s injury, the Sabres had occupied the number two spot in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, thing have gone downhill in a hurry for the Sabres. A dismal run at home through November and into December has aided in pushing the Sabres to seventh in the East and a mere two points away from the 12th-place Capitals.
Injuries have piled up to a ridiculous number. Just this morning, Ville Leino was declared out with a lower body ailment and it was Tweeted that Jochen Hecht is in a walking boot. While injuries can’t act as a shield for Buffalo’s poor play, it is certainly having a negative effect on the team as they cling to a playoff position.
Game 15 was a 5-1 against Ottawa on November 11. Since then Buffalo allowed their goaltender to get plowed over with no response, lost nearly half of their opening night roster to various injuries and gone 5-7-3 in that 15-game span. By comparison, Buffalo went 10-5-0 through their first 15 games.
Here are the grades though 30 games:
Coaching – C+: This is a tough grade to hammer out. Ruff;s team has been decimated by injury and only one line (63-9-21) has been able to avoid the injury bug that has bitten this team. However, Ruff has made some dubious choices over the second 15. He has put a checking center/wing (Hecht) between his two best scorers (Vanek & Pominville) and has all but cooled the two hottest sticks on the team. What many fans consider a love affair with Hecht may have translated to Marc-Andre Gragnani. The young defenseman has become a defensive liability and his power play contributions have become as sparse as his physical game. Injuries are keeping him away from the press box. But the faith Ruff has shown in him is beginning to hurt the team in the win column. Based on the offensive struggles and insane number of shots Buffalo has been giving up, it is obvious ‘the system’ is not working. The bench boss needs to get through to his troops soon or risk falling deeper in the standings.
Special Teams – C: As previously stated, the penalty kill unit has been victimized by injury. Many of Buffalo’s top penalty killers have missed significant time and it has shown on the ice. However, the power play is rather intact. Save for Tyler Myers and Brad Boyes, both units have remained largely unchanged. The lack of production from that unit is a major reason Buffalo struggles to score more than two goals on most nights. Until there is an improvement in extra-man situations, Buffalo’s struggles are likely to continue.
Forwards – C+: The game of musical chairs at forward has made chemistry and steady line combinations a rarity. Still, there is plenty to be desired from those who have been around all season. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville have cooled off significantly after their hot start. Perhaps some of their struggles have to do with losing Luke Adam as their center. Jochen Hecht has only played a handful of games before getting re-injured, but he certainly wasn’t the answer between Buffalo’s top offensive threats. The same goes for Paul Szczechura.
Adam isn’t all the way there in terms of being an NHL center. But he is showing flashes of brilliance. For some unknown reason he has been kept away from the top line as if he has the plague. He also has been shifted to wing, which makes about as much sense as dressing seven defensemen. His contributions with Zack Kassian and Ville Leino aside, Adam was a key cog in the success of The Subway Line. Ville Leino has played center on their line, which is ridiculously ignorant considering his worst play has come at center while his best contributions have come from the wing. Leino’s play has not justified his contract, by any means. He has improved lately playing on a potent line that just needs to finish.
The Ennis-Roy-Stafford line has been out to lunch for nearly the entire season. While Ennis has missed quite a bit of time, he has been little more than a warm body when healthy. He has two goals in his five-game return from injury, hopefully a sign he is coming back to life. Roy and Stafford – as evidenced on yesterday’s game winner – are really going through the motions for the Sabres. Their motivation needs to be questioned if this extended skid gets worse.
The fourth line has been a hodgepodge of moving parts. Paul Gaustad is winning faceoffs, but isn’t scoring nearly enough to justify making over $2M. Pat Kaleta hasn’t been able to stay healthy and Corey Tropp has looked to be a fine replacement for the grinder. Tropp still needs to season, but he certainly looks to be capable of filling a similar role. Nathan Gerbe has been a disappointment thus far, his injury certainly doesn’t help. Matt Ellis no longer has the effect he used to on the outcome of games and Cody McCormick’s extended absence has rendered him rather ineffective.
The biggest problem is the forwards have not been scoring goals. Buffalo has barely managed to score two per game for some time now. The forwards have not done their part and the scoreboard reflects the effort. Until they start putting pucks in the net, the Sabres will continue to lose.
Defense – B+: Aside from Gragnani taking a 180 from his playoff form, the Sabres defensive unit has improved since the start of the season. Yes, they are surrendering a ton of shots each game, but that appears to be a systematic issue rather than an issue with a single entity.
Christian Ehrhoff hasn’t put up monster numbers, but he has also turned into a fine two-way defenseman for this team. He is starting to earn his keep, the points will be soon to follow. Jordan Leopold has shown how valuable he truly is. Since his return, the back-end has been a bit cleaner. As for Tyler Myers, his injury came at a bad time. He was improving before hitting the shelf. If he can continue to show improvement on the physical side of the game, he and the team will improve as a result.
Another up-and-down guy has been Andrej Sekera. His play has been sound this season, with a handful of ugly outings. He is in a tough spot considering the number of puck-moving defenders on the team. Still, he hasn’t been weighing them down as he has in years past.
Mike Weber and Brayden McNabb have both seen limited action this season. Weber looked like an inspired man last night against Ottawa, and has been good since earning a spot in the top six. McNabb has been nothing short of a revelation. While he needs more time to develop, he certainly has the look of a big, nasty stay-at-home player.
While the goal differential and shot numbers tell a different story, the core on the blueline has been sound this season. Outside of major gaffes, this may be the most complete unit Buffalo has.
Goaltending – B: A ‘B’ is a grade defined as above average. As the Sabres goaltending stands at this moment, they are just that. Above average. Ryan Miller had a rocky game against the Flyers, despite making some big saves, but has shown vast improvements from the three-game skid he suffered through prior to his injury. While Jhonas Enroth played some great hockey to start the season, he has regressed mightily as of late. At the very least he has shown he is not yet ready to carry the load as a starter in the NHL. Still, he has gotten the team wins and had to suffer through some of the worst portions of the run of injuries the Sabres have endured. While there is room for improvement, the goaltending has been steady enough to get victories; the scoring is where the team has been lacking.
Overall – C: After 15 games Buffalo was in fifth place, an expected spot based on the talent level of the team. Now the Sabres are a sneeze away from 12th and haven’t been able to put together a steady string of hockey. The offense has sputtered, core players expected to contribute have disappeared and the home efforts have been dismal. The voices in the locker room don’t seem to be making much of an impact lately and there are signs that a shakeup is necessary. While a trade would bring a fresh look, the prospects for such a move are thin.
The fact of the matter is that the Sabres are a stagnant bunch. The core of the team has been together since before the lockout, few have learned to play with accountability. Unless something is done to truly wake them up, little improvement will be seen.
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