Just two days after all of western New York’s heart was ripped out by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Sabres proved why the Bills are the team to be in Buffalo. The Sabres were once again shutout, this time by the Ottawa Senators.
Let’s just get this out of the way first; this team is not a championship squad. We knew this as fans, we acknowledged and accepted it, but it’s hard when they show flashes every other game of being able to turn the corner.
It’s difficult/impossible to find much to be happy about this game. Seeing Tyler Ennis succeed and score a hat trick against his former club really made the night great to be a Buffalo sports fan.
The Aaron Dell incident
Emotions were running high all night in Ottawa. This all led to a greasy play by the Sabres’ goaltender Aaron Dell.
This play is not only dangerous but just uncalled for.
In a post-game interview, Dell was asked about the play by The Athletic’s John Vogl.
“I was just trying to buy some time for my defenseman and step into his lane,” said Dell.
The play in question resulted in Ottawa’s selected All-Star Drake Batherson being forced to leave the rest of the game with an ankle injury. There is no firm timetable on when he will be able to return for the Senators, but the 23-year-old is out for the foreseeable future.
Dell will most likely receive a hearing with the Department of Player Safety and will face the possibility of a fine or suspension.
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk called the play “bullshit” and “unnecessary.” Tkachuk and several other players tried their best to get back at the Sabres’ netminder. It appears to have worked as the Senators walked away with a 5-0 win.
At the end of the day, it was a selfish play that has taken Batherson out of the all-star game. Tempers always flare-up in a game, but Dell was clearly in the wrong here. It didn’t help this occurred just after Ottawa tallied their third goal in the first period.
What Went Wrong (Usual Suspects)
Normally, we take a look at each goal in the game and break them down. Honestly, every goal scored tonight we have seen time and time again this year. Backdoor chances, odd-man rushes, and rebounds to the slot sum up the goals tonight.
The Senators’ fourth goal just proved how bad things were for Buffalo.
Lackluster plays, selfish penalties, and just an overall disinterest plagued this team tonight.
Two chances early for Buffalo really put the writing on the wall. Jeff Skinner made a great play to get a breakaway, but a premature whistle from an injured Senator at the other end blew the play dead as Skinner hammered home the rebound.
The other was a Tage Thompson one-timer on the powerplay. A rolling puck caused the center to miss the wide-open net and ding the post. This would have given the Sabres the lead early and maybe changed the whole course of this game.
Something to Smile About
The Sabres being shutout by the Senators is never a good thing. Unbelievably, there were however a few “pros” fans can take out of this game that are positive
The return of Casey Mittelstadt to the lineup has been something much needed for this team. Unfortunately for Mittelstadt, his game rust showed several times. The most prevalent time was his first shift of the game. This saw him sprung off for a breakaway, only to be chased down by the Senators’ defenseman. Casey looked slow tonight but that is to be expected as he has been sidelined multiple times this season and hasn’t seen any game time since a three-game stint at the beginning of December. It will take some time for the former first-round pick to get back up to speed, but he showed flashes of the player he truly is.
Mattias Samuelsson once again led all Sabres defensemen in blocks this game. In only his fifth game in the NHL this year, Samuelsson has been a huge surprise. A once “boring” selection on his draft night has now turned into a future shutdown defenseman for years to come. He is still young and will make some mistakes, but overall he has surprised in his call-up. Samuelsson has more than earned to stay in Buffalo for the rest of this season, and into the next.
Congratulations Tyler Ennis
It’s hard to believe the Sabres drafted Ennis all the back in 2008; those days were much simpler.
After all the trials and tribulations he has had to overcome in his career I am happy to see him succeed.
What’s Next for Buffalo
The Sabres thankfully have a few days off until their next game. A road trip out west will see them first square off with Arizona on Saturday, and then Colorado on Sunday, start times of 9 and 8pm est respectively.
This Sabres team is so hit or miss they could sweep this weekend or be swept. (editor’s note: debatable) Time will only tell when this group can string more than one good game together.