Saving the Sabres...

[Rasmuth]

more Sabres organization business:

February 11th, 2017:
Buffalo signs LW Jean Dupuy (22)to a 3yr/725k per year extension.

Dupuy doesn't figure much to the future of the Sabres at this point in time, but he provides organizational depth and should be an integral part o the Rochester Americans the next 3 seasons.

[Rasmuth]

After much debate, I decided to move 25 year old forward Marcus Foligno. Mired on the 3rd line much of the time, his production didn't align with the $2.94 million per year salary he was due through 2019.

We will miss his forecheck...by far his best skill but unloading his salary frees up cash than can hopefully be used to find someone who fits my vision of the future of this team better.

February 16th, 2017:

To Columbus - (F) Marcus Foligno (25)

To Buffalo - (RW) Danial Zaar (22)

Foligno had 10g/10a/20pts in 55 games this season for our hockey club after having 7g/22a/29pts last season.

Zaar is a prospect 3.0a/3.5a and figures to play next season in Rochester. More, importantly....nearly 3 million dollars is now available because of this roster move.

[Rasmuth]

More transaction news.

April 13th, 2017:

Buffalo signs (C) Justin Kea (23) to a 3 year/$725k contract extension.

Buffalo signs (RW) Daniel Zaar (22) to a 3 year/$765K contract extension.

Both players figure to spend much of their time in Rochester and provide necessary organizational depth.

[Rasmuth]

This season was a bit of a roller coaster ride...the team started out in mediocre fashion...playing .500 hockey for the first 6 weeks of the season. Then the team went into a tailspin through the holidays and it truly appeared that the team would be taken a disappointing step backwards for 2016/17.

Finally the offense started to click and Linus Ullmark really stepped up and the team got pretty hot for a few months. Ullmark eventually was named NHL Goalie of the month for January, 2017.

Ullmark slumped a bit in February into March, but Robin Lehner filled in for a couple of crucial wins and Ullmark stepped it up the last 8 games or so and the Sabres....

THE SABRES MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!

[Rasmuth]

The Sabres were really floating on the playoff bubble late in the season and a poor finish would have doomed the playoff hopes for this team.

Linus Ullmark was coming off a terrible stretch of poor games when I made the decision to give Robin Lehner a desperation start, despite the fact his most recent outings had not been impressive at all.

The game....game #74 of the season, I believe is where it really turned around for this team.

The Sabres traveled to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in Air Canada Centre.

Just after 8 minutes in the opening period, Joffrey Lupul opened the scoring with his 13th goal and Toronto went up 1-0. But from there on....Lehner shut them down...save after quality save. His play lifted the spirits of this team and the Sabres dominated from there on.

Just like the previous season, Rasmus Ristolainen went nuts the last month of the season....and at the 2:17 mark of the 2nd period, Ristolainen buried a huge slapshot during a power-play for his 11th goal of the season. Jack Eichel picked up his 40th assist and Evander Kane his 28th assist on this goal.

Then at 2:49 in the third, Kane scored the game-winner, his 33rd goal of the season. Eichel got his 41st assist and Ryan O'Reilly his 31st assist.

Lehner stopped 31 of 32 shots...shutting the door on Toronto and the whole mood of the team seemed to change from then on.

To truly understand the importance of this win, Buffalo had dropped 8 of their previous 9 games....truly in a tailspin.

This game stopped all that nonsense and they played well enough to make the playoffs.

[Rasmuth]

The Buffalo Sabres finish the 2016/17 season with 94 points, a 2 point improvement from the previous season.

[Rasmuth]

[Rasmuth]

And the West:

[Rasmuth]

Jack Eichel, at the tender age of 20, truly came into his own for 2016/17...and I don't believe he's done developing yet. He led the Sabres in scoring with an impressive 76 points and perhaps more impressive, he played all 82 games. He's quickly becoming a leader on this team and many of his teammates are responding to his talent.

Evander Kane also put the league on notice that he's ready to become an elite goalscorer in the NHL. He lead the team with 37 goals.

Five Sabres scored 50 or more points:

Jack Eichel - 32g/44a/76 pts in 82 games
Evander Kane - 37g/32a/69 pts in 74 games
Valeri Nichushkin - 21g/38a/59 pts in 82 games
Ryan O'Reilly - 21g/34a/55 pts in 82 games
Tyler Ennis - 11g/39a/50 pts in 69 games.

[Rasmuth]

Buffalo Sabres rankings 2016/17:

Goals scored - 232 (14th)
Goals per game - 2.83 (14th)
Goals against - 224 (t-13th)
Goals against per game - 2.73 (t-13th)
Shots per game - 34 (2nd)
Shots against per game - 27 (4th)
PIM per game - 9 (3rd)
Power Play % - 17.0 (15th)
Penalty Kill % - 87.3 (1st)


I have this team playing very aggressively on offense for the top two lines and you can see....we outshoot our opponents by 7 shots per game.

And our penalty kill is best in the league. It's a nice combination.

[Rasmuth]

Lehner suffered an injury on March 30th, it is hopeful he will return during the playoffs. He is a much better option behind Ullmark than Ben Scrivens .

Ullmark had a fine season, despite his late season slump. I believe he is the future in goal for this hockey club.

[Rasmuth]

Here are the NHL leaders for the 2016/17 season:

[Rasmuth]

And here are the playoff pairings for the NHL 2016/17 season:

[Rasmuth]

So, bring on the Tampa Bay Lightning. We split the 4 games with them this season, each team winning two.

Obviously the biggest concern is Steven Stamkos...who led the league (for the 2nd season in a row) with 47 goals....he also chipped in 47 assists....94 points. But there are plenty of other weapons on this team.



Statistically, Tampa Bay has an advantage in net...I have to hope that Ullmark is up to the test.

[Rasmuth]

Sunday, April 16th, 2017
Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
Attendance - 19,204

Game One - NHL Playoffs (Tampa Bay Lightning/Buffalo Sabres)

1st - (5:06) Victor Hedman (1), Assisted by: Tyler Johnson (1)
2nd - (14:48) Beau Bennent (1), Assisted by: Nicolas DesLauriers (1) & Zemgus Girgensons (1)
3rd - (19:14) Valtteri Filppula (1), Assisted by: Jason Garrison (1) & Nikita Kucherov (1)

Linus Ullmark stopped 26 of 28 shots
Ben Bishop stopped 26 of 27 shots

Final Score: Tampa Bay Lightning (2) - Buffalo Sabres (1)

Tampa leads series 1-0.


Buffalo's only goal comes from the 4th line, Beau Bennett scored only 3 goals all season in 77 games.
Ullmark was terrific, heartbreaking game-winner came with less than a minute remaining in the game.

[Rasmuth]

I was in my hotel room and you know what? I can't even remember what the name of the hotel even is, to be honest. Everything just blends when you're on the road. Especially for me.

I may have the greatest job in the world, but damn, it's stressful as all hell. True, I own the team and I'm the GM and coach, but the city of Buffalo holds me accountable. And so does Rochester, perhaps even more. These fans are ruthless. But they are the best. There are no more loyal fans in the world than Buffalo fans.

The Bills suck and they've sucked for a very long time now. But the Ralph is sold out virtually every game, even in the brutal weather of December. Despite the legendary tank season, Sabres fans were amazing. They know the game and they understood what was at stake. There was Conor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Not one, but two generational players...not just all-star players, but GREAT players were at stake.

Yet every home game was a typical Buffalo home game...loud, passionate and never dull. The team couldn't score. But wouldn't you know it...the goalies caught fire...well late in the season they did. Jhonas Enroth suffered, and damn he did it with dignity. He played his ass off and the team hung him out to dry....for 37 games...and he never gave up...never let up. In February he was traded to Dallas.

Problem was, Michal Neuvirth and Anders Lindback....they played so well...management unloaded Neuvirth and his .918 save pct. in March and suffered as Lindback started 15 games and excelled with a .924 save pct. and even managed 4 uncomfortable wins as Buffalo nearly lost the Eichel pick to Arizona.

So now a few years later, I so want to reward our fans. And so does Jack...he knows that everything is at stake for his career....the microscope can be harsh , especially in retrospect.

So when there was a knock on my hotel door and I answered it, and then my eyes fell on a grim-faced Wade Yeager, our team trainer, alarm bells began uncontrollably blaring in my mind. Lord, I was so tired.

"You're not gonna like this," Wade said, before I could even speak, walking briskly into the room.

My mouth hung agape for a moment before I finally closed the door and turned, facing the clearly troubled team trainer. He was biting his already bitten to the nub nails.

"What?" I finally asked. The metallic taste of bile was creeping up my throat.

Wade broke from his worried trance, focusing his attention on me. "I need a drink," he finally said.

I went to my dresser and quickly, but carefully poured a generous glass of bourben, the bottle already more than half gone. It was now 9:30pm, I'd cracked the seal to open the bottle at 6pm with dinner.

I walked to him, his nervous eyes repeatedly looking and avoiding mine.

"What?" I said again, placing the glass in his slightly trembling hand.

He raised the glass immediatly to his lips, they twitched ever so slightly in anticipation of the alcohol. "I don't think Jack can go tomorrow night," he said, while he swallowed the bourbon, his voice trailing off into a husky whisper as it raggedly faded. He cleared his throat and continued.

"High ankle sprain," He croaked, as he finished the last of the drink. "Swelling, bruising...pain, plus instability."

"How long?" I asked calmly, but my insides were ready to burst.

"The next two games for sure," he said calmly, placing the empty glass on the dresser. He turned towards me, his eyes met mine "Maybe three," he added.

"****," I mumbled. I knew Jack, he's only 20, but the kid was tough as nails. He played all 82 games for me this season...and he suffered some of those games. He'd go if he could. This had to be killing him.

"He's still down in the training room soaking in the hot tub. The kid is one big bruise, coach."

I sighed as I poured another drink.

"Know what else?"

"What," I said.

"The kid is pissed...downright pissed," the trainer said, his voice almost sounding almost reverent.

A smile touched the edge of my lips as I slugged an ample drink from my glass. Of course he's pissed, I thought. The kid has more heart than most men double his age.

Wade turned towards the door. "Sorry for the bad news, Coach," he said as he reached for the doorknob.

"Wade..." I said.

He slowly turned towards me. "Coach?"

I absently waived a finger in the air. "Let's keep it two games, worse case scenario. Got it?

He nodded as he left the room, the door closed with a metallic clink as the lock activated.

"****," I muttered under my breath.

[Rasmuth]

Tuesday, April 18th, 2017
Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
Attendance - 19,204 (sellout)

Game Two - NHL Playoffs (Tampa Bay Lightning/Buffalo Sabres)

1st - (2:05)) Nikita Kucherov (1pp), Assisted by: Tyler Johnson (2) & Ondrej Palat(1)
1st- (7:16) Tyler Johnson (1), Assisted by: Slater Koekkoek (1)

2nd - (1:51) Ryan Callahan (1), Assisted by: Steven Stamkos (1) & Jonathan Drouin (1)
2nd - (4:47) Matt Moulson (1), Assisted by: Cody Franson (1) & Evander Kane (1)
2nd - (5:53) Jonathan Drouin (1pp), Assisted by: Steven Stamkos (2) & Anton Stralman (1)
2nd - (10:01) Justin Bailey (1), Assisted by: Matt Moulson (1) & Josh Gorges (1)

3rd - (2:47) Victor Hedman (2), Unassisted

Linus Ullmark stopped 19 of 24 shots.
Ben Bishop stopped 18 of 20 shots.

Final Score: Tampa Bay Lightning (5) - Buffalo Sabres (2)

Tampa leads series 2-0.

Jack Eichel not being in the lineup was a huge blow to the morale of this team and it showed on the ice. Tampa Bay manhandled the Sabres and they were never in this contest.

[Rasmuth]

The series shifts back to Buffalo now and Jack Eichel won't be available for this game either. I need someone else to step up on the ice and take control of this team and keep them focused on the task at hand, winning this hockey game.

I've made the decision to start Robin Lehner in game three. Linus Ullmark was let down by his team in game 2, they hung him out to dry and it wasn't fair for him. But I feel this team needs a quick change and Lehner has had some success stepping in off the bench and winning a big game for this team.

We need to win game 3. If we lose this game. It's over.

[Rasmuth]

Thursday, April 20th, 2017
First Niagara Center - Buffalo, NY
Attendance - 19,070 (sellout)

Game Three - NHL Playoffs (Tampa Bay Lightning/Buffalo Sabres)

1st - (0:12) Tyler Ennis (1), Assisted by: Sam Reinhart (1) & Evander Kane (2)
1st - (0:24) Tyler Ennis (2), Assisted by: Luke Schenn (1) & Cody Franson (2)
1st - (5:16) Evander Kane (1), Assisted by: Sam Reinhart (2) & Tyler Ennis (1)

2nd - (5:56) Steven Stamkos (2), Assisted by: Jason Garrison (2) & Slater Koekkoek (2)
2nd - (17:28) Anton Stralman (1), Assisted by: Ondrej Palat (2) & Tyler Johnson (3)

3rd - (5.05) Sam Reinhart (1), Assisted by: Josh Gorges (2) & Tyler Ennis (2)
3rd - (13:57) Valeri Nichushkin (1pp), Assisted by: Evander Kane (3) & Ryan O'Reilly (1)
3rd - (19:16) Nikita Kucherov (2), Assisted by: Steven Stamkos (3) & Jason Garrison (3)

Robin Lehner stopped 25 of 29 shots.
Ben Bishop stopped 45 of 50 shots.

Final Score: Buffalo Sabres (5) - Tampa Bay Lightning (4)

Tampa leads series 2-1.

This team needed a jolt and I needed someone to step up on the ice and make something happen. And Tyler Ennis showed me why I named him an alternate Captain after Brien Gionta was traded.

Just before the game, Ennis whispered to me, "Don't worry, coach, we got this one."

And he was right. First he opens the scoring just 12 seconds in, just off the opening face off. Evander Kane passed the puck behind the net to Sam Reinhart who hit Ennis tape to tape with a no-look pass behind his back. And just like that. It was 1-0.

Then...remarkably...just 12 seconds later, Ennis did it again. A missed shot by Stamkos....a quick pass from Luke Schenn to Cody Franson who hit a streaking Ennis just before the Tampa Bay blue line and it was Ennis alone racing to the goal...Bishop never had a chance.

I'm telling you the truth, the First Niagara Center was shaking on it's foundation. It was remarkable!

Ennis had a monster game with 2 helpers to go along with his 2 electric goals. And Sam Reinhart, I can't say enough about this kid, stepping up with 3 points in this contest.

The score was closer than the game really was. The Sabres bombarded a shell-shocked Ben Bishop with 50 shots. This was the game this team needed.

[Rasmuth]

Saturday, April 22nd, 2017
First Niagara Center - Buffalo, NY
Attendance - 19,070 (sellout)

Game Four - NHL Playoffs (Tampa Bay Lightning/Buffalo Sabres)

1st - (8:03) Mike Weber (1), Assisted by: Josh Gorges (3) & Tyler Ennis (3)

2nd - (10:49) Mike Weber (2), Assisted by: Ryan O'Reilly (2) & Luke Schenn (2)
2nd - (11:52) Evander Kane (2), Assisted by: Tyler Ennis (4) & Cody Franson (3)

3rd - (17:38) Ryan O'Reilly (1), Assisted by: Rasmus Ristolainen (1) & Evander Kane (4)

Robin Lehner stopped 18 of 18 shots.
Ben Bishop stopped 26 of 30 shots.

Final Score: Buffalo Sabres (4) - Tampa Bay Lightning (0)

The series is tied at 2.

Freaking Mike Weber! The man is a consummate professional. He's always ready to go, he's always upbeat and despite the fact he only scored 1 regular season goal in less than 30 games...he makes his presence felt in the post-season with a huge performance. Tyler Ennis continued to be hot.

Jack Eichel received a thunderous ovation when he took the ice. He probably shouldn't have played, but he wanted nothing to do with it. I kept his ice time limited and he only played a little more than 10 1/2 minutes, but he was a +2 in the game and the team was certainly glad to see him back where he belongs.

I decided to let Robin Lehner get the start again, hoping to perhaps catch lightning in the bottle, so to speak...and he responds with a shutout, stopping all 18 shots he faced. The defense was strong tonight. Great performance by the whole team!