Faced with another losing streak amid a development season, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson spoke with conviction Sunday when describing what he and his teammates want to accomplish over the final 28 games.
“Obviously, the results aren't what we want, but I feel like we're piecing things together right now and we’ve just got to find a way to have consistency,” Thompson said after the 4-2 loss in Dallas on Sunday. “It's gotta be that next step for us.”
The month of February began with signs of a possible turnaround. Goalies Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski were back, and the Sabres were coming off an encouraging performance against the Colorado Avalanche, a Stanley Cup contender.
The road loss to end January showed that although the Sabres’ young core has raw talent that still needs to be developed, they have the speed and skill to overcome inexperience some nights. February ended much like it began, as coach Don Granato’s club is still trying to string together wins.
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The Sabres went 2-7-1 in February, capped by a sixth consecutive loss Sunday in Dallas, and now sit 29th in the NHL with 40 standings points through 54 games.
Next comes a chaotic March that includes the Sabres’ first trip to Toronto since Dec. 17, 2019, the returns of Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel to Buffalo to face their former team, the Heritage Classic outdoor game in Hamilton, Ont., and the trade deadline. It’s a slate that has the potential to drive fans mad, as the franchise’s focus is on the future, rather than a playoff drought that will reach a league-record 11 seasons.
“There’s a lot of young guys in there,” center Cody Eakin said. “There’s a lot of guys that are coming into their positions and figuring out the player they’re going to be. They’re relentless. They show up every day to work, and we’ve got good guys who have been around who do the same and lead by example.”
Despite low expectations entering the season, fans continue to express frustration on social media about team performance. The Sabres' .309 points percentage since Oct. 29 ranks last in the NHL.
In addition to the bitterness stemming from 10 years of losing, it’s clear the young core’s talent tantalizes enough that hockey diehards wonder why they must continue to wait.
Injuries have impacted the plan this season. The Sabres are currently without forwards Jack Quinn, Zemgus Girgensons and Vinnie Hinostroza, and defensemen Colin Miller and Will Butcher. Casey Mittelstadt, who emerged as the team’s top forward during training camp, has been limited to only 12 games because of separate upper-body injuries, the latest of which required surgery, and has mostly struggled since returning to the lineup.
There are still several significant success stories, though. Thompson has a team-leading, career-high 22 goals while playing center in the NHL for the first time, Dylan Cozens was on a 20-goal pace at the All-Star break, Rasmus Dahlin was an all-star selection while establishing himself as an effective top defenseman, Peyton Krebs made an immediate impact upon arriving in the Eichel trade with Vegas and Mattias Samuelsson is already their go-to defenseman on the penalty kill.
Alex Tuch, who was also acquired in the blockbuster deal, has 22 points in 22 games since returning from shoulder surgery and is the dynamic top-six forward the Sabres needed. Jeff Skinner’s 20 goals are one less than he had the previous two seasons combined, and Kyle Okposo is on a 20-goal pace.
Even February included some signs that players are improving under Granato. Thompson had eight goals – sixth in the NHL during that span – while shooting 20.5%, Okposo delivered five goals in nine games, the Sabres ranked 15th in the league in scoring and their penalty kill was good for 12th.
However, Anderson and Tokarski combined for an .879 save percentage, as Buffalo allowed the most goals in the league (43).
The Sabres won back-to-back games against the New York Islanders and Canadiens before the current six-game skid. Buffalo’s speed gave Colorado fits during a 5-3 home loss in which Thompson recorded his first career hat trick on Feb. 20, but the Sabres responded with consecutive lethargic performances, including a shutout loss to last-place Montreal.
Then came another fine showing in St. Louis, followed by the brutal start in Dallas. And the schedule is about to get more difficult.
Ten of the Sabres’ 14 games in March are against teams that currently occupy a playoff spot. The exceptions are Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Chicago. First up is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were one point behind the Atlantic Division’s first-place Florida Panthers entering Monday. Reinhart and the Panthers visit KeyBank Center on March 7, followed by Eichel and the Golden Knights three days later.
The Sabres and Maple Leafs will also face off in the outdoor Heritage Classic in Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field on March 13, showcasing a rivalry that has been one-sided in recent years. Toronto has won eight of the past 10 meetings.
The March 21 trade deadline will arrive following a three-game road trip to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, and it will negatively impact veteran depth on the Sabres’ roster. Miller, Butcher, Hinostroza, Eakin, Anderson, Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg are among the pending unrestricted free agents who could be traded.
An injection of youth could create excitement in Buffalo, though. Owen Power, the Sabres’ first overall draft choice last July, is expected to join the club at the conclusion of his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. The Big Ten Tournament begins this week. Quinn, JJ Peterka and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also will likely get an opportunity to gain more experience in the NHL.
Losses won’t sit well with fans in the interim, but the Sabres’ focus is on immersing the young core in different situations such as those that await in March.
