Buffalo Sabres Skid, Injuries, NHL All-Stars
Good morning, Buffalo Sabres fans. The Buffalo Sabres don’t play again until tomorrow, when they start a homestand before the NHL All-Star break. The team hopes to break out of its struggling ways and pull out a win over the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow, after Dominik Hasek‘s number 39 is lifted to the rafters of the First Niagara Center.
There is no doubt that the Buffalo Sabres are on a skid. They’re on a seven-game losing streak and haven’t won since December 27. Winless in the new year, it’s imperative that the team find a way to turn things around. They’re tied for second-worst in the league, ahead of only the Edmonton Oilers.
So — what’s driving this latest skid of losing ways?
Injuries certainly don’t help, as seems to be the case the past few years for the Buffalo Sabres. Players start dropping like flies and before you know it, we’re playing in the NHL with a team composed halfway of players from the American Hockey League. The AHL team begins to suffer as a result, and it’s a vicious cycle. See the end of last season’s goaltending problems.
The fact is that injuries are just a small part of the Buffalo Sabres’ troubles, and there are plenty of other factors involved.
In other Buffalo Sabres news, forward Cody McCormick will be out indefinitely due to a blood clot found in his calf muscle. [NHL.com]
Blood clots are scary business – as any medical issue like that is, so nothing but best wishes to Cody as he makes his recovery. It’s expected that he could miss a significant amount of time.
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Finally, with the full NHL All-Star Game rosters revealed, it’s time to look at who did – and who didn’t make it. First up, from CBS Sports, the top 10 players who did not make the NHL All-Star Game. Then, from Bleacher Report, the biggest snubs and surprises on the roster.
Among the names on the list of those surprisingly not named to the All-Star roster: P.K. Subban, who is just such a great character that he would bring a fun attitude and personality to the game; Nicklas Backstrom, who has arguably been the Capitals’ best player this season. Some also asked why Jaromir Jagr didn’t make the list, or Erik Karlsson. How about Marc-Andre Fleury or Braden Holtby?
Of course, there’s always the possibility that some of the players who DID make the list may not end up playing in the game due to injury, illness or other unforeseen circumstances, which may allow one of the aforementioned players to be slotted in.
In the end, keep in mind this: the NHL All-Star Game is meant to be fun. The goals don’t count, the points are meaningless – it’s just a great opportunity to see players from all 30 NHL teams competing together and against each other on one ice surface, as well as in a skills competition which always provides entertainment.