Sabre Noise
Fansided

Buffalo Sabres: Still Too Early For Tank Talk . . . For Now

By Richard Spalding

Nov 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Ryan Reaves (75) checks Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson (34) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Ryan Reaves (75) checks Buffalo Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson (34) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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After another punchless effort, the Buffalo Sabres are a bottom-five team.  How long until it’s okay to use the “T” word?!?

Remember how we all thought the Buffalo Sabres might not be as bad as they looked during consecutive October losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Wild?

Well, so much for that.

The Buffalo Sabres ended October by winning games against Florida and Winnipeg, and gave everyone a little glimmer of hope by extracting a bit of revenge with a win against the Wild on November 1.

Since then, however, the Sabres are 1-4-2, and have scored a total of 8 goals in those 7 games, while allowing 19.  With games against Tampa Bay (10-6-1, 21 pts., 6th in the East) and Pittsburgh (10-3-2, 22 pts., 3rd in the East) looming this week, it doesn’t appear as if the Sabres are going to end their current 6-game winless streak any time soon.

Fans who are on social media talking about tanking for a high draft pick, however?  Cool your jets.

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Look: I started saying that the Buffalo Sabres would not make the playoffs way back over the summer.  This team was better than last year’s team on paper, but was never in mind playoff-ready.   Even before Jack Eichel went down with an injury to begin the Who’s Who on the injured list, there were too many question marks at forward and on defense for anyone in his right mind to say this team was a lock to make the playoffs in 2017.

Having said that, I would have predicted that this team still be battling for the 9 or 10 spot in the Eastern Conference in February and even March, because the roster DID improve over the offseason . . . but guess what?  Injuries happen in professional sports, so everyone who accused me of making excuses for this team on Tuesday night can stop right there.  The Sabres have already lost six games decided by one goal this season, all of them without Eichel in the lineup and a handful without Ryan O’Reilly or Evander Kane.  You cannot tell me with a straight face that the results would have been the same with Jack Eichel in the lineup, and even just a healthy Ryan O’Reilly could have led to the Sabres taking one of its two games against New Jersey last week.

So no, Eichel himself would not have this team sitting atop the NHL standings . . . but if a healthy Jack made this team even three points better, they would be 10th in the East today, instead of second-to-last.  And I have not even discussed injuries to Tyler Ennis and Zach Bogosian who, say what you will about them, bring points to the table, unlike the players who have been called up to replace them.

If you want to bail on the season despite the fact that we have not even reached Thanksgiving, that is your prerogative.  The Buffalo Sabres were a work in progress before the season started, though, and injuries have crippled the team, physically and mentally.  If you expect this team to be competitive despite the fact that it is currently only skating one proven top-6 forward in Kyle Okposo, I don’t know what to tell you.  Personally, I’m waiting for a few guys to get healthy before I start looking ahead to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

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