The Buffalo Sabres won a very hard fought game last night against the New Jersey Devils. Through their first several games of the year, the Sabres find themselves 2-6-0 and that is honestly not that bad considering their current circumstances. The Sabres are without their starting goaltender Robin Lehner, and are without defenseman Zach Bogosian. With these in mind, the Buffalo Sabres have had to step up their game and become harder to play against. This was already a goal for this season, but it seems as if the team is really taking that idea to heart.
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As the Sabres came into this season, they had one of the toughest goals to accomplish, and that was to be a tougher team to play against. After the last two years of them getting tosses around like nothing, the push back from the team is a refreshing sight to see. Every single game I watch now is no longer a physical pain to see as they got slaughtered, but rather feels like actually watching hockey once again.
Three players in particular feel like the new backbone of this teamed are undoubtedly taking on those roles wholeheartedly. Rasmus Ristolainen is emerging as the Sabres top defender, Jack Eichel is pushing his teammates and opponents to keep up with him, and Zemgus Girgensons is defining what the level of work ethic should be on each shift.
Rasmus Ristolainen had a bit of a rough season last year as one of the worst possession defenders on the Sabres roster. He was still learning what it was like to be a full time NHL player, but it seems like that time spent up here in the big leagues has only benefited him. Ristolainen has been one of the top players in ice time for the Sabres, and he is the top scoring defender for them as well (tied with Cody Franson for 3 points, but Risto has 1 goal and 2 assists).
Jack Eichel is challenging everyone on the ice to keep up with him. He is currently tied for the team lead in goals (3) with Ryan O’Reilly, but Eichel is doing more than just scoring goals. Eichel has been one of the toughest Sabres players to go up against. He never gives up on any shift and is always hounding opponents on the puck. Jack Eichel is the poster boy for what offensive pressure needs to look like. His defensive play needs some work, but that is understandable in a rookie, but his offensive pressure he put on each night is what makes a difference.
Zemgus Girgensons has never been questioned about his work ethic, and this time is no different. Girgensons has found himself to be the journeyman player of the lineup, meaning that he will typically end up playing on nearly every line at some point on the game.
Girgensons currently does not have a single point on the year, but through 8 games he is an even 0 for +/- which is exactly what is needed from him. Girgensons is the perfect two-way forward that the Sabres can use in any situation. None of us doubt his offensive ability and his points will come, but for now, Girgensons is the epitome of what hard work and tough play against are.
The Buffalo Sabres have been playing very well so far in their season and the offensive improvement is legitimate. Currently, the Buffalo Sabres have scored more goal collectively than the Pittsburgh Penguins… wait, did I just say the Penguins? You know, those Penguins that have offensive superstars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel? Yes I just did.
The Buffalo Sabres currently have a total of 15 goals scored through 8 games, while the Penguins have 13 through 8 games. The goaltending situation is the the only real hiccup in the Sabres season so far, but overall it is a drastic improvement from the last couple of years.
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