Now the Buffalo Sabres went and made me angry . . . and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
Someone please explain to me what the Buffalo Sabres front office was thinking as it prepared for Friday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Perspective: it was not just another home game in the 716. For starters, it was the final home game of the 2015-16 season, which means it was Fan Appreciation Night. Making the game even more was the fact that the Sabres headed into the game just one game under .500. A win against the Blue Jackets would have given the Sabres an honest-to-goodness chance to finish the season at or even above .500, something the Sabres have not done since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
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It’s not like the Buffalo Sabres were not aware of the significance of the game against the Blue Jackets – Brian Duff has only been binging up the possibility of reaching .500 for the last week and half, at least – so the front office cannot plead ignorance here: getting a win against Columbus would have been a big deal, a sign of how far this team has come, and a chance to give its young core a lot of momentum and hope heading into the offseason.
So naturally, the Buffalo Sabres rested Chad Johnson, started rookie goaltender Jason Kasdorf in the first NHL game of his career, sat Hudson Fasching and Casey Nelson (two rookies who were offered playing team with only 8 games remaining on the schedule, in order to guarantee they signed with Buffalo), and called up two players from the Rochester Americans, Cole Schneider and Evan Rodrigues, neither of whom had played in an NHL game before Friday night.
Naturally, the team lost 4-1, thereby guaranteeing that the Sabres will finish below .500 for the third-straight season.
But hey -the fans were treated to the Wing, Cheese and Celery race during the 2nd intermission!
A look back at the Wing, Cheese, Celery race during the 2nd intermission.https://t.co/61GlffO5MY
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 9, 2016
Wheeee.
I just don’t get what the Sabres were thinking – if the team truly wanted to show it’s appreciation for the fans, it would have done everything possible to get them a damn win against Columbus, plain and simple. I’m not blaming Kasdorf, Schneider or Rodrigues for the loss, but starting three players in their first NHL game EVER doesn’t scream, “We’re trying to win,” now does it?
Ryan O’Reilly summed up the evening perfectly:
"There are still a lot of things we could’ve done better tonight and we’re disappointed. That’s not the way we wanted to go out in this building. (Sabres.nhl.com)"
The Sabres had a losing record at First Niagara Center this season, so it’s not like the team has given the home crowd a ton of good memories this season. Was it too much to ask for the team to go out on a winning note in front of the home fans?!?
Next: Where Do The Sabres Go Now With Tyler Ennis?
In the long run, one loss doesn’t matter – I am well aware of that. But bringing up players from Rochester is what a team does when it no longer cares about winning games. No, you can’t pin the blame solely on the new guys, although you have to think Chad Johnson would have made a few of the saves that Kasdorf failed to, because hey! It was Kadsorf’s first game in the NHL. Had the Buffalo Sabres started bringing up young players in February – well, that would have made more sense. Instead, the Sabres acted like a team that was tanking JUST for the team’s final home game – what the hell?
Thinking about this make me tired, so maybe it’s time for a nice, mid-morning nap.