Buffalo Sabres Players: Lawrence Pilut Should Never See Rochester Again
The Buffalo Sabres have lost a few games in a row, but Lawrence Pilut has stood out as a key defender in that time.
While the Buffalo Sabres are on a four game skid, they have gone toe to toe with some of the top teams in the league, and haven’t lost by more than a goal. This alone is not a cause for celebration, but it’s a great reason to be positive about some of the things being seen this season.
A player that stands out while filling in has been defenseman Lawrence Pilut.
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Pilut has been having a killer year with the Rochester Americans, and when Marco Scandella and Jake McCabe went down with injuries, he finally got his chance to prove he could make a difference with the big club.
Before his call up to the Buffalo Sabres, Pilut had amassed 22 points in 16 games (3G, 19A) with the Rochester Americans, and that was good enough to lead the team. Since his call up, he is pointless in 3 games, but his steady defensive play is something to be excited about.
The Buffalo Sabres already have a few offensive minded defensemen in Rasmus Ristolainen, Rasmus Dahlin, and Nathan Beaulieu, so having a defensive defender is a great compliment to those players.
Pilut has played primarily with Rasmus Ristolainen so far, and that can add up to some big minutes. His last game he had over 22 minutes of ice time. That’s a lot of playing time for a young inexperienced defenseman, and yet he is handling the pressure with poise.
Pilut has been coming up with big defensive plays as well. He has great positioning to block shots, and he has broken up a couple of odd man rushes in key situations. While his call up hasn’t led to a win just yet, Pilut has all the good traits of a solid mid-bottom pair defender that can step up into a bigger role if needed. While he won’t replace Jake McCabe on the top pair forever, it would be great to see his presence in lieu of Scandella on the third pair.
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What do you guys think? Has Pilut earned his stay? Or is it too early to tell? Let us know in the comments.