Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe and Linus Ullmark. Remeber these members of the Buffalo Sabres?
Those were just some of the names on the roster to start the 56-game 2021 season back in January. That list of names had lots of folks predicting Sabres success, or at least a return relevance and respectability. But injuries to three of those guys and the woeful underachievement of two others, and not to mention a COVID crisis, all led to arguably the worst season in franchise history.
At first glance at the names on the roster for this season, one would assume, as many experts have, that 2021-2022 is going to be another complete dumpster fire. It still might be, but there is one thing that might put those flames out. Or at least keep them under control.
Effort.
In the first two games of this season, the guys that comprise this new, hungrier version of the Sabres did things that Taylor Hall NEVER did in Buffalo, at least not until he was sent to Boston.
These guys kept shifts alive in the offensive zone by hounding their opponents on the forecheck. They won puck battles, they skated hard to win races to loose pucks, and they back-checked effectively to break up scoring chances. My favorite hustle play of the first two games was when Victor Olofsson dove after a loose puck to get it back to the point. That effort by Oloffson led directly to a glorious scoring chance.
The Sabres outshot both of their opponents in the first two games, and they got goals from six different guys. They were perfect on the penalty kill and they made their powerplay opportunities count, too. They also got some key saves from both Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski.
This is only two games, and it would be foolhardy to expect that two games are enough to prove that the Sabres are going to be a contender. Let’s remember that the Sabres won nine out of 12 games to start the season a couple of years ago and the year before that they started 17-6-2 after a 10-game winning streak. Both of those seasons ended in miserable failures.
But there is something to be said for effort. The guys on the team appear to be willing to play hard for Don Granato and he appears to be able to push the right buttons.
Kyle Okposo wrote a letter to the fans after the first win. In the letter, he said he realizes what has been said about this team, but he has promised us that the guys that are on the team will work as hard as they can and play an exciting brand of hockey. Okposo was absolutely awesome in the first two games. He and his linemates caused lots of problems with their determination on the forecheck in the offensive zone. I hope he can stay healthy and continue to do what he has done so far.
If Okposo and the rest of his teammates keep his promise and continue to give maximum effort, then maybe it won’t be so bad after all.