The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a slow start, even with three straight wins on the road, and Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators was one of the worst games of the season. They played well enough through the first two periods and had a 1-0 lead with about 10 minutes left in the game.
However, the Senators would score two goals and steal a win from the Sabres. Lindy Ruff undoubtedly sounded very frustrated after the game, and this is usually a moment when the Sabres' head coach evaluates everything, not just one period but the entire season as a whole.
The Sabres have several players who are seemingly on the verge of returning from injuries, like Jiri Kulich, Conor Timmins, and Alex Lyon. This means some players are going to have to come out of the lineup, and when looking at the way the season has begun, these are four players who might be running out of time to make an argument that they can help this Sabres team.
Josh Norris
There may not be a player who is off to a worst start this season than Josh Norris and he has just been a non-factor through the Sabres first 15 games. On the season, he has only two goals and one assist but has no points in the last six games.
It just isn't the lack of points, but also the fact that he isn't even getting chances. He has only 16 shots on the season and a total of one in the last three games. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Sabres have been outscored 10 to 5 when he has been on the ice in 5v5 situations.
This is now his third season with the Buffalo Sabres, and at this point it is pretty clear that this trade just isn't working out for them. The challenge is that Norris has a huge contract that no team would want to take on, with three years left after this season at an AAV of $7.95 million.
Even if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen can't move Norris, the Sabres can't afford to continue to put him out there. Once Jiri Kulich is ready to return, it really should be Norris that he replaces.
Ryan McLeod
Another veteran forward who has gotten off to a rough start and needs to improve if he wants to hold onto his lineup spot is Ryan McLeod. Through 15 games, McLeod has only three points but has had only one in the last nine games. This season, he has a shooting percentage of only 7.7%, almost 10 percentage points below the 17.5% shooting percentage he has had with the Sabres.
McLeod is also a big part of the Sabres' penalty kill, a group that has taken a significant step backward this season. Last season, McLeod had a goals above expected on the penalty kill of 2.7 but this season he is at -0.1, according to MoneyPuck.
The forward is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 50 points, and the Sabres are really going to need him to get back to playing at that level. If he can't, he also is one in jeopardy of losing his spot in the lineup.
Louis Crevier/Zach Metsa
Conor Timmins seems to be close to making his season debut after suffering an injury in the preseason. He was available Wednesday against the Senators but wasn't put into the lineup, and it is hard to imagine that he won't be out there against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With that in mind, the Sabres are going to have to try to figure out who the best player is to pair with him between Louis Crevier and Zach Metsa. The obvious pick may not be the right pick as Crevier has struggled somewhat in his first season with the Sabres.
Crevier has one assist and a +/- of -4 while averaging almost 13 minutes per game, but has the second-worst CF% of the Sabres' players over the last five games at 41.54. However, Metsa hasn't been much better at 43.10, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Sabres coaching staff will likely give both players a chance paired with Timmons, and whatever pairing plays the best is the one they will go forward with.
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