The Buffalo Sabres are coming off one of their ugliest losses of the season after losing to the Washington Capitals 6-2. This is just the latest example of a rough stretch of play where they have gone 2-3-2, and not ideal for a team fighting for the Atlantic Division.
As bad as it has been, they are not completely out of it, and they can turn their fortunes around with a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. The pressure will be on the players who need to increase the intensity, which has been lacking over the last seven games.
The coaching staff can also find a way to shake things up and get this team out of a slump with some lineup changes. One of those changes should be on the third pair for the blue line, which continues to be an issue.
Buffalo Sabres have to get Michael Kesselring on the ice against the Lightning
Since the trade deadline, the Sabres have tried several combinations for this third pair and most of them have been pairing Luke Schenn, Zach Metsa, and Conor Timmins. One player who hasn't seen the ice is Michael Kesselring, and now is the time to get him on the ice to see if he can improve this part of the lineup.
There is no question that this season has not gone the way Michael Kesselring would have hoped after the Sabres traded for him last summer as part of the JJ Peterka trade. He has only two points and a +/- of -3 through 32 games, and his last game played was on March 10th.
He unfortunately has dealt with plenty of injuries over the season that started in training camp and then missed about two weeks at the beginning of January. After returning from his second injury, Kesselring really struggled, and it looked like the injury may still be limiting him.
However, now with a full month off, he might be as healthy as he has been at any point during this season. If that is the case, he could certainly be a difference maker for this defense and help bring some stability to this final pair.
While Kesselring should be in the lineup Monday night, the question then turns to who he should be paired with? Logan Stanley has played in every game since the Sabres traded for him, but after going -3 over the last two games, it might be worth giving him the night off.
The options should really come down to Conor Timmins and Zach Metsa for the other half of a Kesselring pair. Between these two, Timmins should get the first chance to start with Kesselring and give Buffalo a more veteran pair in this spot.
The Sabres need a bounce back game and getting Michael Kesselring back on the ice should be part of the equation for them to put an end to this rough stretch of poor play.