Is Dennis Gilbert the saving grace for the Sabres?

From the frozen rivers in Buffalo to being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, hockey has always been in the blood of the 28-year-old defenseman who is playing in his own backyard once again. His impact for this season was to be a depth defenseman when he signed a deal with Kevyn Adams in July. Now will be the most likely replacement for Mattias Samuelsson who might miss sometime with a lower-body injury suffered on Monday afternoon against the Canadiens.

Gilbert knows the way Sabres hockey used to be as his mentors, where guys like Brain Campbell and even Kevyn Adams helped him develop at the Academy of Hockey at the Harbor center. Those days meant the city of Buffalo was giving “Days off of school for playoff games.”

Physical style of play

Dennis Gilbert doesn’t get much ice time, but when he hits the ice, he knows he has to affect the defensive side of the ice. Back when he got drafted in 2015 by the Chicago Blackhawks, he was struggling to find time to get on the ice and prove he got the skills to be a great hockey player. Gilbert recalls an interaction with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL affiliate of Chicago) captain Andrew Campbell. “When you get in, you’ve got to do something to stay in.”

From then on, he grew into his defensive roots and dropped the gloves twice in a two-week span. Since then, Gilbert has dropped the gloves 12 times in his NHL career. Even though Gilbert hasn’t dropped the gloves this season it has to be in his back of his mind as he knows picking a few fights a year can keep the energy high “You know, six, seven, eight times a season and your teammates know that someone’s there to do that for you, I think it’s a big thing in the room.”

That energy has also included drawing three penalties in four games and blocking five shots. Gilbert doesn’t need to bring juice to the offense, because he’s able to bring the lineup energy in more than one way.

Sabres just win when Gilbert is in the lineup

Gilbert’s high defensive energy has translated into a win for the Sabres when the former third-round pick cracks the lineup. Buffalo is 4-0 in game where Gilbert at least plays five or more minutes in. Including dominant wins against the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. While having Gilbert in the lineup, the Sabres have outscored their opponents by a margin of 19-6, and keeping teams to under a two goals per game. Buffalo scoring has grown almost a half a goal per game since the addition of Gilbert.

Just a week ago, the Sabres averaged three goals per game, and now are averaging 3.38, and sit 12th in the NHL in scoring. Gilbert’s impact has given the Sabres more than just a new energy it had given the lineup new life. Buffalo plays with more pace, and physicality winning crucial puck battles, and keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Gilbert plays until the whistle, and gives everything he’s got, which makes him a perfect fit to stay in the lineup for Lindy Ruff.