Accountability is a major factor right now for the Buffalo Sabres, and it’ll take more than just head coach Lindy Ruff to turn this 8-9-1 clunker of a season around. We know this upcoming road trip is a big one, and the last thing the Blue and Gold need is a repeat of what their division rival, the Detroit Red Wings, just went through.
In case you’re wondering, nothing went right for the Wings in their recent trip out west, so the Sabres might just have a power play in the making to create some space between themselves and Detroit. But if they plan on doing that and, for once, getting over 0.500 in points while they’re at it, they might want to adhere to some sage advice from their star center, Tage Thompson.
And it looks like Tage got rather real with his team, as a recent quote from Field Level Media via CBS Sports points out. In the piece, Tage quipped, "It's all about consistency right now. We know when we commit to playing the right way we're good, and right now I think it's just us being a little immature, just thinking we're better than we are, instead of relying on what's gotten us results."
Yeah, thanks for getting real with the team, Tage. Now, the question is whether the Sabres will buckle down and listen, or keep thinking that, even with a 13-year playoff drought, that they’re better than they believe.
Maybe reality will finally set in for the Sabres following Tage’s quip
At the time of this writing, it’s still unclear whether Tage will suit up for tonight’s game against the LA Kings, but if he does, expect him to pick up a lot of the slack that this team likes to leave for others. If Tage returns tonight or even shortly thereafter, he can remain on pace to threaten snagging the second spot in single-season goals scored.
Still, the Sabres needed someone to step up and tell the team that they’re putting it in cruise control a little too often. I know that if I was part of a group that hadn’t tasted success in a while, I’d be putting my head down and going to work every single day, even when the rest of the team might be taking a break.
Maybe the Sabres will listen for once when a star player who’s becoming a vocal part of the locker room says what they need to hear. If that’s the case, then perhaps they’ll stop gifting their fans with an onset of headaches every Holiday Season.