Yes, this is the same Sabres team that soared to Northeast Division title last year, only to fall in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Bruins in six games.
Wednesday night in Buffalo, the B’s will get their first crack at the struggling Sabres, only this time there’s not as much riding on the outcome of the game. However, the B’s would very much like to take advantage of the Buffalo pitfalls and begin the month of November the way they left off in October.
Consider that the Bruins are 6-2-0 and have a perfect 4-0-0 record on the road. Buffalo, meanwhile, has played four more games than Boston, has posted a 3-7-2 record, and is second only to the anemic New Jersey Devils in the East for worst record.
Times are tough on the eastern shores of Lake Erie these days.
“There’s not a damn thing we can do about that crap that’s behind us,” Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff said after practice Monday. “There’s not one person who is happy, including myself. I find it embarrassing. We’ve moved on. I told the team that we’re going to focus on one game.”
That one game ahead of the Sabres is a date with their rival Boston. The past two reigning Vezina Trophy winners and Team USA teammates will go head-to-head, which you know is always entertaining. Ryan Miller missed practice on Monday but is expected to play in Wednesday’s game. On paper, this one should go to Tim Thomas. Buffalo has allowed 38 goals against compared to the Bruins’ 11. Not to mention, Thomas has a 6-0-0 record with a 0.50 goals-against average and .984 save percentage in his first six starts.
One positive for the Sabres is that they will get winger Jason Pominville back in the lineup to face Boston. If you recall back on Oct. 11, Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson buried him with a check in a difficult hit to watch on replays. Unclear as to what kind of impact the concussed forward will have in his first game back with his team, it’s got to be better than the one their captain had over the weekend.
Craig Rivet watched his team from the press box for both games over the weekend in what Ruff described as a “wake-up call.” Being a healthy scratch didn’t sit well with the defenseman, who vowed to “work his butt off to get better,” so it doesn’t happen again.
Clearly, there are major issues both on and off the ice for the Buffalo Sabres. If the Bruins can take care of business like they did against Toronto and Ottawa in their last two games, then they will be the team to beat in the Northeast Division — with three games in hand on Montreal.
Not a bad spot for the Bruins to be in to begin November.
