Jack Eichel's recent hot streak proves youth movement won't save Buffalo
The Buffalo Sabres' 2014-15 campaign was almost entirely devoted to the Tank for McDavid concept, as fans found solace in the team's woes by the idea of landing Connor McDavid through the NHL Draft lottery. When that plan failed and the Sabres ended up with Jack Eichel instead, the consolation prize was nearly as good as landing McDavid, and Buffalo fans focused their hopes on Eichel reviving the franchise a la Sidney Crosby with the Pittsburgh Penguins or Alexander Ovechkin with the Washington Capitals.
As Eichel took time to adjust to the NHL through the first few months of the season, Buffalo did not make any great strides toward any serious improvement in its division. The Sabres have managed to stay in last place in the Atlantic despite rough seasons for nearly every team in the division. The division-leading Florida Panthers, fueled by a 9-1-0 run, still have the fewest points (50) of any division leader in the NHL as of Jan. 4.
Buffalo meanwhile has the second fewest points of any team in the NHL with 34 points through 39 games, just one point more than the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets (33 points in 40 games). The Sabres have proudly deemed this year as the start of the "next chapter", but it does not look much different than the previous chapter in the standings thus far.
Of course, young players like Eichel need time to develop. Neither Sidney Crosby nor Alex Ovechkin led their respective teams to the playoffs in their first season in the NHL.
But even when Eichel does heat up, the Sabres still cannot manage any significant steps forward. Eichel has nine points in his last five games off four goals and five assists. The Sabres are 1-4-0 in those five games.
And Eichel is not the only young player blossoming for the Sabres this season. The 20-year-old Sam Reinhart is enjoying his first full year at the NHL level and is one of the Sabres' top-six forwards. He ranks fifth on the Sabres in scoring with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 39 games. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, a 21-year-old playing his third year of NHL hockey, ranks second in scoring with 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 39 games.
The young players are chipping in as much as can be expected for the Sabres. But the veterans on the team are not strong enough to help Buffalo make a jump from a cellar-dweller to even a middle-of-the-pack club.
Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, one of 13 one-goal losses for Buffalo this season, was prime proof of this issue. With the Sabres down 2-0 midway through the game, Eichel scored two goals within 3:01 -- including a highlight-reel breakaway tally -- to tie the game at 2-2. In the third period, the Sabres fell into a 3-2 deficit when Henrik Zetterberg scored 2:27 into the frame, but Reinhart netted an equalizer for Buffalo on a power play 8:58 into the period.
But Buffalo allowed the game-winning goal to the Red Wings with 2:50 left in regulation when its veterans could not finish the job. Evander Kane, Ryan O'Reilly, Marcus Foligno, Josh Gorges and Zach Bogosian -- some of the most experienced players on the team -- were all on the ice for the final Detroit goal.
After the game, Reinhart hinted that the Sabres need to learn how to win from those with experience with winning.
Via Buffalo Hockey Beat:
"Good teams find a way to win," Reinhart told reporters. "If we want to be one of them, we’re going to have to find ways to win in situations like that. We can learn a lot from a team like that with a lot of experience."
When the Sabres added veterans to the team ahead of this season, the one thing they failed to add were veterans who could effectively teach the team how to win. Evander Kane spent his entire pre-Buffalo career with the Thrashers/Jets and has never been to the NHL playoffs. Ryan O'Reilly has been to the playoffs twice with the Colorado Avalanche, but one of those trips was during his rookie season. The other playoff campaign, a 2013-14 first-round appearance against the Minnesota Wild, was a tough seven-game battle which the Avalanche lost.
Josh Gorges should know something about winning from his time with the Montreal Canadiens, but it does not seem like he has been effective in teaching the young team how to win. Goaltender Robin Lehner, who had a breakout year last season with the upstart Ottawa Senators before going down with an injury, has only been able to play in one game for the Sabres this season before he suffered a high ankle sprain. Any contributions from Lehner could also be a huge boost to the team.
Buffalo has shown in the first half of the season that its rookies can help the team in meaningful ways. Their futures should be bright. But in the immediate future, Buffalo needs to look to its veterans to help out, and that remains a question mark nearly 40 games into the season.
