The home schedule ends versus the team we started with: Montreal
April 5, 2017, 1:31 PM ET [103 Comments]
Michael Pachla
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
It seems like a long time ago, yet the season went by so fast. Back on October 13 with the NHL starting a bit late to accommodate the World Cup of Hockey, the Buffalo Sabres opened up their season at home against the Montreal Canadiens, the team they'll be playing tonight as they close out the home portion of their 2016-17 schedule.
Right from the get-go there was a cloud hanging over the team. Buffalo's Jack Eichel suffered a high-ankle sprain at practice the day before and would not end up making his season debut until November 29. Prior to that newly acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov missed most of his first Sabres camp while competing in the WCoH and ended up getting checked into an open bench door in his first preseason game. Kulikov missed the opener vs. Montreal and would struggle mightily most of the season as he tried in vain to play through it.
Free agent signee Kyle Okposo also missed the opener after taking a puck to the knee in practice and you can add Ryan O'Reilly into the mix of injured. O'Reilly was suffering from back spasms after playing for Canada's WCoH team and it was a lingering problem that dogged him through the first half of he season. It took an emergency appendectomy on Christmas Day to force him to the sidelines for a full week of recovery time.
That's how things started out for Buffalo this season and even with Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price out for the opener, Montreal stifled the Sabres and walked out of KeyBank Center with a 4-1 win. To add insult to the already debilitating rash of injuries, LW Evander Kane crashed hard into the boards late in the second period and was lost for the next 11 games. It would take him an additional 10 more games to fully recover from the four broken ribs he suffered against Les Habitants.
So it went and so it goes.
It's been a season of ups and downs, mostly downs, but at least the Sabres have been able to give their hometown fans a little more bang for their buck as opposed to previous seasons. At one point a few years back they were abysmal at home going 27-43-12 during the two tank years spanning 2013-15 but they began to turn it around last season with a 16-19-6 record at home. This year they'll head into tonight's KeyBank finale with a 19-15-6 record which marks another year of progression. Of note, the Sabres haven't had a winning record at home since they finished 21-12-8 in 2011-12, the first full season under the ownership of Terry Pegula.
There was a lot of talk yesterday concerning the fans and how the players are embarrassed at some of the performances they've had in front of the home crowd. This of course was on the heels of their most abysmal performance since the tank years, a 4-2 loss vs. the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
Eichel talked to the gathered media yesterday about the fans and how they were "pretty loyal to us," he said. "If we don’t play well, they’re here. Play good, they’re here. Play bad, they’re here.
“It’s been a mediocre two years,” he continued. “More than anything, it’s a bit disappointing, a bit embarrassing for us as players that we can’t be better for them. You want to please the fans because of all they’ve been through and all they continue to put up with. You just want to be better.”
Don't we know it.
But with all due respect, and most like I have the utmost respect for Eichel, it's all just talk.
The crap-show they put on display vs. Toronto Monday night is inexcusable and couldn't have been more embarrassing to the players, coaches, management, owner, fans and Western New York itself as they laid an egg of monstrous proportions. The players didn't show up, as has happened many time this season, and some trash-talking by an emerging thorn in the Sabres side, Nazem Kadri, pretty much summed up just what kind of team showed up for Buffalo that night.
After scoring Toronto's fourth goal to effectively put the game away Kadri took his mouthpiece out and called out Ristolainen for being an effin' wussy, albeit in a more colorful fashion. It was a slap in the face to not only Ristolainen but to the entire team while throngs of Leafs fans roared their approval. Kadri was right in one respect, nearly every time the Sabres played a game with significant meaning this season, they failed, and on more than one occasion failed miserably.
In the eyes of many a Sabres fan, that game against Toronto was one that had a helluva lot more meaning that tonight's game. Sure, remorse is one thing, but I can't help but think of a Sabres fan watching this live and in person while being subjected to a hearty Leafs celebration breaking out all around them.
That was the one to win, not this one. Unlike the Leafs who were in the throes of a playoff battle, the Canadiens have clinched the division and the biggest thing for them will be to come out healthy.
For those attending tonight's game, it is Fan Appreciation Day and players will give the uniforms off their backs to lucky season ticket holders after the game. Which is always a cool thing.
Today at 3:32 pm by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil sponsors the signing of an agreement to develop the Tuba oil field project with
Today at 3:26 pm by Rocky
» In numbers... Basra Oil explains the importance of the Tuba field after signing a contract to develo
Today at 3:25 pm by Rocky
» Electricity: The government provides energy at subsidized prices for (4) categories
Today at 3:24 pm by Rocky
» The electricity produced in Iraq covers 65% of demand... and 15 thousand megawatts is a “deficit”
Today at 3:22 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary services: Government interest in Baghdad will make it one of the most beautiful capita
Today at 3:21 pm by Rocky
» Basra Council emphasizes work to qualify young people and place them in the labor market
Today at 3:19 pm by Rocky
» Politician: Al-Kadhimi was recommending that Plasschaert write “negative” reports about Iraq
Today at 3:17 pm by Rocky
» Trade launches operations to lift the ban on the ration card next to Rusafa
Today at 3:16 pm by Rocky
» utube 5/12/24 Iraqi Dinar | Citi Bank Announced New Rate Of The Iraqi Dinar | Dinar News Today 202
Today at 7:00 am by Rocky
» utube 5/9/24 MM&C 0:02 / 46:46 PM - Al-Sudani - Golden Opportunity - Private Sector - Contra
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/11/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - International - IraqTiming - 2024 Budget Schedule - Sp
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» Bahr Al-Ulum calls for legislating the renewable energy law and localizing the solar panel industry
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» In numbers: the rise in internal debt in Iraq
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Jordan demands that Iraq continue to export oil for another three months
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the largest producer.. OPEC+ is pumping higher than scheduled and in anticipation of the Jun
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Close to the coordination framework: There is no intention to change the internal regulations of Par
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Central Bank sales exceed $274 million today
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» But the representative of the exchange companies is pessimistic... Why did the dollar fall?... The C
Today at 6:38 am by Rocky
» Jordan addresses Iraq to extend a memorandum of understanding to purchase oil
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» Bribes increased from 3,000 to 50,000 dollars.. What is the condition of alcohol in Iraq after the p
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Presence movement: Sunnis and Kurds while the Americans remain in Iraq
Today at 5:31 am by Rocky
» A deputy reveals the contents of the first water strategy in Iraq
Today at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Soon...the second reading of the proposed red card law
Today at 5:28 am by Rocky
» The discovery of 10 new oil and gas fields in the Anbar desert
Today at 5:27 am by Rocky
» A bloc announces to “Al-Ma’louma” the date of the parliamentary speaker’s election session
Today at 5:26 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance explains the mechanism for amending the retirement law
Today at 5:24 am by Rocky
» Sovereignty accuses Al-Halbousi of obstructing the election of a Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Agriculture accuses Kurdistan of harming the farmers of the center and south
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms Iraq's readiness to host the Arab Network conference
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani calls on the Iraqi government to allocate a budget to confront climate change
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» “Iraq is in danger.” Political warnings against ending the work of the UN mission
Today at 5:19 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Interior Minister announces the signing of a security cooperation memorandum with Syria
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil told “Al-Iqtisad News”: The 5th and 6th rounds will add 3 Mqmq of gas to Iraq’s
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Economist: Tax revenues from the private sector should be 4 trillion dinars annually
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» The Real Estate Bank calls on the Iraqi Central Bank to determine a plan to allocate a new initiativ
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» More than one billion and 400 million dollars...CBI sales within a week
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Oil: Iraq achieved self-sufficiency in liquid gas and began exporting the surplus
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Iraq begins exporting liquid gas
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» The Cabinet Secretariat sets to Al-Iqtisad News the completion date for the Chinese agreement school
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Securities: The most recent law of the Authority in the Arab and regional countries
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» A European desire to strengthen security and economic cooperation with Baghdad
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» The close selection of a person for the position of Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary law excludes the exchange of penalties for cash amounts
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» An agreement with Italy to finance industrial projects
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» The Najaf Chamber of Commerce signs a “memorandum of understanding” with its Thai counterpart
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Baghdad, Arab Forum
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Specialists: Economic integration and job opportunities await development
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic, Nechirvan and Barzani stress the necessity of coordinating efforts be
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» The Judicial Institute announces the names of those accepted for the 48th and 49th sessions
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Today's newspapers are interested in launching the fifth licensing supplement rounds and the sixth l
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the Secretary-General of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Trade participates in the meetings of the Economic and Social Council at the level of senior officia
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport discusses with the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration wa
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Iraq recorded an increase in its oil exports to the United States last week
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» It is governed by three dimensions.. Parliament talks about a strategic priority for Iraqi national
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» To what extent do Arab countries influence politically Iraq? It has become more independent
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad: Iraq has paid its debts, and the security agreement includes thre
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Dollar exchange rates decline slightly on the Baghdad Stock Exchange
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» China has 18% of the fields in the two new rounds, and 11 countries share the remainder
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» On the table...a proposal for the Kurdistan oil crisis and an effort to conclude a similar agreement
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: A government decision to provide sovereign guarantees and guarantees to encourage the inve
Today at 4:40 am by Rocky
» 6 Chinese companies are among the winners of developing Iraqi oil and gas fields
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Baghdad gives UNAMI the end of 2025 to leave the country after fiery briefings
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Dhi Qar clarifies: The quarry burying radioactive materials is regular and does not pose a danger
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: There are 64 lagging projects in Babylon
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» The housing crisis is expanding and planning confirms: Iraq needs 3 million housing units to solve i
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» 90 billion dinars were recovered from social protection violators
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq seeks to increase its oil reserves to more than 160 billion barrels
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» After keeping the numbers secret... Did the rain increase Iraq's water reserves by 120%?
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» In the first quarter of 2024.. Iran will displace Iraq and become the second largest producer in OPE
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Iraqi oil exports to Jordan stopped 20 days ago
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Syria sign a memorandum of security cooperation in several fields
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Parliament recommends stopping electronic schools in Iraq
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary law rules out passing a law replacing penalties with sums of money
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» After a rare meeting... sources talk about Al-Sadr's future in political life in Iraq
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic warns of climate change and its threat to food security and future gen
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador to Iraq talks about negotiations for the withdrawal of American forces and Tu
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Iraq represents an important factor in the stability of the global oil market
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» Transportation: The Iraqi-Turkish technical committees continue to fulfill the requirements for impl
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Economic: Raising the interest rate will reduce real estate prices
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Did Barzani agree in Tehran to end the presence of Iranian groups in Kurdistan? - urgent
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are establishing a new situation for the global energy market through the Development
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government program devoted a wide scope to the government’s vision for oil and gas in
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Awadi: Ending the work of the UNAMI mission is consistent with the government’s vision in this fi
Yesterday at 7:10 am by Rocky
» MM&C Floating the dinar" returns to the forefront.. Will the Central Bank of Iraq resort to it and w
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Secretary of the Ministry of Defense meets with the Commander of the NATO mission
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Expert: The stability of the economy is linked to the political situation
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary request to lift the injustice against 20,000 Iraqi employees
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance criticizes the government's failure to send the budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: The 5th and 6th licensing rounds will take place within the framework of exploratio
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the global market in the field of energy
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Khanjar rejects Al-Halbousi’s request to head Parliament
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Revealing the date of the arrival of the 2024 budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi nominates Talal Al-Zubaie for presidency of the House of Representatives
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» "A coup in Iraqi universities"... Replacement of presidents and deans under the new education law
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is a difficult number in the equation of energy and oil wealth in the region and the
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Minister of Oil: We hope to announce an increase in Iraq’s oil reserves to 160 billion barrels
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Iraq's mass graves...stories that did not end with the burial of their owners, and the "legacy of IS
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky