The Buffalo Sabres’ 2024-25 season got here with a major quantity of hope along with the litany of query marks. After one sport, nonetheless, it appears as if not a lot has modified. A 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia as a part of the 2024 NHL International Collection, is a massively disappointing begin to the season.
In a sport wherein the Sabres by no means actually appeared into it, it’s laborious to not utterly write issues off as a complete loss and transfer ahead. That stated, there are three issues that stand out about this painful loss to open the season.
1. The Energy Play Is Nonetheless a Mess
The Sabres’ energy play was one of many worst within the NHL a season in the past after being a top-10 unit the season prior. Coming into this season, it was an apparent weak point that wanted to be addressed. To say that this season acquired off to an underwhelming begin relating to the facility play could be an understatement.
4 occasions, the Sabres had the person benefit. All 4 occasions, they did not generate a lot in the best way of something. As was the case a season in the past, zone entries had been an enormous difficulty. The Devils stifled the Sabres within the impartial zone and on the blue line, stopping them from establishing.
There is just too a lot expertise for this to be a lingering drawback. New head coach Lindy Ruff did quite a bit to alter the tradition of the workforce however the energy play is integral to attaining higher outcomes this season. The solutions are unclear however the lack of stress and the failure to discover a groove is already troubling.
2. Jordan Greenway Is a Legal responsibility
Coming into the season, when everybody was speculating on what the strains may seem like, Greenway’s title acquired introduced up fairly a bit. It’s clear what the Sabres noticed in him when they traded for him – dimension, velocity, and an untapped offensive potential – however it’s changing into quickly evident that he doesn’t match.
Although the season is however a sport outdated, Greenway was simply one of many weakest factors of the workforce. He appeared misplaced on the market, uncertain of the place he needs to be, and finest make use of his appreciable pure expertise. He stopped his toes, selecting as a substitute to lean and swipe at pucks quite than use his dimension and velocity to his benefit.
He’ll get much more runway than this, however the leash needs to be brief. With Jiri Kulich ready within the wings, it could behoove the workforce to offer him an prolonged look quite than proceed losing ice time on Greenway. Some experiments don’t work, and Greenway falls into that class.
3. The Fourth Line Is as Marketed
A significant speaking level because the season approached was the entire overhaul of the fourth line. We heard that Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel would deliver velocity and physicality to a workforce that desperately wanted each.
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The excellent news is that they had been as marketed. All three performed with velocity, forcing the Devils to make fast choices. The trio mixed for 10 hits whereas enjoying sparingly. It isn’t going to repair the most important points dealing with the workforce proper now, but it surely does match the aim of creating the workforce more durable to play in opposition to general.
Of the few possibilities the workforce managed in opposition to Devils’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom, Malenstyn got here the closest to really scoring. Solely via an early “save of the 12 months”-caliber save stored it from moving into. That onerous work will repay over the course of the season or not less than that’s the hope at this level. The trio performed much less down the stretch, particularly after an obvious damage to Aube-Kubel.
Tomorrow Wants To Be Completely different
It’s laborious to not be damaging, particularly given the outcomes of the final 13 seasons. The workforce confirmed a little bit of combat within the third interval – together with a aim from Owen Energy – but it surely was too little, too late. Having stated that, there must be positivity even within the face of an overwhelmingly-disappointing outcome. The brilliant aspect is that this is only one sport of 82. The Sabres actually get to combat once more tomorrow.
The Devils are clearly a great workforce. They’re deep offensively, cellular defensively, and have apparently discovered their long-sought goaltender. They are going to be a harmful workforce to go up in opposition to and may make it again to the playoffs.
Buffalo must shake off the nerves and put their collective nostril to the grindstone. A outcome just like this one in Sport 2 will make it infinitely more durable to be optimistic. There have been just a few issues to love and it’s now time for the Sabres to construct on these.
