The Buffalo Sabres are internet hosting their annual prospects problem this weekend, which options the prospect teams of themselves, the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins. On Friday night, they confronted off in opposition to the Blue Jackets group with a stacked lineup that featured a lot of their prime prospects together with Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius, Isak Rosen, and Noah Ostlund, simply to call a couple of. Plenty of different names from my prime ten record had been on the ice commonly in addition to they placed on a clinic and dominated the sport with a 3-1 rating and outshot their opponents 41-21.
With so many younger gamers to observe for the Sabres, it was troublesome to regulate everybody, so I let the standouts draw my eyes to them as finest I may. Some gamers had been much less noticeable than others, however some actually stood out and made you discover them. By the top of the sport, it was clear which had been standouts, and which had been flops.
Sabres Prospects That Flopped
With a lineup that has rather a lot going for it, there may be positively a variety of strain on all the younger gamers, and that ought to get all of them to rise to the event and play at a excessive degree to impress the overall supervisor and head coach who had been within the constructing. One participant particularly that fell very flat was Alexander Kisakov. The 2021 second-round decide was featured on the third line alongside Tyson Kozak and Oliver Nadeau. This trio had a variety of potential, and the latter two had been taking part in their hearts out whereas Kisakov was floating and turning the puck over. There didn’t look to be a lot struggle in his sport, and there must be much more proven out of him for the rest of the event if he desires to have any key ice time within the common season in Rochester.
One other pretty invisible participant was Isak Rosen. The 2021 first-round decide had a variety of ice time with fellow prime prospects Jiri Kulich and Victor Neuchev and did register one help from the puck deflecting off of his physique, however generally, he was not doing a lot. His playmaking selections had been lower than the place they normally will be, his velocity seemed a bit of bit off, and he was trying very stoppable in comparison with his different two linemates who had been on hearth all evening. He has much more he can present, and I anticipate him to take action within the coming video games.
Sabres’ Standout Prospects
There are three names that come to thoughts for a way this sport performed out and which of them had been essentially the most noticeable of their gameplay. The primary is certainly Konsta Helenius as he was everywhere in the ice. Each single shift, he was skating arduous to be in place at each ends, and he was making a distinction in that place. Within the defensive zone he was breaking apart performs and establishing rushes, and within the offensive zone, he was establishing performs left and proper, and creating scoring probabilities. Sadly, none of them led on to a purpose being scored, however his presence was a dominant one your complete sport regardless. He stored the strain on all evening, and it was an awesome signal of issues to return from him.
The second participant was defenseman Ryan Johnson. Because the “veteran” participant of the group (having performed in essentially the most NHL video games) he seemed like essentially the most regular hand on the market for the whole lot of it. He functioned because the Sabres’ prime defenseman for the evening and was largely paired with rookie Vsevolod Komarov, and he was on the market directing his linemate, whereas additionally doing what he does finest; defending with poise and skating across the ice with a fluidity that even water could be jealous of. Any time he had the puck and held on to it for greater than two seconds, it was noticeable. He would transfer up the ice with a clean transition, draw within the opposition, after which make a sensible play earlier than going proper again to being in strong defensive positioning. There’s nothing extra anybody may ask for from considered one of their prime younger defensive gamers.
Then the third and most blatant was the lightning rod himself, Jiri Kulich, who was everywhere in the offensive zone and was a menace to the opposing protection all evening. He completed the sport with two objectives and one help, and he did so by being one of the relentless puck hounds between both group. If the puck was wherever close to him, he wished it, and nothing was going to get in his means. He was muscling gamers off the puck left and proper to take it from them, digging in corners to make performs occur, going to the entrance of the web for pictures and rebounds, and all the pieces else in between {that a} good purpose scorer must be doing. He made a really convincing case for the Sabres to think about giving him an actual shot in coaching camp and preseason.
Sabres Prospects Performed Properly As a Group
The group as a complete was constant and supported one another all evening. They performed nicely defensively and stored issues largely to the skin for goaltender Scott Ratzlaff, and when issues bought chippy, they stood up for each other, as there have been two fights by the top of the evening (courtesy of defenseman Jack Bodin in addition to ahead Ty Cheveldayoff). The forwards had been flying and pressuring, the protection was transitioning nicely and didn’t surrender too many good probabilities the opposite means, and as a complete, the group seemed in sync.
Associated – Predicting The Sabres’ Main Stat Class Leaders for 2024-25
Now that they’ve a great and trustworthy win underneath their belt, they should proceed that momentum into the rest of the event. By the top of it, will probably be attention-grabbing to see which gamers stood out essentially the most in comparison with the beginning, and if any of them fizzled out in comparison with how they began. There can be loads of alternatives to see each as issues run by way of the remainder of the weekend.
