‘Coach Ralph Krueger called the shorthanded goal a “turning point,” yet it would not have held as much weight if his team solved its inability to score at 5-on-5. Hall and Jack Eichel have combined for one even-strength goal. Jeff Skinner has yet to score this season. The bottom six did not generate much offense Thursday, either.’
Archives for February 19, 2021
Sabres notebook: Rasmus Ristolainen not expected to join team on road trip
‘“With Risto, we’re going to take our time,” Krueger said ahead of puck drop against the Capitals. “You can see the writing on the wall, that he needs more space to get his energy level up. Every one of us that had Covid has a different pathway back. His will still take some time. I really don’t expect him to join us on this trip. So, that’s actually what we’re expecting. We hope for everything to be sped up. We aren’t going to rush anybody back in.”’
Three more Sabres back from COVID-19; Rasmus Ristolainen still out
‘“With Risto, we’re going to take our time,” said coach Ralph Krueger, who returned to the Sabres on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 4. “You can see the writing on the wall, that he needs more space to get his energy level up. Every one of us that had COVID has a different pathway back. His will still take some time. I really don’t expect him to join us on this trip. … We aren’t going to rush anybody back in.”‘
Friday’s Washington Coverage
Tom Wilson, Vitek Vanecek lead the Capitals to a 3-1 win over the Sabres (Washington Post)
Caps dominate Sabres for second straight win: Four takeaways (NBC Sports Washington)
Conor Sheary leads third line in another strong performance (NBC Sports Washington)
In season of inconsistencies, Backstrom has been consistently great (NBC Sports Washington)
Photo gallery (NHL.com)
Caps Drop Sabres, 3-1 (WashingtonCaps.com)
Postgame notebook: Caps 3, Sabres 1 (WashingtonCaps.com)
Capitals get goals 3 ways, beat Sabres for 2nd straight win
‘“We’re battling right now, we’re working very hard and everyone want to do the right things,” Olofsson said. “We’re working very hard, and I think we might sometimes overwork situations. It’s kind of frustrating, but we’ve just got to stick with it.”’
Sabres woes continue against the Capitals
‘The Capitals extended their lead to 2-0 just 6:38 into the middle stanza when they cashed in on a horrid defensive-zone turnover by Tage Thompson on a blue and gold powerplay. Tom Wilson did the damage as he netted Washington’s first short-handed goal of the season against Ullmark and the Sabres.’
Opinion: Three Observations: Sabres struggle again at even strength, Olofsson continues power play success
‘Missed shots. Blocked shots. Posts. No goals.’
Opinion: Nothing changes as the Sabres lose 3-1 in Washington
‘They usually let the other team stay in the game until they can find their stride and take the game over.’
5 Observations: Sabres lose fourth straight, fall to Capitals 3-1
‘I can’t remember a stretch this bad at even strength. In three games this week, the Sabres have just two goals, and both have come from Victor Olofsson on the power play. The question going into these games is not if the Sabres will win, it’s if they’ll score a goal at even strength.’
Report: Buffalo Sabres, Taylor Hall have mutual interest in exploring contract extension
‘LeBrun said that Hall and the Sabres can officially begin discussing a contract extension on March 12th.’