BUFFALO, N.Y. ā The highlight for the Buffalo Sabres came 30 seconds in, when a festive but small holiday crowd rose to its feet to cheer defenseman Rasmus Dahlin for scoring the opening goal.
Some two hours later, the few who remained were left chanting āFire Donnie,ā in reference to Sabres coach Don Granato following a 9-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
Recommended Videos
In a season already filled with low points before Christmasā arrival, the floundering Sabres reached a new depth. A team thatās won consecutive games just once this year, and sits 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, gave up seven consecutive goals in 21 minutes and 52 seconds, spanning the first and second periods to the Eastās 15th-place team.
āItās an unforgiving league. If you are off at all, it is gonna get shoved down your throat really hard and thatās exactly what happened tonight,ā captain Kyle Okposo said. āThatās on everybody in this room. Everybody. Probably myself more, and Iāll take the blame for not having the group ready. Put it all on me. Thatās fine. Iāll take that.ā
The frustrations are boiling over because this season was supposed to be different. Okposo opened training camp proclaiming the Sabres had no more excuses for missing the playoffs after a young, developing group fell two points short last year.
Instead, a Sabres roster that returned mostly intact, while remaining the leagueās youngest, is having difficulty providing answers for whatās gone wrong. At 13-17-3, Buffalo is already in jeopardy of extending its NHL-record postseason drought to a 13th year.
āIf I knew the answer, it wouldnāt be happening,ā forward Tage Thompson said. āItās actions. We can say all the things we want to say in the locker room, we got to go out and do it. Itās as simple as that.ā
Nothing has come simply for the Sabres, who have dealt with a rash of injuries, an inconsistent trio of goalies and a slow-starting offense that is 3-15-2 when allowing the first goal.
The focus of blame is now falling on Granato, who is in his third full season behind the bench. After Granato was credited for developing Thompson and Dahlin, among others, into NHL stars, and instilling a mantra of his team playing without fear of making mistakes, the Sabres have suddenly hit a wall.
āLetās just stick to tonight,ā Granato said, a familiar refrain from a coach who is more focused on dealing with immediate issues rather than the big picture.
āIt wasnāt good enough. We know that. And weāll go right to work tomorrow,ā he added. āWe were off and and we have to own that. And we do. And it has to make us better.ā
The trouble is, the Sabres have shown more signs of regression than growth this year. The power-play unit, once their strength, entered Tuesday ranking 27th in the NHL in converting just 12 of 90 chances. Buffaloās playmaking defensemen are more liable to turn over the puck than join the rush.
And Devon Levi, the rookie goalie who wowed Buffalo with a 5-2 record in closing last season after completing his junior college season at Northeastern, dropped to 6-5-2 this year, has already spent a stint in the minors, and was yanked after allowing four goals on 18 shots against Columbus.
Granato maintains the backing of general manager Kevyn Adams, but for how long in a league where Edmonton, Minnesota, St. Louis and most recently Ottawa have already made coaching changes? Adams, meantime, is being second-guessed for over-valuing his young talent and being slow to shake up a roster that needs a spark.
The players say they have Granatoās back.
āListen, Iām not gonna sit here and bash the coaches,ā Okposo said. āIām not gonna talk about us quitting. Iām not gonna talk about Donnie and us not listening. Thatās not right. Donnie has our full support. We are gonna play hard for Donnie and thatās it.ā
For Granato, itās back to work on Wednesday, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hitting town on Thursday before the NHL enters its Christmas break.
āMy concern is on making this group better tomorrow. It was my concern from Day 1, and itāll stay my concern. We are going to make this team better. And I say it with absolute respect for our fan base,ā Granato said. āIām confident we will resolve this.ā
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl