Lindy Ruff has coached more than 1,800 regular-season NHL games and clearly doesn’t deserve the dog he has been saddled with in Buffalo.
The Sabres should have come out smoking Tuesday night against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre but, instead, produced another stinker in a season that already has been filled with too many putrid performances.
The Sabres’ losing streak has now reached 11 games (0-8-3) following Montreal’s 6-1 victory. Buffalo hasn’t won since Nov. 23 at San Jose, when it defeated the equally-as-inept Sharks. The Sabres must be thankful most of the sports attention in their city is devoted to the NFL Bills, a team notorious for losing four successive Super Bowls and one unable to reach the summit again because of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Terry Pegula, the owner of both the Sabres and Bills, made the unprecedented move of flying to Montreal on Monday to address the team and its front office, assuring them there won’t be any sweeping changes in management or trades. But something has to give sooner or later.
And for all those diehard Canadiens fans growing impatient with the team’s rebuild, consider this: The Sabres appear headed for a 14th consecutive non-playoff season, the longest NHL drought. If history is repeated in Montreal, the zealots might burn down the Canadiens’ arena. Or at least break some storefront windows.
When the owner speaks, the players listen: It took the Canadiens all of 19 seconds to open the scoring, Joel Armia converting a rebound off the end boards. It was Montreal’s first shot. As for the visitors, they didn’t generate a shot until halfway through the period. By that time they were already trailing 2-0.
What Pegula should have said: “Lose to the Canadiens and you take the bus back to Buffalo.”
And it could have been worse:Josh Anderson hit the crossbar in the third minute. Three minutes later, Alex Newhook failed to convert a breakaway. And seconds after that, a video review determined Patrik Laine hit the post and didn’t score.
News you need (Part I): The Canadiens have a 11-8-1 record when captain Nick Suzuki records at least a point. He had two assists against Buffalo. But when Suzuki fails to produce a point the team’s record is 1-9-1, Montreal’s only victory coming in the 1-0 season opener against Toronto.
News you need (Part II): The magnificent Laine and his deadly shot found the back of the net three times before the second period ended against the bewildered Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. It was the first hat trick by a Canadien since Juraj Slafkovsky last April 9 in a 9-3 beat-down against Philadelphia at the Bell Centre. Luukkonen was replaced by James Reimer to start the third period. He allowed six goals on 21 shots.
Strange, but true: The Sabres scored first in seven of their 11 losses.
NHL officiating at its finest: It certainly appeared to be a hit from behind administered by Nicolas Aubé-Kubel against Arber Xhekaj in the opening period. The play went unpenalized.
Pass of the night: Suzuki, cross-ice, from the right-wing circle to Laine, making it 2-0.
It wasn’t his night: Kirby Dach went to the dressing room, perhaps under the league’s concussion protocol, following a first-period hit from Mattias Samuelsson, who drew an interference penalty. In the second, Dach caught a high stick to the mouth from Alex Tuch. Finally, in the third period, Dach was tripped in front of the Sabres’ bench by Dennis Gilbert. The play drew a penalty.
News you need (Part III): Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson, who has benefited from playing with Lane Hutson, had four of his team’s 11 first-period shots.
Momentum … schmomentum: Only 2:11 after Dylan Cozens scored early in the second period, Slafkovsky made it 3-1. Cozens, rumoured to be on the trade market, is in the second year of a seven-year, US$49.7-million contract. He now has seven goals and 14 points in 32 games.
Beggars can’t be choosers: Slafkovsky’s goal — his first in nine games — was banked in off Luukkonen from behind the net.
Dumb penalty (Part I): Delay of game against Cozens in the second period with Buffalo already a man short.
Dumb penalty (Part II): Armia hooked Owen Power in the third period, leaving the Canadiens two men short for 53 seconds. Naturally, no damage was inflicted.
A new candidate for the Cy Young award: Laine, 6-1. Differential between goals and assists. The guy doesn’t pass and, considering the way he shoots, why would he?
News you need (Part IV): Not only have all of Laine’s goals come on the power play, only three of his teammates — Cole Caufield, Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher — have scored more. Newhook, Anderson and Emil Heineman also have six goals each.
Next time, decline the penalty: The Sabres went 0-for-5 on the power-play.
Quick stats: Laine and Matheson each had five shots. Kaiden Guhle blocked seven shots. Luukkonen’s save percentage was .714.
They said it: “I think overall, at least for myself, it was kind of an average game if you take away the goals,” Laine said. “I’ve had a million times better games than that and had zero goals. I’d call it a pretty average performance from myself.
“It’s always fun to score a hat trick. There were a lot of hats. Unfortunately for the fans, some of them lost hats …. for a good cause.”
“We were expecting a big start (from Buffalo),” Suzuki said. “For us to get the first one on the first shift probably killed a lot of their hopes. I’ve been in their shoes a couple of times. When things don’t go your way early it’s tough to find a way to come back. That was big and important for us.”
“Pretty special. Get him the puck,” Matheson said about Laine.