As if anyone here really thought we had a shot at making the playoffs this year…
I admit, in an earlier column I wrote that we were looking pretty good and almost like a playoff team, but that was based on assumptions that have subsequently not happened.
At the beginning of the year was it crazy to assume that Tyler Ennis and Matt Moulson would combine for at least 25 goals? I think it’s safe to say that’s what the Sabres management was banking on. They also were probably counting on solid goaltending from Robin Lehner, but he missed half the season and has looked up and down in his return. Last night he was Swiss cheese, letting in 3 softie goals before being pulled after the fourth: final line, 4 goals on 12 shots – not good.
The first period looked like a skate and shoot with the Sabres just being props on the ice for the Panthers to skate around and score at will – it was a joke to watch.
Finally, after Lehner got pulled, the Sabres mounted a little bit of a fight, with Sam Reinhart getting two nice goals, and Evander Kane literally fighting Alex Petrovic three times to try to do anything to get his teammates going. I loved Evander’s heart. He made the game worth watching with his scraps. The third fight was one of the best ones of the year, with Kane popping Petrovic in the mouth and then coming over the top and catching him twice with lefts over his right eye. Unfortunately, this was the highlight of the night and we lost another one, this time in a laugher.
After taking 2 points in the last 2 games from the Bruins, the team might have had some confidence going into last night, but came out flat and it was super disappointing.
Next game up is tomorrow night in Philly. We’ll see what kind of effort these guys come out with. It looks like we are headed for another draft lottery off-season this year and maybe we’ll have a chance to draft Auston Matthews. Matthew Tkachuk would also not be a bad prize to land in the draft.