It’s over. Any hopes the Buffalo Sabres had of reaching the postseason this year came crashing down in embarrassing fashion as the New York Rangers pummeled Buffalo 8-4 to officially eliminate the Sabres from playoff contention with three games to go.
The Sabres season came crashing with their blowout loss to New York.
© Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images
What else can be said about the team’s performance on Friday night other that pathetic. If people thought the games against Winnipeg and Montreal were embarrassing, then what does the New York game equate to?
The team had a chance to really make a statement in the (unlikely) chase for eighth by taking out the team that sits in the spot they want. But instead of showing up and playing like a team with something to play for, the Sabres laid down and let the Rangers have their with them (that sounds awfully familiar).
It didn’t seem that way at the beginning. Buffalo came out flying and looked to set the physical tone of the game with big hits throughout the ice. Everything seemed to be going all fine and dandy until the team decided to lay the proverbial egg late in the first period.
In a span of 3:58 seconds — spanning between the end of the first and beginning of the second period — the Rangers blew the game open with five, yes five, goals. To put it into a bit of perspective, the Sabres couldn’t score once with a four-minute power play on Wednesday against Boston, but allowed five even strength goals in less time than that against New York.
Nothing was prettier than New York’s third goal by Ryan Clowe that was assisted by Ryan Miller. If that wasn’t Miller saying “good-bye Buffalo”, then the one he gave up 1:13 into the second surely was.
Buffalo did manage to avoid a shutout with two goals in a six second span by Cody Hodgson and Nathan Gerbe, but Ryan Callahan quickly dashed any hopeful fan’s comeback dreams with a goal 32 seconds later. And Mark Pysyk
At least the game was interesting from a goal scoring standpoint. The second period alone had seven goals scored in what turned out to be a 12 goal game. And who says we need bigger nets and smaller pads, as long as the goaltending is awful, there will be goals a plenty.
What did the Sabres have to say about their playoff hopes coming to an end? Well, aside from the usual cliches of “fighting” until the end, it was a pretty somber scene in the locker room after the game. The players know that it’s all about playing for their jobs over the last three games of the season now that the playoff hopes are gone. That doesn’t take away from the sadness that engulfed the locker room however.
Mike Weber was at a loss for words, for the most part, while talking after the game. He apologized for not knowing what to say while showing is frustration with the team’s lack of success.
“We’re a team that should be in the playoffs every year,” he said.
It will be two straight years — four of the last six — without playoffs for the Sabres which has the fans, and media for that matter, clamoring for major change to the organization. With one week left in the season, it’ll be seen soon enough just how much change will come from such a disappointing season.
Thomas Vanek
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Jhonas Enroth
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Ryan Miller
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Ron Rolston
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