MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres October 7, 2019
Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins, Vladislav Gavrikov make regular-season debuts
By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019
PITTSBURGH — If the Blue Jackets are to remain competitive, their European rookies will need to make significant contributions.
If it takes them a while, talent will not be the biggest hurdle. More likely, it will be adjusting to the NHL’s challenging combination of speed and talent crammed onto a smaller ice rink than any European league.
Two of them made their NHL regular-season debuts Friday in a season-opening 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and two more debuted Saturday night at the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I was a little bit nervous the first period,” said forward Emil Bemstrom, who played 9:10 against Toronto and was right back in the lineup against the Penguins. “I mean, it’s so much faster than back in Sweden and players are obviously better here, so that’s the biggest difference.”
Along with Bemstrom, 26-year-old Swedish rookie forward Jakob Lilja played his first NHL game Friday, too, logging 7:58 and playing on both the fourth and first lines.
“Players in exhibition games still play hard, but it’s a little bit different,” said Lilja, who also stayed in the lineup Saturday on the fourth line. “It goes up a level when the (regular season) starts.”
Bemstrom and Lilja were joined by 20-year-old Alexandre Texier, who played just the third and fourth NHL regular- season games of his career this weekend. Texier made his debut for the Jackets last season in the penultimate game of the regular season at the New York Rangers.
Opening night Friday at Nationwide Arena, however, had his pulse racing even faster.
“It was maybe just me,” said Texier, who started out on the third line against Pittsburgh. “Last year was different and it was different in the playoffs, too. But I feel really good right now and I know what to expect. So, just keep going.”
Goalie Elvis Merzlikins and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov made their regular-season debuts in Pittsburgh — joining Texier, Bemstrom and Lilja — and it’s a whole new world for all of them.
“I think it got better and better each period,” Bemstrom said. “It’s probably going to take some games to get used to it, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m looking forward to staying in this league and I want to be a part of the Blue Jackets.”
Defensive depth
Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella wasted no time using his full assortment of eight defensemen, replacing his third pairing from the opener Friday with two fresh faces.
Scott Harrington and Markus Nutivaara watched as healthy scratches, while Gavrikov and Dean Kukan entered the lineup.
Merzlikins also got the nod over Joonas Korpisalo, who started against the Maple Leafs.
“With a back-to-back early on, I wanted to get both of them in,” Tortorella said of his goalies. “Harry and Nuti are coming out (too) and we’re putting the other two (defensemen) in. Our camp has been that close and that good, as far as our back end, so they’re going to get a chance to play a game tonight.”
Memorable moments Texier’s parents, who live in his hometown of Grenoble, France, attended the season opener. It was the latest of their long-distance trips to see their son play in the NHL.
They also attended his Blue Jackets debut last season in New York, followed by a playoff game at Nationwide Arena.
“It was cool,” Texier said. “They did everything for me since I was a kid. I was really happy, especially off the ice. It was only a couple days, but it was a good time.”
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019
Penguins 7, Blue Jackets 2 | Elvis Merzlikins has a debut to forget
By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019
PITTSBURGH — It’s usually a house of horrors for the Blue Jackets, and PPG Paints Arena lived up to it again Saturday night.
After playing a solid first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the proverbial wheels on the Jackets’ bus came flying off.
Also, the hood flew off, the brakes went out, the windshield wipers seized up and all the windows blew out. The Penguins did what they usually do to the Blue Jackets at home, ruining rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins’ NHL debut by blowing open a game they won 7-2 with five second-period goals.
This time, though, it felt even worse than usual.
This one was a beatdown, which included two goals in the second by third-liner Jared McCann, two scored by defensemen — Kris Letang’s first of two and another by Marcus Pettersson — and, of course, what Penguins victory over the Jackets would be complete without a goal by Patric Hornqvist parked in front of the net?
There was one of those, too, off a long shot by former Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, along with a second goal for Hornqvist in the third.
Also, there was a fight late in the period between Pierre-Luc Dubois and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, whom Dubois used to admire as a kid when Crosby played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The second period ended just as fittingly for the Jackets, as Seth Jones took a late tripping penalty and Letang scored his first on a power play that made it 5-1 with 1.2 seconds left.
Merzlikins, who stopped all 10 shots he saw in the first period, remained in the game to play the third. He finished out his first NHL start by allowing two more goals in the third — another by Hornqvist and Teddy Blueger’s first of the season – and left knowing firsthand how some previous Blue Jackets goalies felt.
The Penguins’ run of success against the Jackets, especially on their ice, is impressive. They have won nine of the past 10, dating to April 4, 2017, and have earned points in 14 of the past 16.
This was their eighth straight victory at home against the Jackets, and the Penguins’ home record against them is 16-4-0.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have some regrouping to do before the Buffalo Sabres pay a visit Monday to Nationwide Arena.
The Jackets got goals from Zach Werenski and Gustav Nyquist, but there wasn’t much else for them to take away from this game. After losing their first two games in regulation to Pittsburgh and the Toronto Maple Leafs by a combined score of 10-2, it’s fair to say they’ve been dropped to the canvas with an early 1-2 combination that landed solidly on the nose.
The watch has officially begun now to see how they will react, starting with the game against Buffalo.=
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019
Jackets, fans hoping for best despite key losses
By Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019
Rick Szabrak and his son, Leo, had to hustle to get to the Arena District in time.
The Columbus residents, who are Blue Jackets season-ticket holders, made their way to the Nationwide Plaza and a mass of humanity pressed around a path of blue carpet. It was roughly 4 p.m., the Blue Jackets were arriving at Nationwide Arena for their annual ceremonial entrance to open the season and a few fans kindly cleared a path for 4-year-old Leo to get close enough to the ropes to reach out and snag a high-five from his favorite player, Cam Atkinson.
Then the father and son took Leo’s handmade sign reading “Let’s go Cam!” around the party, where they watched jugglers and contortionists before heading into a season marked by cautious optimism.
“There was this black cloud over the team all year last year,” Rick said as his son buried his head into his right shoulder. “We’re excited to get started.”
It was a feeling shared by many of the Blue Jackets fans who turned out early and passed up other social engagements to see the first seconds of the 2019-20 season, the result of which was a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The massive glass windows overlooking the plaza were adorned with the faces of the team’s leadership: captain Nick Foligno and alternate captains Boone Jenner, Seth Jones and Atkinson.
Absent but not forgotten from the line of stars were the two big faces whose final season and subsequent departures created the cloud that Szabrak mentioned. The official team shop was selling Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky jerseys on the clearance rack for half price, but one for goalie Joonas Korpisalo, the opening-night starter, was not available for purchase.
A few fans still donned the jerseys of the former Jackets. Erin Lynch, 25, drove up from Athens while wearing her roommate’s Panarin jersey because the New York Rangers — Panarin’s new team — are her favorite team. The Jackets are second, she said, because her favorite player is former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky.
“I almost think (the vibe) is ‘good riddance’ because those were the guys that didn’t want to be here and were kind of being babies about it when they were here,” Lynch said. “Especially Bob. That’s a good riddance. It hurts, but I think everyone’s ready to show that they’re better than they were when (Bobrovsky and Panarin) were here.”
Situated in front of a temporary stage from which WBNS-FM (97.1) was broadcasting live, Matt Rohrer of Westerville sported his autographed Bobrovsky jersey with pride as his wife, Kristen, wore her Alexander Wennberg jersey.
“I think he was one of the best players in franchise history for 7-8 years, so it’s tough that he left, but I’m going to support him and hopefully he passed on some wisdom to Korpi,” Matt said. “There’s no question we have some question marks about goaltender since we don’t have an established No. 1. I’m really excited to get it started this year.”
Finally, with DJ Lisa Blayde blaring Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony,” the fans began streaming into the arena at 5:29 p.m., leaving behind those jugglers, contortionists and, for some reason, a pair of evil clowns. “It’s our blue, and out of our blue, we rise,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in narrating the pregame hype video, punctuated with clips of players stating that they “wanted guys who wanted to be here” while words such as “loyalty” flashed on the screen.
Perhaps nowhere was that more evident that in a sign held by 15-year-old Brooke Durbin, a Millersport student who was attending the game with her dad, Bill.
“I turned down 6 boys for (homecoming) to spend the night with these 6!” it read.
“I think this is way more fun than homecoming,” she said with a smile.
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019
Michael Arace | Hype was too much to tame for Columbus Blue Jackets
By Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019
The hype video is an annual rite for sports teams. They’re polished through offseason months with the aim of making the previous season look wonderful, and to stoke hope that the new season will be even better. They are part and parcel of the pregame festivities that surround the home opener.
Here in Columbus, we’ve seen hype videos featuring terrible teams. Short films that should have been directed by Quentin Tarantino. Instead, they turn out looking like "The Incredibles."
This wasn’t “All Out, All Season” or “Ignite the Night.” There was a message beyond the theme.
“Out of Our Blue, We Rise” is the theme of the video that debuted on the Jumbotron in Nationwide Arena on Friday night. The video is narrated by growling general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and features defiant declarations from sniper Cam Atkinson, captain Nick Foligno and coach John Tortorella.
“Jarmo sounded real intense,” said Foligno, who had an advance screening.
The explicit message is, “We want guys who want to be here.” Jackets fans have been hearing this for months. Now, they can see it on the big board whenever the Jackets want to hit a certain button in the control room.
Good luck to Bread and Bob, and to Matt Duchene. Don’t let the door hit you on the way to your Florida tax haven, or Broadway — be it the one in New York or Nashville.
“We got this” is the implicit message.
We shall see.
Just about every hockey pundit in every corner of the world has the Jackets finishing last or next-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. The Jackets think they can come out of the blue and get back into the playoffs for a fourth year in a row.
Their first game, against the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of a packed house, was a stern test. The Leafs are among the most offensively gifted teams in the league. They’d played two exhibitions and their home opener over the previous seven days, and breezed through them, as the Jackets went through practice paces.
The Leafs had to feel well-oiled, limber and confident of two points as the Jackets did their walk down the blue carpet.
The Leafs drew away to a 4-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,776. They were not as dominant as the final score might indicate. That said, the four players to whom they dedicate half of their salary cap space — Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander — looked like a million bucks. Or 40 million. Marner had two goals and an assist, Matthews had a goal. Tavares had a pair of assists. Nylander had a helper.
“We developed some offense, yeah,” Tortorella said. “We just didn’t finish.”
The Jackets gave a dangerous team too many power plays (the Leafs were 2 of 5). They couldn’t quite match that efficiency with the man advantage (the Jackets were 1 of 5).
Just one game, as they say. There is still plenty of season to live up to the hype video. Maybe, it’s going to take a move to goose the offense. We shall see.
“I like the message,” Foligno said. “It shows we’re proud of our team, and our community, and those things will blend together. It shows our solidarity. That’s the way I look at it.”
The Jackets are right back at it Saturday night in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins are waiting for them.
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019
Blue Jackets drop second straight to open season, fall to Penguins
By Staff, FOX Sports Ohio – October 5, 2019
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jared McCann scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins had five goals in the second period to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2 on Saturday night.
Pittsburgh scored five goals on 14 second-period shots. The last time Pittsburgh scored five goals in a period came on Jan. 16, 2017 against Washington.
The Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin left in the second period and did not return with an undisclosed injury. He ran into D Kris Letang near center ice and awkwardly fell into the boards. Malkin, the 2012 NHL MVP, scored a power-play goal in the season-opening loss Thursday against Buffalo.
McCann tied a career high with three points. The other time came as a member of the Florida Panthers when he had a goal and two assists on March 20, 2018. McCann scored two goals once with Pittsburgh on March 23 last season against Dallas.
Patric Hornqvist scored twice and Letang had a power-play goal, while Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson also scored for Pittsburgh. Alex Galchenyuk, acquired from Arizona in a trade for Phil Kessel, recorded two assists for his first two points with Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby also had two assists.
Matt Murray made 28 saves and is now two wins from 100 in his NHL career.
Gustav Nyquist scored his first goal for Columbus and Zach Werenski scored for the Blue Jackets, who lost their second game in as many days. Columbus lost its season-opener 4-1 to Toronto at home. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 31 shots in his NHL debut.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring at 1:45 of the second when Hornqvist tipped Jack Johnson’s point shot past Merzlikins. The Penguins took a 2-0 lead 2:29 later when Pettersson’s shot from the top of the left circle caromed off Merzlikins’ glove and behind the line.
Not long after Pittsburgh’s second goal, Werenski was left alone at the right side of the crease and cut the Blue Jackets’ deficit in half.
But the Penguins regained their two-goal cushion, 3-1, two minutes later when McCann sent a blocker-side wrist shot behind Merzlikins during a two-on-one. McCann scored his second of the game 14 seconds after a fighting major to Crosby. McCann took a backhand pass from Galchenyuk at the blueline and sent another blocker-side wrist shot past Merzlikins.
Letang scored Pittsburgh’s fifth goal of the second period with 1.2 seconds to play. He beat Merzlikins with a slap shot from the right faceoff dot.
NOTES: Crosby passed Larry Murphy for sole possession of 42nd-place on the NHL’s all-time points list with 1,218. … Werenski, with 39 goals, is two from the Blue Jackets’ record for most by a defenseman. … Murray has nine wins in 12 games all-time against Columbus. … Pittsburgh has won eight straight home games against Columbus and 16 of 20 all- time. … The Penguins have won eight of their last 10 games against Columbus. … Brandon Tanev and Dominik Kahun, acquired in the offseason, recorded their first points with Pittsburgh. foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 10.06.2019
Portzline: 10 observations after the Blue Jackets’ 7-2 loss in Pittsburgh
By Aaron Portzline, The Athletic – October 5, 2019
PITTSBURGH — Ten observations from the Blue Jackets’ 7-2 loss to Pittsburgh in PPG Paints Arena:
1. Oh, Elvis
Before Saturday’s game, the burning question was whether the Blue Jackets would dare send rookie goaltender Elvis Merzlikins out to make his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
By the end of a nightmarish second period, you had to wonder if Merzlikins would be out for the third.
Merzlikins did finish the game, but not before allowing all seven goals in the loss. It’s the kind of game that could easily shatter a young goaltender’s confidence.
With red eyes and a quiet voice, Merzlikins took all the blame in the dressing room. To be fair, the Blue Jackets played an awful game in front of him. But to be honest, Merzlikins allowed at least four or five goals on shots that an NHL goaltender is expected to stop.
“I should save the team,” Merzlikins said. “When the team does mistakes, I’m the last man there. It’s my job to save them. I didn’t do that tonight.”
Merzlikins recalled a 14-0 loss he endured while playing for Latvia in the World Junior Championships six years ago.
“But then I was young; it was world juniors,” he said. “It wasn’t NHL. Here is serious. I messed up and I learn and I work. I’m going to try to get better.
“Now I’m a grown man. I understand, and I take responsibility. I understand where I did my mistakes. I get too many goals through my arms.”
It wasn’t the worst outing in Blue Jackets history. Steve Mason, Marc Denis and Sergei Bobrovsky (twice) each gave up eight goals in a single game.
But it did bring back memories of Denis’ NHL debut with the expansion Blue Jackets way back in 2000, when he suffered a 7-1 loss to Los Angeles in Nationwide Arena. It was the second game in Blue Jackets history. It was a rough night all around. Coach Dave King got smacked in the face with the puck while standing on the bench. Ah, memories.
2. Why leave Merzlikins in to endure all that? Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella acknowledged that he spent most of the second intermission weighing whether he wanted to send Merzlikins out for the third.
The Penguins scored five goals on 14 shots in the second, with no promise that the ice wouldn’t continue to be similarly tilted in the third period. They were just blitzing the Blue Jackets with odd-man rushes, glorious scoring chances off horrendous breakdowns, etc.
“I think I’m beginning to understand (Merzlikins). He’s a great competitor and a really good kid,” Tortorella said. “He wants to do well. I didn’t talk to him. I just thought the best decision for him was to let him keep on trying to play.
“I don’t think we gave him much help at all in the last 20 to 25 minutes. This is a group thing. For a pretty unique position, a goaltender, this is a lesson for him. I think it’s going to help him in the long run.”
Merzlikins made it clear that he agreed with Tortorella’s decision. He wanted to finish. The Blue Jackets were outshot 16-6 in the third period.
“Third period, I played against myself,” Merzlikins said. “It’s good that he didn’t pull me out. Still, the goalie doesn’t have any confidence in this game when you give up so many goals … you have to learn to get back up on your feet and get your head up.
Merzlikins also made a vow about the next time he’s called on to play in Pittsburgh:
“Next time, when I’m going to come here to this arena, if I’m going to play, I’m going to win that game for sure.”
3. Picking up the pieces
When the final horn sounded, several players came out to greet Merzlikins as he skated out of his crease. There were hugs, pats on the back and a long talk from captain Nick Foligno before he left the ice.
Every player in the room knows how meaningful an NHL debut is, how badly a player wants to contribute and prove he belongs, especially at the goaltender’s position.
“It’s awful,” Foligno said. “There’s a lot of things he did really well tonight, especially early on in the game. I just think once you start getting that many shots at you, and Grade A (chances), too, he’s probably wondering where it’s all coming from.
“That’s disappointing on our end to play that way in front of him. He’s been working hard and deserved that opportunity.”
There were watch parties planned in Merzlikin’s native Latvia, even though the game didn’t start until 2 a.m. local time there. He’s only the fourth goaltender from Latvia to play in an NHL game.
“I know he probably feels bad right now, but he shouldn’t,” center Pierre-Luc Dubois said. “He stayed in there. We gave up way too many scoring chances.”
It was particularly devastating, Tortorella said, because Merzlikins looked so calm and controlled in the first period. He saved all 10 shots on goal.
“He looked really calm, just the way he handled the puck outside the net, stopped some wraparounds, broke us out (of the defensive zone) …” Tortorella said. “I thought he was right there, but it’s an unforgiving league.”
4. Dubois, Sidney Crosby drop the gloves
As the puck rimmed around in the Blue Jackets’ zone, Dubois skated along the wall and blasted Penguins forward Jake Guentzel near the Pittsburgh bench, getting him up high and nearly dislodging his helmet.
The choppiness continued down the ice, with Crosby and Dubois coming together in the neutral zone, Dubois crosschecking Crosby as they skated into the Penguins’ zone, and Crosby turning around to tie up Dubois. Within seconds, Crosby’s gloves were in the air. Dubois followed, though it wasn’t much of a fight. Give Crosby the decision for the takedown. Dubois threw only one punch, a heavy right that didn’t hit the target.
“It was a hockey play,” Dubois said. “He just asked me if I wanted to go. Nothing was going on in the game, so I figured, why not?”
It was Dubois’ second NHL fight. As a rookie, he fought Boston’s Charlie McAvoy on Dec. 18, 2017.
Crosby has had eight fighting majors in the NHL, his last two against the Blue Jackets. On Feb. 19, 2015, he fought Brandon Dubinsky, also here in Pittsburgh.
5. Eleven consecutive losses in Pittsburgh
All talk of this being a rivalry has been temporarily suspended until the series becomes more competitive.
The Blue Jackets, counting regular season and playoffs, are now 0-8-3 in Pittsburgh since early in the 2015-16 season. That includes a 0-5-3 regular-season mark and three playoff losses during the 2017 postseason.
Tortorella won his first game here as Blue Jackets coach, a 2-1 win on Nov. 13, 2015. He’s 0-8-3 since.
The Jackets are 2-10-3 overall against the Penguins — home and away, regular season and playoffs — since late in the 2016-17 season.
6. Not much time to get it together
The Blue Jackets have faced Toronto and Pittsburgh, two of the NHL’s most high-powered offenses, in the first two games.
But a 4-1 loss to Toronto on Friday and this loss to Pittsburgh are, at best, a wake-up call and, at worst, a harbinger of a very long season to come.
“The most important thing now is how we handle it,” Tortorella said. “It’s an opportunity for us right away at the beginning of this year to teach about patience, to teach about how we have to play.”
In 2016-17, the Blue Jackets lost their first two games to Boston (6-3) and San Jose (3-2). Then they had a six-day break between games in which to run a mini-training camp.
There’s no such break right now, though. The Blue Jackets are back in action Monday in Nationwide Arena against a Buffalo club that’s out of the game with a 2-0 record after wins over Pittsburgh and New Jersey.
7. Whose lines are they, anyway?
Tortorella made two switches on defense for this game, putting Dean Kukan and Vladislav Gavrikov together on the third pair and sitting Markus Nutivaara and Scott Harrington.
He made no changes at forward — Sonny Milano was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game — but he did tweak the lines.
Gustav Nyquist moved up to the first line with Dubois and Cam Atkinson, while rookie Alexandre Texier slid to Nyqvist’s old spot with Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
For what it’s worth, Foligno led the Blue Jackets with seven shots and eight hits.
8. It could have been worse … much worse
The Penguins generated 40 shots on goal, but it seemed like they created at least that many scoring chances.
The Blue Jackets’ goal of “staying above the puck” and limiting primo chances on their goaltenders is off to an auspicious start. The Penguins had several odd-man rushes, several times when they swirled in the attack zone as the Blue Jackets gave chase. The Blue Jackets spent the first two weeks of training camp doing almost nothing but skating, so the speed at which they move should not be an issue.
And yet they looked incredibly slow compared with Pittsburgh. The Penguins threw blind passes right on their teammates’ sticks, while Blue Jackets players gathered the puck with no support or passing options.
The Penguins scored three goals in the span of seven minutes early in the second period, and the wheels came off. David Savard made a save behind Merzlikins in one instance.
The Blue Jackets trailed 2-0 before Zach Werenski scored his first of the year at 6:45 of the second, and 7-1 before Nyquist scored late in the third.
9. Center struggles
Yeah, the goalies have struggled. But the Blue Jackets’ play at center ice has been a problem, too.
None of the top three centers — Dubois, Wennberg or Boone Jenner — have scored a point in the first two games, and they’re a combined minus-6. (Minus-4 of that belongs to Jenner.)
There have been bright spots. Wennberg has won 16 of 25 (64 percent) faceoffs, Jenner has had five shots on goal and three clean looks at the goaltender, and Riley Nash had two assists against Pittsburgh.
But it’s not nearly enough against two teams with elite center depth.
Toronto strutted into Nationwide with John Tavares and Auston Matthew down the middle, while the Penguins boast Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their top two lines.
10. Jack Johnson looked rejuvenated
The former Blue Jackets defenseman has had a tough time since signing with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2018. Penguins fans have been on him hard, there was talk of a trade attempt earlier this month, and there was plenty of conjecture that he’d be a healthy scratch to start the season.
But Johnson had one of his better nights with the Penguins on Saturday, at the expense of his old mates. Johnson assisted on the game’s first goal, a deflection by Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist.
He was also plus-3 with a team-high five shots on goal and one blocked shot, playing 18:08.
The Athletic’s hockey data dynamo Alison Lukan provided these insights into the Blue Jackets’ loss:
Lots of postgame talk from players and Tortorella of patience lost and how that allowed Pittsburgh to capitalize. The Penguins did indeed do just that. They controlled the on-ice play in terms of five-on-five scoring chances (65.21 percent), shot quality (60.5 percent expected goals) and overall shot attempts (61.46 percent).
“Finish” remained an issue for Columbus, but overall shot quality dropped as well. According to MoneyPuck.com, the final expected goal total was 2.77 to 1.52 in favor of Pittsburgh. The best chance the Blue Jackets got all night was Zach Werenski’s shot in the second that became a goal. It had a 20.7 percent chance of resulting in a score. No other shot attempt came in higher than a 13 percent chance.
The strongest individual performance came from Nash. In 12 minutes of ice time, he provided the primary setup on both goals and had the highest game score of any Blue Jackets player (2.42).
Merzlikins saw 68 shot attempts against. Seven got past him. According to Corsica.hockey, he was 9.6 percent off his expected save percentage, and 3.8 goals below expectations.
Data via MoneyPuck.com, Evolving-Hockey.com and NaturalStatTrick.com, and reflects score- and venue-adjusted five- on-five play unless otherwise stated.
The Athletic LOADED: 10.06.2019 Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2-1 breakdown vs. Penguins
By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – October 6, 2019
PITTSBURGH — It was fine starting out.
The Blue Jackets took a couple of more ill-advised penalties in the first period Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena, but they were locked in a 0-0 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins after 20 minutes.
Then?
Well, let’s allow rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins to begin the explanation of what happened next.
“I think in the first period, I played well,” he said, referring to his impressive 10-for-10 performance in the opening period. “I just had … blackout in the second.”
He wasn’t the only one.
As Merzlikins struggled to stop pucks in the period, allowing five of the seven goals he was charged with in the Jackets’ 7-2 loss, the Blue Jackets didn’t do him many favors — losing their composure and allowing a talented team to pick them apart with a series of odd-man rushes.
“When you open yourselves up, that’s what happens against a team like that,” captain Nick Foligno said. “We got a lot of good minutes in there. It’s weird to say that, but we did some good things. It’s just the patience I’m talking about. It’s understanding how we need to play and being OK with a 1-0 game or a 0-0 game for 59 minutes, if it has to be that, and sticking with it.”
They didn’t stick with it, got pasted because of it and now have their backs to the wall with an 0-2-0 record with the Buffalo Sabres (2-0-0) dropping by for a visit Monday.
There is no time for the Blue Jackets to wallow in this, but there is enough time to take a closer look at what happened here with a 3-2-1 breakdown … three takeaways, two questions and one more thing for good measure.
Three takeaways
1) Growing pains
It was apparent from the first goal he allowed in the Traverse City Prospects Tournament prior to the start of training camp. Merzlikins has a long way to go to make the full adjustment to not only playing in smaller rinks but against much better shooters.
The Blue Jackets went out of their way to say the blowout loss to the Penguins wasn’t pinned on their rookie goalie, and they’re right to an extent, but Merzlikins — who allowed 10 goals in three preseason appearances (two starts) — allowed a number of goals that could’ve been stopped.
The biggest problem areas, especially in this game, appear to be shots aimed over the glove and at the spaces between his arms and torso. Merzlikins talked openly about his rough night and said he will continue to put in hard work to improve.
Coach John Tortorella, meanwhile, had a tough choice to make after the five-goal second period — give the rookie a mercy pull or let him keep fighting in the third.
“I thought about it all through the intermission, but I think I’m beginning to understand him,” Tortorella said. “He’s a great competitor. He’s a really good kid. He wants to do well. I didn’t talk to him. I just thought the best decision was to let him keep on trying to play … it’s a lesson for him, which I think is going to help him in the long run.”
2) Teachable moments After a 7-2 blowout loss, there were surely those who expected Tortorella to be fuming in his postgame news conference. He was just the opposite, though, keeping a calm demeanor while explaining that games like this are teaching opportunities for teams like his — which have a lot of youth and inexperience on the roster.
“We knew there were going to be lessons like this for us, and the most important thing now is how we handle it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for us, right away at the beginning of this year, to teach about patience, to teach about how we have to play — and hopefully we’ll go about it the right way.”
3) The challenge within
The guy who was seething afterward was Pierre-Luc Dubois, who uttered some insightful words through gritted teeth in his postgame interview.
He is tired of talking about former teammates Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin leaving as free agents, tired of hearing there isn’t enough talent left behind to win games and tired of what he sees as a team that needs a shot of self- esteem.
“I mean, it’s not a shock,” Dubois said of the Jackets’ meltdown in the second. “We just have to have that mindset that we’re a good team. We talk about, every day, we talk about … losing Bob, losing Bread. We’re a (expletive) good team. We’ve just got to believe in it, you know? It’s frustrating getting out there and, it’s kind of like, those are the words that we tell ourselves, but we have a good team. We have good players.”
He wasn’t finished.
“I think it’s enough talking about who we lost,” he said. “It happened. Who cares? We’re a team here. We have good players. I mean, we lose some guys … everybody lose(s) some guys at some point. We’ve just got to believe in our team, you know?”
Two questions
1) What’s with the penalties?
The Blue Jackets were only short-handed 200 times last season, which was the lowest number in the NHL. This season, they have already been penalized 11 times in the first two games combined and have been short-handed nine times — allowing three power-play goals.
That’s a 66.7 percent success rate killing penalties, which is one reason the first two games turned out the way they did. Aside from the goals, taking that many penalties against teams like the Maple Leafs and Penguins is asking for trouble.
That’s a situation that needs to be addressed and it’s fair to wonder why the Jackets are parading to the penalty box so much now.
2) Did anything good happen?
Captain Nick Foligno even surprised himself when the words came out of his mouth after the game, but nonetheless he backed them up.
“We got a lot of good minutes in there,” he said. “It’s weird to say that, but we did some good things.”
Tortorella agreed.
“I thought our first 25 to 30 minutes or so, I thought we were fast,” he said. “I thought we were right there.”
Then, the wheels came off. All of them. All at the same time, followed by the hood, the doors and even the windshield wipers. Lost in the spiral downward, there were a few positives for the Blue Jackets to take back to Columbus. Zach Werenski, for instance, scored his first goal of the season by putting himself in a good spot to score off a rebound from the right circle — and Gus Nyquist scored his first goal in a Blue Jackets uniform, after the game was a washout.
There was also David Savard’s desperation save on a loose puck in the crease, along with another one by Seth Jones to prevent a goal. There were some good things in this game, but you had to look a lot closer than the night before against Toronto.
One more thing to know
Dubois, who gave Sidney Crosby a tap with a crosscheck, was asked what led to his fight with the Penguins captain — whom he admired as a kid while Crosby starred in the Quebec Major Junior League.
“I don’t know,” Dubois said. “He was a hockey player. He just asked me if I wanted to go and nothing was going on in the game, so I figured why not.”
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.07.2019
Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel joins circle of Sabres captains, delivers signature performance in win
By Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
With 15 former Buffalo Sabres captains standing in a circle at center ice in KeyBank Center, play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret introduced the latest cornerstone of the franchise.
Jack Eichel emerged from the tunnel to a raucous ovation, raised his stick in the air to salute the sold-out crowd of 19,070 and stood next to Gilbert Perreault for the pregame ceremony to celebrate the Sabres' 50th year in the National Hockey League.
"A moment I’ll never forget, going out there with some of those guys," Eichel beamed afterward. "Being able to stand in the same circle as them was a tremendous honor."
Eichel proceeded to have a performance that surely made his fellow captains proud. The 22-year-old finished with two points, including the Sabres' second goal, during a resounding 7-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Four other Sabres scored at least one goal and Carter Hutton made 18 saves, giving Buffalo back-to-back wins to start the season for the first time since 2013.
Eichel led a power play that converted on each of its first three opportunities and was the catalyst to what new coach Ralph Krueger has called a new brand of Sabres hockey.
"I think we wanted to come out and show the fans what it’s going to be like this year and the type of product we want to put on the ice," Eichel said. "Get them excited for the season, and I think we did a pretty good job of that tonight. It’s all about consistency in this league. We just want to keep doing it every night and make this a hard place to try to come in and play."
The start of the game was delayed until 7:22 p.m., because two zambonis were forced to resurface the ice following pregame festivities. However, the Sabres said the wait only seemed to fuel their excitement. Eichel drew a holding penalty at 1:35 into the game and didn't take long to help them take the lead. Eichel collected the puck from Rasmus Dahlin near the opposing blue line, skated toward the bottom of the right-wing circle and sent a cross-ice pass to Victor Olofsson, who scored the first of his two power-play goals with a wrist shot at 2:56 into the game.
Eichel pushed the lead to 2-0 at 17:26 into the first period, when a successful forecheck by Olofsson and a heads-up poke check by Jeff Skinner sent the puck to the slot without a Devils defender nearby. Eichel shot it into the net to beat goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
"I knew Jack was going to have a good night tonight, that's for sure," defenseman Jake McCabe said of Eichel. "He takes a ton of pride wearing that C. He's our leader on this team. We had a good start and fed off the crowd all night."
Eichel also contributed on Olofsson's second goal, which pushed the lead to 5-1 in the second period, by signaling the rookie winger to skate toward the net on the power play and sending another tape-to-tape pass across the ice. Olofsson then attempted a pass that was broken up by a Devils defender, but he collected the puck and shot the puck between Blackwood's legs at 13:33.
"I feel like he's probably one of the better passers in this league," Olofsson said of Eichel. "I just try to find the open ice and he found me a lot of times."
Eichel's 19:47 of ice time ranked second among all Sabres forwards behind Sam Reinhart. Their second-year captain also won 8 of 16 faceoffs and had three shots on goal among six attempts. He was even credited with two blocked shots for Buffalo, which has outscored its first two opponents, 10-3, and outshot the Devils, 36-20.
Reinhart scored two goals, Skinner had his first of the season and Kyle Okposo's goal at 2:49 into the second period pushed the Sabres' lead back to two. Eichel has set the tone in each of the first two games. His play away from the puck has shown remarkable improvement under Krueger, and his skills are as tantalizing as ever.
Eichel wasn't pleased with his play the second half of the last season, despite him finishing with career highs in goals (28), assists (54) and points (82). He wants to shot the puck more this season, his fifth since being drafted second overall by the Sabres, and to prove he's among the best scorers in the NHL. Eichel's play exemplifies how Krueger wants the Sabres to perform: fast and furious.
"I thought that our leaders right through the game with their entire actions, whether it was on the bench or on the ice, they were all in on sticking with what we're trying to do here," Krueger said. "Jack, of course, is a leader and the way he's executing on the ice helps in the process tremendously, but we really had a full team performance today."
Eichel also skated on a special-teams unit that killed two Devils power plays and Buffalo had a 5-on-5 shot differential of 51.72 percent. He and his teammates were quick to remind the media that this was only the second game of the season. Okposo said, "Let's not plan the parade right now."
However, it's also important to note the Sabres went almost four months last season without winning consecutive games. They haven't pieced together back-to-back impressive defensive performance like this in quite some time, and their speed has overwhelmed the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Devils center Jack Hughes, who was drafted first overall in June, was held to two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating. Three of New Jersey's four forward lines were mostly ineffective. Though the Sabres' chaotic October schedule continues Monday, they left KeyBank Center on Saturday with confidence that an identity has been forged under Krueger's leadership, led by their captain.
"It was great to see them react the way they did and the amount of energy that was in the building tonight was tremendous," Eichel said of the crowd. "We felt it on the bench. We were talking about it. It's a special place to play. ... Try to recreate that as much as possible this season."
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
The Wraparound: Sabres 7, Devils 2
By Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
Ralph Krueger has only been in Buffalo for four months, yet the Sabres' coach received a raucous ovation when he was introduced to the KeyBank Center crowd by Rick Jeanneret during pregame festivities Saturday.
Krueger's popularity likely grew significantly among Sabres fans over the 60 minutes of hockey that followed. His new- look Sabres, buoyed by a rookie winger and four significant offseason additions, proceeded to show they're ahead of schedule in their quest to be a more dangerous team in 2019-20.
Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart scored twice, and Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner each added their first goals of the season, in a 7-2 win over the New Jersey Devils to open the Sabres' home schedule. Buffalo is 2-0 to start the season for the first time since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 and winning back-to-back games is a feat in and of itself.
The Sabres went almost four months last season without winning consecutive games.
Goalofsson: Olofsson formed instant chemistry with Eichel upon being recalled from Rochester last March. That has continued at the start of the season, as illustrated by the Sabres' first goal of their home schedule.
During an impressive power play in the first period, Eichel sent a cross-ice pass to Olofsson, whose wrist shot from the left circle went over goalie Mackenzie Blackwood's glove for a 1-0 lead at 2:56 into the first period. The goal was Olofsson's first of the season.
Captain Jack: Eichel pushed the lead to 2-0 when he quickly shot a loose puck into the net at 17:26 into the game. However, Olofsson made the goal possible by preventing New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson from reaching a loose puck behind the net.
The puck hit the boards and ricocheted back towards the net, where Jeff Skinner managed to direct it to Eichel in the slot. The goal was Eichel's first of the season.
Fast first period: The Sabres out-shot the Devils, 14-4, during the first period by preventing clean breakout passes and playing sound defensively in the neutral zone. Jack Hughes had only one shot on goal, and New Jersey's only quality scoring chance came at 6:54 when Carter Hutton knocked down Jesper Boqvist's wrist shot from the slot.
The Devils gave up six consecutive goals dating back to their 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg on Friday night.
Quick answer: New Jersey needed only 37 seconds to score in the second period. Taylor Hall's center pass was one- timed into the top-right corner of the net by Kyle Palmieri to cut the Sabres' lead to 2-1.
Close call: Kyle Okposo had another strong game for the Sabres and scored his first goal of the season with a backhanded tip off Rasmus Dahlin's shot at 2:49 into the second period for a 3-1 lead.
Hutton stands tall: Carter Hutton received a second consecutive start in goal and withstood an impressive Devils power play in the second period. Hutton made a toe save on Wayne Simmonds and managed to stay in front of a puck redirected by Palmieri.
New linemates: Skinner didn't have to wait long for his first goal of the season. The recent recipient of an eight-year contract received a cross-ice pass from Marcus Johansson and beat Blackwood with a high wrist shot for a 4-1 lead at 8:57 into the second period.
Powerful power play: The Sabres scored on three of their four power-play opportunities against the Devils, capped by Olofsson's second goal of the game. The 24-year-old winger received a pass from Eichel and collected his own rebound before beating Blackwood with a shot between the legs for a 5-1 lead. Retaliation: Simmonds took exception to Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe's body check on Hall, who immediately left the ice to be examined by the Devils' training staff. Simmonds and McCabe tangled between the two teams' benches for several seconds before they were separated by the officials.
Simmonds received a double-minor for roughing and McCabe was penalized two minutes for roughing. Additionally, Okposo and P.K. Subban were both assessed 10-minute misconduct penalties.
Quick goal: Travis Zajac scored 58 seconds into the third period on a wrist shot over Hutton's blocker.
Bar down: Reinhart scored his first of the season at 3:56 with a high shot that went over Blackwood's head and into the net for a 6-2 lead. Reinhart added a second goal on a breakaway with 3:41 remaining in regulation.
Lineup decisions: Forward Evan Rodrigues and defenseman John Gilmour were healthy scratches for a second consecutive game.
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
Everything old and new was golden for Sabres in home opener
By Mike Harrington, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
We walk by the picture every night when we exit the elevator to enter the press box. A classic old black and white that's an iconic moment in Sabres history.
It's the first ceremonial faceoff at Memorial Auditorium, from Oct. 15, 1970. Seymour Knox III in the middle dropping the puck between Floyd Smith and Montreal legend Jean Beliveau. A young Rick Azar watching from behind while serving as the night's emcee.
Smith is 84 now, still living in the Southtowns. Still proudly reflecting on his time in the Sabres' infant years to their ascendancy when he was the coach of the 1975 Stanley Cup finalists. And still smiling when he's asked about that one moment in time with Beliveau.
What does he remember about that faceoff?
"I won it," a beaming Smith said as reporters laughed a couple of hours before Saturday night's home opener in KeyBank Center. "He let me win it. It was neat. You don't think as much about it then as you do now, how important it was. Mr. Knox and Norty Knox were there too. It was something."
The iconic Floyd Smith-Jean Beliveau picture that hangs in the Sabres press box from the home opener in 1970.
Saturday night was something from start to finish. This entire season is going to be about connecting the Sabres' often- glorious and often-tumultuous past to its present. And they hit it out of the park in every way in the home opener.
The 7-2 destruction of the New Jersey Devils was preceded by a Blue and Gold carpet ceremony outside featuring 15 of the team's former captains. The legends came inside to be introduced before the game -- and Smith got to drop the puck for the faceoff this time, between Jack Eichel and New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene.
If you're old enough to remember Memorial Auditorium, you remember what the roar sounded like on so many nights when we were all down the street. And most of you remember the roar in this building from 2006 and 2007.
Old sure met new Saturday night. It was 5-1 through two periods and this baby was history. The Sabres had three power-play goals. They have 10 goals and 77 shots on goal while starting 2-0 for the first time since 2013. This isn't the French Connection or the Scary Goods but there were times they made you wonder. Brian Campbell was in the building as part of the pregame ceremony. Where was R.J. Umberger? It was shades of 2006 on one shift in the second period as Rasmus Ristolainen leveled Miles Wood and then defense partner Jake McCabe absolutely destroyed Taylor Hall a few seconds later.
New Jersey winger Wayne Simmonds then decided to play tough guy and go after McCabe. Whatever. By then, the building was up for grabs and the crowd was roaring like it did during that double-overtime thriller over the Philadelphia Flyers 13 1/2 years ago.
"He was coming to hit me so I was bracing for that and trying to do a little 'Risto' like he did right before that," McCabe said. "Playing with a lot of energy and a lot of passion, we were having a blast out there. Line after line, play after play."
Did McCabe notice the crowd at that point? How could he not?
"Yeah man, you just get goosebumps. That’s all I can really say to describe the feeling," he said. "You get goosebumps, you’re smiling, you’re happy – that’s what hockey’s all about right there. That’s why we play the game."
Now, the appropriate disclaimer: This feels different for sure but don't christen anything yet. We all saw how things went last season after November. The last time the Sabres started a season 2-0, Lindy Ruff got fired less than a month later.
"We've got a long way to go. It's game two. We've got 80 left," cautioned Kyle Okposo. "Let's not plan the parade right now. We're just going to keep continuing to grow as a team."
Still, perhaps other than being asked to pay the shameful price of $8.75 for one slice of pizza at the concession stands, I can't imagine a fan having one iota of complaint about what they saw downtown Saturday night.
Sabretooth rappelled from the roof to start the pregame festivities, just like he used to do. Rick Jeanneret opened his 49th season at home by getting a standing ovation when he was introduced to start narrating the ceremony.
"Now you know why I love my job," intoned Jeanneret, still as popular as ever as he nears 80.
Fifteen captains on hand were greeted warmly. There were chants of "Luuuuuuce" for Don Luce and "Stuuuuuu" for Stu Barnes. Jason Pominville got a huge roar and Gilbert Perreault got the biggest ovation of all, as he should nearly 32 years after his retirement.
Every former captain was invited. Some, like Ruff and Chris Drury, are working and were unavailable. Mike Ramsey was bummed at FanFest when he told us he had a wedding to attend and could not make it. Alexander Mogilny sent regards from Russia. And for the many of you asking, deposed team president Pat LaFontaine was invited.
I'm told LaFontaine quickly and politely declined. It's worth noting one of the beautiful giant banners hanging in the pavilion is a shot of LaFontaine scoring the goal that closed Memorial Auditorium. And during a timeout in the third period, there was a video with comments from Jay McKee and Brad May about their former captain. That should end the narrative the organization is going to ignore him this year.
(An aside here: Danny Gare's pregame imitation of Jeanneret in the radio booth spreading his arms and telling everyone to be quiet while he started the "La-La-La-La-LaFontaine" call was hilarious.)
The team's snazzy Golden Season anniversary jerseys were worn by the captains and the 50 season ticket-holders brought on the ice for them to walk through. The current players love the look, including the white gloves.
The "Earl of Bud" was brought back to dance like it was the 90s at the Aud and Pilot Field. The pregame video compilation was wonderful and most timeouts stuck to hockey too instead of getting lost in sponsored silliness.
The current team played a golden game too. Relentless on the attack. Overpowering on the power play. Physical. The clutch goaltending needed in a couple spots from Carter Hutton. So far, it's a lovefest: In Ralph Krueger They Trust. The fans counted for more goals like they were still in the Aud. By the third period, they were starting the "Let's Go Buffalo" that's part of the Bills "Shout" song.
It was quite a night. How happy everyone will be if the alumni get to see many more like it this season.
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
Former Sabres Stu Barnes, Gerry Meehan see bright future for NHL in Seattle
By Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
Commemorative t-shirts were draped over each of the seats inside KeyBank Center, large banners featuring past Sabres hung from the ceiling in the arena's atrium and 15 former captains were serenaded by fans during a blue-carpet ceremony to celebrate the franchise's 50 years in the National Hockey League before puck drop Saturday night.
On the first night of the Sabres' season-long celebration, former captain Stu Barnes and his fellow former captains spoke glowingly of their time in Buffalo and the fans who packed KeyBank Center or Memorial Auditorium. The Sabres have become a model of success for expansion in the NHL. Their fans are regarded as some of the most passionate around the league, and they quickly became contenders upon drafting Gilbert Perreault first overall in 1970.
Some expansion teams that followed weren't as fortunate, yet the NHL is expanding to 32 teams following the 2020-21 season. Barnes is among the men and women helping build a foundation for Seattle to thrive once it begins play. The team does not have a nickname or any players, however, Barnes and another former Sabres captain familiar with hockey in the Pacific Northwest expressed confidence in its long-term viability.
"They have a long history there with the Thunderbirds and the Everett Silvertips just north of there," Barnes, who was hired as a pro scout by Seattle's expansion team last month, said. "It’s a good hockey state. Not one that probably pops to mind when you talk about hockey nationwide, but it is. There’s an interest there. They love their Seahawks, love their sports teams. I think once it gets up and running and by the looks of everything it’s going to be a first-class operation. They’re going to do things right. Hopefully they have a lot of success and long-term they’re very successful there."
Barnes, who played for the Sabres from 1998-2003, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars and will begin his duties with the Seattle franchise this season. He was attracted to the opportunity because his friend and former teammate, Ron Francis, was named the team's first general manager, and Barnes' wife, Julie, is from Washington state. The couple spends time in the area each offseason.
Barnes was also a member of the Florida Panthers during their expansion season in 1993-94, when he scored 18 goals among 39 points in 59 games. He was one of five scouts named to Seattle's staff last month, joining former NHL defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, Olympian Cammi Granato, longtime scout Dave Hunter and former Ontario Hockey League coach John Goodwin.
Seattle won't have the benefit of entering the league with low expectations in 2021-22. Vegas was an instant success by reaching the Stanley Cup final during its expansion season in 2017-18. There will be pressure on Francis to build a roster that can at least contend.
"I know the state and the city well," Barnes, 48, said of what attracted him to the job. "Of course, when Ronnie’s name surfaced and came up that was really interesting to me. Having played with him and knowing him, I know what a tremendous leader he is. I know what a good person he is. What a first-class guy he is. To be part of something as it builds is really intriguing and hopefully we can all do our little part to help that franchise be successful." Gerry Meehan didn't want to go to Seattle in 1969. The left winger had already played 37 games in the National Hockey League, spending most of the previous season with the Phoenix Roadrunners. Meehan thought he was ready to make an impact at the highest level.
Yet, Meehan joined the Seattle Totems of the semiprofessional Western Hockey League for the 1969-70 season. The then-23-year-old forward scored 23 goals among 53 points in 67 games that season, which ended with the Totems having a 30-35-8 record.
"I think there was a good, solid hockey core," Meehan, who played for the Sabres from 1970-75, recalled. "That was a good league. There were a lot of veteran players in it. Very few young guys. It was a fan-based league. It was entertaining hockey. Skilled hockey. I played in the minors the year before in the central league, but that was mostly young guys. This was a combination of youth and veterans. It was a good learning process."
The Totems folded following the 1975 season because the NHL awarded the city with an expansion franchise, though the offer was later pulled by the league. Meehan was selected by the Sabres in the 1970 expansion draft and scored 24 goals among 55 points during his first season in Buffalo. He served as team captain from 1971-74 and later returned to the franchise as an assistant general manager and general manager.
Meehan witnessed the Sabres become a part of the fabric of the Buffalo community. Though he did not spend much time in Seattle, he was impressed with the city's fan base.
"It’s meant to be," Meehan said of Seattle receiving an NHL expansion team. "It should be. It fits. Geographically it fits. It’s the right population base. It has lots of money. Why not? People came to the games. They were enthusiastic. They liked the game and were knowledgeable. It was a big, west coast city."
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
When it comes to the Maple Leafs, there won't be any dull moments this season
By Mike Harrington, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
The preseason view from here is that the Toronto Maple Leafs are finally going to figure it out come spring and have a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in which they haven't won a single series since 2004.
But what a long and winding road it figures to be.
Implosion from within is always going to be a danger in media-crazy Toronto, where the Leafs have already endured plenty of controversy to start their season but still rolled to nine goals and victories in their first two games.
Auston Matthews' foolish summer incident with a female security guard in Arizona came to light last week as the team was ready to name a captain, and the months-long captain discussion really blew up when it was determined the club found out about the incident when it broke on Twitter and not from Matthews himself.
John Tavares was given the "C" at the opener in a decision the club insists was already made before the revelations. And while that might be true, there's always going to be a what-if segment of the fan base wondering if last year's captain- less season was supposed to be a grooming of Matthews that was derailed when he ran off the straight-and-narrow path.
Then came opening night, when coach Mike Babcock sent a message to GM Kyle Dubas by scratching veteran Jason Spezza, a signing he didn't like, for the opener in Spezza's hometown of Toronto. Dubas and Babcock insist their relationship is fine, despite what's painfully obvious to any observer. Babcock didn't appreciate getting backup goalie Garret Sparks shoved down his throat by Dubas last season after Sparks led the Toronto Marlies to a Calder Cup, and veteran Curtis McElhinney was claimed on waivers and thrived in Carolina. Bad move by the Boy Wonder GM. Still, power plays by the coach are never a good idea when a ready-made candidate such as Sheldon Keefe waits in the wings in the AHL. As for Spezza, Babcock came up with the lame excuse that the 36- year-old needed more work on the penalty kill. That's an area Spezza hasn't been involved in much the last five years, but I'm sure he'd pick it up fine.
Tweeted NHL veteran and Babcock adversary Mike Commodore: "Folks ... Spezza is a very well-respected longtime NHL veteran ... he signs with his hometown team, has a good camp ... playing in Leafs home opener against his former team is a big deal for him ... Babcock scratches Spezza. Textbook scumbag move from the biggest fraud in the game."
Ouch. Of course, it didn't matter on the ice as the Leafs won their first two games by a combined 9-4 and looked every bit as good as people figure they'll be this season. And that included Spezza's performance Friday in Columbus that drew raves from Babcock – who promptly scratched Spezza again for Saturday's visit by Montreal while he continues to sort through his fourth-line options.
So through all the sideshows, the Leafs have been killing it so far on the ice and on social media. When Tavares came on the ice as the last player and wearing the "C," the team tweeted a video showing how he found out the news – with the letter on a jersey of his infant son, Jace, who had clandestinely been brought downtown by Tavares' wife in a plot hatched by the team.
"It's a real honour. I won't ever take it for granted." #LeafsForever
The team also revealed a new player of the game tradition, as Babcock walked into the dressing room after the opening night win over Ottawa with a basketball used by the Toronto Raptors during their victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
"We want to own the ball," Babcock said. "We think it's our time. We want to go out and dominate."
Babcock bounced the ball over to Matthews, and Matthews responded with a few between-the-legs dribbles, to the delight of his teammates.
After Saturday night's game against Montreal, the Leafs have the NHL's two monster showdowns of the week ahead as well.
There's only two games on the schedule Monday and while the Sabres will be in Columbus, the rest of the hockey world will be paying attention to the Stanley Cup champion Blues' visit to Toronto, which will be televised on NHL Network. And on Thursday, the Leafs host their first meeting of the season against Tampa Bay.
Think a few storylines will emerge from those games? In Toronto these days, it doesn't take much for that to happen.
In the wake of last year's seven-game playoff series, the Sharks and Golden Knights absolutely despise each other to a level that normally doesn't exist anymore. Vegas got the upper hand this time, winning both meetings to start the season by a combined 9-2 –- but lost defenseman Nate Schmidt on a week-to-week injury in the opener after taking a hit to the knee from San Jose captain Logan Couture.
Didn't matter in the rematch as Vegas blew out San Jose in the Shark Tank, 5-1, on Friday night. Said Couture: "I’m disappointed for the fans to show up and waste their time and money to watch that.”
The San Jose fans, of course, didn't get to see Evander Kane because he was sitting his three-game suspension for abuse of officials after his meltdown in the preseason finale. It was perhaps a harsh penalty, given the odd behavior of linesman Kiel Murchison in tackling Kane, but what's Kane doing in the last period of the preseason hacking away at Deryk Engelland? (And, frankly, not a great move by the front offices to have these teams play twice in the preseason).
The mic drop, however, came from Vegas' Ryan Reaves, who upped the ante on his personal feud with Kane when he said, "Poor Evander. So tragic. I wish he was on the ice. It’s always more fun when he’s on the ice. He’s weak. He gets taken down by a ref. It happens. Gotta get in the gym, no?” Malkin ponders Pens' problems
Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, after the punking his team took Thursday from the Sabres: “Not good enough. They (were) hungry. They played so much faster. I think we like played only 30 minutes. It’s young guys, a young league right now. We need to play faster, we need to play hungry. How we played tonight, we need to change."
Before the game, Sidney Crosby was asked how far away the Pens were from a Stanley Cup. Said the captain: "We're just as far as everybody else. Every team has to go through that process throughout the year, face different challenges. Ultimately, it's how you compete in the playoffs. If you forge the right habits, you get yourself there and that's how you start. You're not thinking about the Stanley Cup final but that's the goal for everyone. There's little things you have to do to get there."
At least against the Sabres, the Pens looked like they were short a lot of things. Both big and small. And that starts with an immobile defense. There's a lot of mileage on the legs of Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, for starters.
Stempniak calls it a career
West Seneca native Lee Stempniak announced his retirement Tuesday after playing 911 games for 10 teams since 2006. Stempniak, who is planning to settle in Boston with his wife and three children, finished with 203 goals, 266 assists and 469 points. His best season was a 28-goal campaign in 2009-10, split with 14 apiece in Toronto and Phoenix.
Stempniak, 36, was St. Louis' fifth-round pick in 2003 out of Dartmouth. He played two games last year in Boston and 20 with Providence of the AHL. Stempniak only played 28 playoff games in his career, and 13 of them came with Pittsburgh in the 2013-14 season, when the Penguins blew a 3-1 lead in the second round and lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.
Around the boards
* Why are the Sabres planning to shelve lots of game day morning skates early in the season? Sure, there's sport science input involved but mostly it's because of a schedule that's compacted early on to accommodate next month's trip to Sweden.
Thursday's season opener in Pittsburgh marked a run of 12 games for Buffalo over the season's first 23 days. That's nearly 15% of the schedule down in just more than three weeks.
Sabres' 2019-20 schedule has long break to accommodate Sweden trip
* Another bridge deal was signed this week, with the Blackhawks getting Alex DeBrincat on a three-year contract with a $6.4 million cap hit. GM Stan Bowman is putting together a big chance for himself in the spring of 2023, when DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will all be on expiring deals.
That's if Bowman still has his job by then, certainly no sure proposition. At that point, he can be looking to extend his franchise legends or make the major pivot away from them and more to younger players like DeBrincat.
* With his three-point game in Friday's loss to Philadelphia in Prague, Kane became the first Chicago player with at least one point in games played in four countries.
In addition to the United States, Canada and the Czech Republic, Kane had four points against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 2-3, 2009, in Helsinki, Finland.
* Teams really need to be more careful where they place their rugs and stretch their camera wires on the ice during pregame introductions. Rangers forward Lias Andersson completely bought it Thursday in Madison Square Garden, tripping over a wire foolishly placed across the darkened ice prior to the Blueshirts' home opener against Winnipeg.
Man oh, man. You gotta feel for Lias Andersson. Struggles in Year 1 and trips over the wire to begin Year 2.
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
Sabres game day: First overall draft pick Jack Hughes returning to Buffalo
By Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News – October 5, 2019
Hughes return: Jack Hughes was the star attraction when the scouting combine was held in LECOM Harborcenter back in May. The 18-year-old center was drafted first overall by the Devils in June, returned to Buffalo for the Prospects Challenge and had a strong preseason.
Hughes finally made his regular-season debut Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and recorded one shot on goal in 15:12 of ice time. He wasn't the Devils' only prominent offseason addition, either. They acquired defenseman P.K. Subban and winger Nikita Gusev in trades, and signed winger Wayne Simmonds.
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has history with Devils star winger Taylor Hall. Krueger coached Hall for three seasons in Edmonton (2010-13) and, according to former Oilers, had a strong impact on the team's young core. According to Sabres assistant coach Steve Smith, who was also on the staff in Edmonton, players such as Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had their development slow because of Krueger's firing.
"I really felt that team was on the right track at that point," Smith said of the 2012-13 Oilers. "We were in it until the last four or five games of the season, which wasn’t expected. I thought some of those young players that had difficult starts to their careers – Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and these kids – were really starting to come at that point in time. I think after Ralph left they lost a little bit of traction. He was really good for them. They’ve obviously built great careers since then, but it took them a little longer than it might have had he been able to stay."
Sabres' lineup: Krueger does not plan to hold morning skates at KeyBank Center this season. Instead, the Sabres met as a team and had availability for the media. Krueger would not say if his lineup will be the same, but he did not make any changes during practice Friday:
New system: The Sabres played one of their better defensive games in recent memory Thursday in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby was held to one shot on goal. Jake Guentzel had zero. The Penguins seemed overwhelmed by Buffalo's pressure on the puck and couldn't find enough space to create scoring chances.
The Sabres didn't appear to be chasing the puck. There was structure and any mistake by a defenseman was cleaned up by a teammate. Additionally, forwards did not allow the Penguins' defensemen to step up in the offensive zone. Krueger would not provide any details about the system he implemented, though his players have mentioned there are more zone concepts as opposed to man-to-man.
Sure, it's the regular season, but the progress is notable. The Sabres seem to be grasping, and embracing, a new system. Even Rasmus Ristolainen had one of his best defensive games in some time. They'll face a difficult test against New Jersey, which scored four goals in 33:52. The Jets scored four consecutive goals to tie the score and won, 5-4, in a shootout.
Krueger and his staff planned to study the "nuances" of the Devils' game but the focus is on having the Sabres continue to execute their defensive-zone structure.
"We have some nuances in there that we’ll keep secret but the general concept has to do with pressure and taking away that space and that time they’d like to have," Krueger said. "How we get there we’ll keep to ourselves, but more than anything it’s about that. They just couldn’t find a way to open our defensive structure, which is the core, really, of our game and our offense grows out of that."
Devils' lineup: The Devils will not hold a morning skate in Buffalo since this is their second game of a back-to-back. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to start against the Sabres after he replaced Cory Schneider in the third period Friday night. Schneider left the game because of cramps but will be available to play tonight. Buffalo News LOADED: 10.06.2019
Vogl: After clobbering the Devils in their home opener, the Sabres want to find ways to keep the ‘good energy’ flowing
By John Vogl, The Athletic – October 5, 2019
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ask anyone wearing a Sabres or Bills jersey about their fandom, they’ll describe it as a blessing and a curse.
Everyone knows why it’s a curse. There’s no reason to dive into Wide Right, No Goal or the million other things that make outsiders laugh and wonder why anyone would put up with it.
But it’s just as easy to explain why it’s a blessing. As hokey as it sounds, the fans will make you part of their family simply for showing up.
It was on display Saturday. The Sabres kicked off their 50th anniversary in Buffalo with a night that knocked the cobwebs off KeyBank Center. It was more than just the 7-2 shellacking of New Jersey.
Let’s start with Rick Jeanneret. The Hall of Fame announcer served as emcee for the golden anniversary ceremony. His job was to introduce the 15 former captains who returned to celebrate.
But the 77-year-old had to wait … and wait … and wait. When Jeanneret entered the spotlight at center ice, the fans rose to their feet with applause that grew exponentially by the second. He’s been the city’s hockey soundtrack for 49 years and the fans showed him what that means.
“I just about lost it,” Jeanneret quietly confided during the second intermission, a look of sincere gratitude coming across his face. “They just kept going and going. I was thinking, ‘Come on, I don’t even play.’ It’s really appreciated.”
Gilbert Perreault will second that. The Sabres’ first draft pick in 1970 and the organization’s greatest skater was feted during a “blue carpet” ceremony one day after being approached for handshakes at dinner.
“I’ve been retired for 33 years,” said Perreault, marveling at lingering in their hearts. “The fans were great here. They’ve always been great.”
In all honesty, not many players on the Sabres roster could back that up. There’s been apathy and downright disdain from the fan base during the past eight seasons, none of which featured playoffs, hard work or the bond that had been built over four decades. It seemed all the fans had was each other since effort was a one-way street.
But for the second of Buffalo’s two games this season, the Sabres looked like they cared. After rolling over the Penguins during Thursday’s opener in Pittsburgh, they crushed the Devils.
And the fans embraced the game in way that hadn’t been seen or felt in years. There was a standing ovation when the Sabres entered the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. The fans rose to their feet with ear-splitting roars during the second period when Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe formed the hardest-hitting tag team since Hulk Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage.
“Oh man, that was a blast,” McCabe said. “Risto has a big hit. I have a big hit right after. You can hear the crowd, it’s just a really fun atmosphere.
“Yeah man, you just get goosebumps. That’s all I can really say to describe the feeling. You get goosebumps, you’re smiling, you’re happy – that’s what hockey’s all about right there.” The players said they fed off the fans, but it went the other way, too. Once the Sabres got to four goals, the crowd began its long-held tradition.
“One, two, three, four … We want five!”
Then they did it for six.
Then seven.
Then eight.
“They obviously want to see hard work and compete and all those little cliche things that everybody says all the time – but we did it,” right wing Kyle Okposo said. “We played a pretty blue-collar game and just ran ’em out of town.”
With seven goals, the Sabres finished with their second-highest goal total in a home opener. They won 9-5 over Boston to start the 1974-75 season.
The Sabres went to the Stanley Cup final that year.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Okposo said. “It’s Game 2. We’ve got 80 left. Let’s not plan the parade right now.”
But, Kyle, you understand why fans want to plan the parade, right?
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Fans are excited, as they should be. I think the fans should get excited.
“It’s very similar to what the Bills got going on over there (with a 3-1 record). Fans are excited about their team. Their defense is playing awesome. The city has a buzz around them. We’re just going to continue to keep jelling together and keep growing in our system, keep growing with our coaching staff. It’s just a lot of good energy around here.”
New coach Ralph Krueger — who literally has “motivational speaker” on his resume — deserves much of the credit. He’s designed an aggressive game plan using phrases such as “express yourself” and “play with personality.” The Sabres, who haven’t had a personality in a decade, are bringing Krueger’s words to life with an offense that creates chances and a defense that smothers puck-carriers.
“The way that he gets his message across in a clear, concise, demanding yet nonconfrontational way is unlike anybody that I’ve really ever seen,” Okposo said.
The coach feels he’s coming in at the right time, leading a team that has seen — too often — what doesn’t work.
“Their mindset is open for what we are now trying to bring in as principles,” Krueger said. “I’m excited about the buy-in, for sure.”
The fans sure got excited in the opener. In addition to the goal countdown, they brought in familiar chants from Bills games. There was even one guy in the upper deck saying the 1970s anthem, “Ooooh, ahhhh, Sabres on the war path!”
It felt like everyone in the building was one big family again.
“We wanted to come out and show the fans what it’s going to be like this year and the type of product we want to put on the ice, just get them excited for the season,” captain Jack Eichel said. “I think we did a pretty good job of that.”
Indeed, it was an unreal night in an arena that hasn’t had many lately. Of course, Sabres fans know better than anyone that it could disappear next week. The goal-scoring, hard-hitting fun could easily make way for malaise and incompetence.
But Buffalonians showed Saturday that they desperately want to believe. The Sabres have a chance to make them.
“We really want to make this building that tough to play in every single night,” McCabe said. “It hasn’t been that over the years. We want to make that a staple in our game this year.
“We keep stringing good games together here, they’re going to keep coming out.” The Athletic LOADED: 10.06.2019
Sam Reinhart in the thick of the action in Sabres' fast start
By Mike Harrington, The Buffalo News – October 6, 2019
The primary assist on Rasmus Dahlin's highlight-reel goal in the season opener. Two goals in the home opener, one a classic snipe and the other a nifty deke on a breakaway. A hound with the puck on a dominant power play. An average ice time of 20:07 per game.
All those points show how Sam Reinhart has been in the thick of the action in the Buffalo Sabres' 2-0 start, and is setting an early tone for what he hopes will be his biggest season yet.
Reinhart had 42 points as a rookie in 2015-16 and his total has increased every year since, from 47 to 50 to last season's career-high 65. Reinhart hasn't missed a game due to injury the last two years and another big jump in scoring to push near point-a-game status could result in a hefty payday this summer.
He is in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a cap hit of $3.65 million. If he produces and gets paid, it probably means the team benefited quite a bit, too.
"If we're playing the way we're capable in our system, the points are going to come regardless," Reinhart said Sunday after off-ice workouts in KeyBank Center. "I'm just trying to keep playing that same way, really the way everyone has played early on. Those wins will come and those points will come."
The Sabres play Monday night in Columbus looking for their first 3-0 start since they won the first four games of the 2008-09 season, which ended with them missing the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how long they can maintain the dominance they showed in their wins against Pittsburgh and New Jersey.
The Sabres have outshot their first two opponents, 77-49, and out-attempted them, 126-98. The power play is 4 for 6 while the penalty kill is 6 for 7. It's been a complete effort.
Coach Ralph Krueger said the Sabres want to have 50 shot attempts a night and he feels that 30 on goal will almost always give his team a chance to win.
"The emphasis has been that almost all of that has grown out of how we're playing defensively," Krueger said. "The buy- in there from the players has been tremendous. Teams can pre-scout us all they want but you have to match the work ethic of this group right now, which we're proud of and which we'll be attempting to repeat night in and night out. That defensive play then allows us to have the kind of offense we need and want with room and space."
"We've kind of learned as a group about the opportunities when you're doing the little things like tracking the puck and playing without it," Reinhart said. "You're a lot more successful in converting that way than just hanging back and hoping for a lucky bounce over a guy's stick or getting a mini-break."
The Sabres' strong power play Saturday was reflected not only by their three goals, but in the way they freely entered the New Jersey zone and maintained control of the puck. Even when the Devils got it out, Buffalo was often quickly able to grab it in the neutral zone and get right back into an attack mode.
"It's reading off one another and always supporting each other out there," Reinhart said. "A combination of both of those things leads to more puck possession."
The Sabres are also avoiding their common trap of becoming too static on the power play. Reinhart, who has mostly been a net-front player, is taking turns out high at the start of some possessions before creeping in toward the goal. "It's harder to defend when everyone is moving and adding a little more dynamic to it," he said. "It makes the other team think a little bit more."
Reinhart's first goal Saturday was a blistering snap shot that cranked off the post and beat Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. His second was an unassisted breakaway tally after he stripped New Jersey defenseman P.K. Subban at the Buffalo blueline and skated in alone on Blackwood.
Reinhart deked to the backhand and burned the New Jersey goalie high for the final goal of the game. Blackwood had stopped a Jack Eichel breakaway in the second period with a glove save after Eichel chose to shoot. Reinhart had the luxury of being able to ponder his move.
"It's a combination of having that time and having a great angle of Jack's breakaway earlier," Reinhart said. "Kind of seeing what 'Blackie' was reading in that situation helped as well."
Krueger joins elite group
Saturday's win made Krueger just the fourth Sabres coach to win his first two games, joining Marcel Pronovost (1977), Scotty Bowman (1979) and Jim Roberts (1981). None of the previous three won their third game, with Pronovost and Bowman losing it and Roberts' club tying Quebec.
Dahlin, Eichel pick up assists
The NHL made a scoring change on Victor Olofsson's second goal of Saturday's game, changing the call from unassisted to assists from Dahlin and Eichel. That meant Dahlin posted the first three-assist game of his career while Eichel also had a three-point night (1-2-3).
Goalie choice uncertain
Krueger said his goaltending decision Monday could be a game-time call but has no qualms about either choice, whether it's inserting Linus Ullmark to make his season debut or keeping Carter Hutton in the net for the third consecutive game.
Hutton has stopped 46 of 49 shots thus far for a .939 save percentage and has a 1.50 goals-against average.
Columbus is 0-2 and has been outscored, 11-3, in those games by Toronto and Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets followed the Sabres into PPG Paints Arena and got blown out by the Penguins, 7-2, Saturday night after Buffalo posted a 3-1 win there in Thursday's season opener.
Buffalo News LOADED: 10.07.2019
NHL/Websites