In 31 NHL cities, it will require much more than a week of regular season games before a major reaction is allowed. For the fans in Buffalo, whose NHL record playoff drought stands at 14 seasons, early acceptance of another season lost almost seems like an unfortunate birthright.
The Buffalo Sabres have not been in the playoffs since 2011, having finished over .500 only three times during that 14-year stretch. So it would be understandable if the team’s tough start to this season has some members of the fan base turning their attention to other teams, at least until the Buffalo Bills wrap it up in mid-winter.
The Sabres dropped to 0-3 with a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Tage Thompson scored his first goal of the season in the loss, and it was just the second goal scored by Buffalo in the opening three games.
Not really the kind of stuff that is going to lift up a beaten-down franchise, or its followers. And according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the situation in Buffalo could potentially get even worse.
A Coaching Contemporary Voices Concerns Over Lindy Ruff’s Demeanor
After the Sabres lost 3-1 to Boston on Saturday, head coach Lindy Ruff was not too happy with his team’s performance. Ruff, who was hired in April to replace Don Granato, was particularly harsh about the players’ start to the game, getting outshot 17-2 in the first period.
“I thought our compete was terrible,” Ruff told reporters after the game. “Worst competing, skating, moving feet that I’ve seen.
“At the start of a game when everybody has energy, it’s hard hockey, and we lost the battle.”
In Monday’s episode of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” from SportsNet, Friedman said he felt that Ruff was “measured” in his responses to the media, obviously upset but calm. But Friedman said he spoke with someone who has coached against Ruff for a long time and was very concerned about Ruff’s demeanor during the postgame interview.
“When he saw the clip on [SportsNet,] he went to go search it out and watch more of it, and he said that he was almost worried that Lindy Ruff looked resigned,” Friedman said.
Bad Start Could Have Long-Term Implications for Buffalo Stars, GM
That certainly would not bode well for the Sabres this season, and it could potentially have long-term implications. Friedman noted that Thompson and captain Rasmus Dahlin have both stressed the need to see some improvement in the team this season, “something to believe in” that will keep them from taking a path similar to Jack Eichel.
“I think the Sabres don’t have a long runway for this,” Friedman said.
Which could mean a short runway for general manager Kevyn Adams. Friedman also cited the hiring in May of long-time Columbus Blue Jackets GM as a senior advisor to Adams, which seems like a not-so-subtle hint to Adams that his replacement his waiting in the wings.
“We’ll see how it all goes,” Friedman said. “But if that coach is right about [Huff being] resigned as opposed to measured, it’s an awful place to be just two games into an 82-game season.”
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