The Future Looks Awesome

by
April 7, 2016

Strong finish bodes well for next year’s Sabres

By Andrew Kulyk  & Peter Farrell

To get a glimpse of exactly what Buffalo fans have to look forward to, maybe for years to come, one only had to watch last week’s Saturday matinee at home against the Winnipeg Jets, won by Buffalo 3-2.

Newcomer and highly touted prospect Hudson Fasching, brand new in town after inking a contract with the Sabres, puts on a rush to the net from the faceoff circle to earn his first career NHL goal.

Come the third period, Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel each get a goal, erasing a 2-1 Buffalo deficit and getting the team the win. Want more enthusiasm? The “other” newcomer, defenseman Casey Nelson, notches his first NHL assist on the Fasching goal, and in subsequent games has been adding the points.

Eichel and Reinhart, along with forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane, make four players who are in the 20 goal club, and all are under 25 years of age. We all want to forget the horrific season that the Sabres had to endure that ended just a year ago – a shameful 54 point finish and a -113 goal differential.  This year’s Sabres are close to the 500 mark, and have shrunk that negative goal differential to the low teens. Still not acceptable for a playoff contender, but the strides they have made are substantial.

Could the Sabres have made a legitimate playoff run this season, where they sit approximately 14 points out of that coveted eight seed? Here are the missing pieces of the 2015-2016 Sabres puzzle. Fix these in time for next season, and long suffering Buffalo fans could once again be enjoying home hockey games well into late April and perhaps beyond.

-Your injured goaltender. Robin Lehner was touted as a true #1 starter. This is a team whose success has always been built around an elite goalie who can win games and steal games. Think Roger Crozier, Tom Barrasso, Domink Hasek and Ryan Miller. Lehner’s bad luck happened on opening night, succumbing to injury and forcing coach Dan Bylsma to lead with Chad Johnson and rotating his back up goalie from Rochester. Lehner’s return to the crease and unlocking his potential will go a long way to making the Sabres competitive.

-More missing pieces. Tyler Ennis has but 3 goals and has been off the ice in all of 2016 due to injury. Hot rookie Zemgus Girgensons has had a disappointing sophomore year after being named an All Star last season, wondering if former coach Ted Nolan’s style was more conducive for the young Latvian. And Matt Moulson? This former high flyer drew comparisons to Ville Leino for his shocking drop in scoring. The Sabres are saddled with his contract beyond this season. Can he regain his scoring touch?

-Your elite defense.  The Sabres have a good crop of capable young defensemen. What is missing is that 1-2 tandem that can qualify for that “elite” level, the guys who can shut down the opposition, kill penalties and gobble up minutes. Rasmus Ristolainen and Mark Pysyk might reach that stage. Can General Manager Tim Murray find that missing piece to headline the defensive roster?

-Win shootouts. Like it or not, there are overtimes and shootouts in the NHL. The Sabres seemed to struggle a bit with the new 3 on 3 overtime format early on, before catching on to the strategically different style of play.  But their record in shootouts has been abysmal, winning just two this season, both against the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs, while dropping 7. Add 4 overtime losses and that amounts to lost points and lost opportunities to improve their spot in the standings.  Absent the next shootout specialist like former Sabre Ales Kotalik, the Sabres need to ramp up their analytics on opposing goaltenders and do better.

There are other pieces. Breaking down last year’s trade with Winnipeg in raw form, Zach Bogosian was the guy who replaced Tyler Myers, and in recent weeks has been playing much better and showing his potential. Marcus Foligno has been quietly adding to the scoresheet. Johan Larsson has been scoring key goals in key moments and is final emerging as a potential offensive threat on a consistent basis.

Can the Sabres break a five year playoff drought next season? The pieces are in place. And the future looks awesome.

TARO SEZ…

Lots of consternation and criticism from a couple national media outlets regarding the choice of Ryan O’Reilly as Buffalo’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The voting is done by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

O’Reilly’s DUI arrest last summer is well documented, and he will face trial this summer in an Ontario courtroom. At that point he will take his lumps, pay his debt to society and make restitution. And he will move on in life. But O’Reilly is no Johnny Manziel. He made a mistake, seems like a well grounded young man, and like all of us, deserves second, third and even fourth chances. 

On the ice, O’Reilly matched the criteria for the Masteron nomination. His credentials and performance deserved consideration. And that’s why he received the nomination from all the writers who cover the team. As members of the PHWA, Artvoice was proud to add to that list by casting both our ballots for O’Reilly.

Related Posts

Tags

Frank Parlato

788 Comments Leave a Reply

  1. Even the professionals admit that the advances have helped keep them top of their game. . Going into the fight with a psychological advantage due to his earlier victory, [url=http://www.cheapnbajerseyschinashop.com/]Cheap Jerseys Wholesale[/url], Tyson easily beat Bruno in three rounds this time, regaining the title for the second time. He now had a professional record of 27 fights, 27 wins,[url=http://www.cheapnbajerseyschinashop.com/]Cheap Jerseys Online[/url], 0 defeats and 25 knockouts. Sometimes brooding and menacing yet sometimes outspoken, it reminded me of what Tyson had said after beating Jesse Ferguson on his way to the title – “I tried to push his nose back into his brain”. The fact is golf equipment getting better and better. I won’t mislead you-the once in a year time you epilate your feet, you’ll need an aspirin. He manages to get to his feet but referee Mills Lane calls a halt to the bout. For example, if you are an excellent marketer, teach a basic marketing class. For dinner, you need to include onions, squash, peppers and tomatoes in place of pasta. Keep it simple and short.[url=http://www.cheapnbajerseyschinashop.com/]Cheap NBA Jerseys China[/url]. This kind of business is called affiliate marketing, and its one of the very few genuine internet businesses you can start with no capital nor website of your own.Visit my sitehttp://www.cheapnbajerseyschinashop.com/

  31. Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO?I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m notseeing very good success. If you know of any pleaseshare. Thanks!

  32. I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this increase.

  35. Title

    […]although internet sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not related to ours, we feel they’re really really worth a go by, so have a look[…]

  41. Title

    […]although internet sites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they may be in fact worth a go as a result of, so have a look[…]

  64. Testomaster He thought nevertheless have lengthy to spend with her nevertheless the army

    wanted him appropriate now Some supplements I would advice to be able to take
    are these high grade multivitamin omega fatty acids capsules omega and
    are great creatine powder and protein grain. They will help keep all
    your bases covered and make all future muscle building much easier for you.
    Even though I only listed you can bet
    there are a ton of reasons why kickboxing classes in Lacey blow away the
    conditioning center.http://gojivitafacts.com/testomaster/

  71. This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how to keep a reader entertained.Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.Too cool! world war heroes hack

  74. Title

    […]although internet sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go by means of, so possess a look[…]

  80. Title

    […]check beneath, are some completely unrelated web-sites to ours, on the other hand, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  85. Title

    […]that may be the end of this article. Right here you’ll uncover some websites that we assume you will value, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  88. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated information, nonetheless seriously worth taking a appear, whoa did a single discover about Mid East has got far more problerms at the same time […]

  91. Title

    […]check below, are some entirely unrelated internet websites to ours, nevertheless, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  96. Title

    […]we like to honor numerous other internet sites around the internet, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  100. Thank you for another magnificent article.Where else could anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I’m on the look for such info. Game Cheat

  103. Title

    […]Every when inside a while we pick blogs that we read. Listed below are the most current web-sites that we decide on […]

  105. Hey there would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re working with? I’m looking to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a hard time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask! The Sims FreePlay Android Hack

  106. Title

    […]Every once inside a even though we decide on blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most recent web pages that we opt for […]

  110. Title

    […]always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but do not get lots of link really like from[…]

  117. I liked as much as you will receive performed proper here.The cartoon is tasteful, your authored material stylish.nonetheless, you command get bought an edginess over that you want be handing over the following.unwell without a doubt come further before once more as exactly the same nearly very incessantly inside case you shield this hike. 8 Ball Pool hack file

  138. Title

    […]very handful of sites that take place to become detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly effectively worth checking out[…]

  143. What i do not understood is actually how you’re not really much more well-liked than you may be now.You are so intelligent.You realize thus considerably relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from so many varied angles.Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it is one thing to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs excellent.Always maintain it up! Jurassic Survival Hack No Survey

  147. Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude.Thanks However I am experiencing situation with ur rss .Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it.Is there anybody getting similar rss problem? Anybody who is aware of kindly respond.Thnkx Knives Out Cheat

  165. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated data, nonetheless genuinely really worth taking a appear, whoa did one understand about Mid East has got much more problerms at the same time […]

  166. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would certainly benefit from some of the information you provide here.Please let me know if this okay with you.Thanks a lot! Destiny 6 Android Hack

  168. Title

    […]although internet websites we backlink to beneath are considerably not related to ours, we really feel they may be in fact worth a go by means of, so have a look[…]

  171. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated data, nevertheless definitely worth taking a look, whoa did one discover about Mid East has got far more problerms too […]

  173. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated information, nonetheless actually worth taking a look, whoa did one find out about Mid East has got far more problerms also […]

  175. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated information, nevertheless really really worth taking a appear, whoa did one particular discover about Mid East has got a lot more problerms too […]

  176. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nevertheless seriously worth taking a search, whoa did 1 discover about Mid East has got much more problerms as well […]

  179. Hi would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most.Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a fair price? Thanks, I appreciate it! Heroes Evolved Glitch

  185. It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or advice.Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article.I desire to read more things about it! huuuge casino ios hack

  189. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% sure.Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.Thank you huuuge casino hack

  192. Thank you so much for giving everyone an exceptionally pleasant possiblity to discover important secrets from here.It is usually very good and stuffed with fun for me personally and my office acquaintances to search your site more than three times in one week to read through the newest secrets you have got.And of course, I’m usually satisfied for the striking creative concepts you give.Selected 3 areas in this article are without a doubt the finest we’ve ever had. Need For Speed No Limits Mod Hack

  194. Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read something like this before.So nice to find anyone with some authentic thoughts on this subject.realy thank you for beginning this up.this web site is something that is wanted on the net, somebody with a little originality.useful job for bringing one thing new to the web! Heroes Evolved Cheat

  213. Today, I went to the beachfront with my children.I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone! Knives Out Hack

  217. Title

    […]Every when in a though we pick blogs that we study. Listed below would be the latest web sites that we select […]

  219. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated information, nonetheless genuinely worth taking a search, whoa did one study about Mid East has got far more problerms as well […]

  222. Title

    […]we like to honor many other web internet sites around the internet, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  227. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated information, nonetheless really really worth taking a look, whoa did one particular study about Mid East has got a lot more problerms too […]

  244. Title

    […]we prefer to honor lots of other online web-sites around the internet, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  270. Title

    […]that could be the finish of this article. Here you will find some web sites that we assume you will enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  278. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated data, nevertheless seriously really worth taking a appear, whoa did 1 find out about Mid East has got far more problerms at the same time […]

  279. Title

    […]very few internet websites that take place to be comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly really worth checking out[…]

  281. Title

    […]very couple of internet websites that come about to become comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly really worth checking out[…]

  282. Title

    […]we prefer to honor lots of other net internet sites around the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  283. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine several unrelated data, nevertheless seriously really worth taking a search, whoa did a single find out about Mid East has got a lot more problerms as well […]

  300. Title

    […]very handful of internet sites that come about to become comprehensive below, from our point of view are undoubtedly very well really worth checking out[…]

  307. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated data, nevertheless actually worth taking a appear, whoa did 1 study about Mid East has got a lot more problerms too […]

  319. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated information, nonetheless genuinely worth taking a look, whoa did a single discover about Mid East has got extra problerms also […]

  323. Title

    […]check beneath, are some entirely unrelated internet websites to ours, having said that, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  336. Title

    […]we like to honor several other web web pages on the net, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  338. Title

    […]we like to honor a lot of other world wide web websites on the web, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  339. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nonetheless truly really worth taking a appear, whoa did a single find out about Mid East has got much more problerms also […]

  342. Title

    […]check below, are some completely unrelated internet websites to ours, even so, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  368. Title

    […]please pay a visit to the web sites we stick to, which includes this one particular, as it represents our picks from the web[…]

  371. Title

    […]very couple of web-sites that come about to be in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly effectively really worth checking out[…]

  372. Title

    […]that may be the finish of this post. Right here you’ll locate some sites that we think you will appreciate, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  378. Title

    […]we like to honor several other world-wide-web web sites around the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  390. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated data, nonetheless really really worth taking a search, whoa did one particular study about Mid East has got a lot more problerms also […]

  395. Title

    […]Every once inside a when we opt for blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most recent web pages that we select […]

  399. Title

    […]please check out the internet sites we comply with, which includes this a single, because it represents our picks from the web[…]

  406. Title

    […]although internet websites we backlink to below are considerably not connected to ours, we feel they’re in fact really worth a go as a result of, so have a look[…]

  409. Title

    […]Every the moment inside a though we choose blogs that we study. Listed beneath are the most current web-sites that we select […]

  415. Title

    […]just beneath, are quite a few absolutely not related sites to ours, nonetheless, they are certainly really worth going over[…]

  416. Title

    […]although web-sites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they’re actually really worth a go by means of, so possess a look[…]

  424. Title

    […]just beneath, are various completely not associated internet sites to ours, however, they may be certainly really worth going over[…]

  429. Title

    […]just beneath, are many completely not associated websites to ours, on the other hand, they are surely worth going over[…]

  430. Title

    […]just beneath, are quite a few completely not associated web sites to ours, on the other hand, they’re surely worth going over[…]

  434. Title

    […]very couple of internet sites that come about to become comprehensive below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[…]

  439. Title

    […]here are some hyperlinks to internet sites that we link to due to the fact we feel they’re really worth visiting[…]

  440. Title

    […]please pay a visit to the internet sites we adhere to, such as this one particular, as it represents our picks from the web[…]

  443. Title

    […]please pay a visit to the websites we follow, like this one particular, because it represents our picks in the web[…]

  447. Title

    […]here are some links to internet sites that we link to due to the fact we feel they are worth visiting[…]

  451. Title

    […]that could be the finish of this write-up. Here you will discover some sites that we believe you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[…]

  460. Title

    […]we like to honor quite a few other world wide web websites around the net, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  502. Title

    […]just beneath, are a lot of absolutely not connected web-sites to ours, however, they may be surely really worth going over[…]

  503. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated information, nonetheless definitely worth taking a appear, whoa did one study about Mid East has got much more problerms at the same time […]

  506. Title

    […]we prefer to honor numerous other world-wide-web web pages around the web, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  511. Title

    […]although web-sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they may be essentially worth a go by way of, so possess a look[…]

  533. Title

    […]we like to honor lots of other internet web pages around the net, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  534. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nonetheless seriously really worth taking a appear, whoa did one discover about Mid East has got more problerms as well […]

  542. Title

    […]just beneath, are numerous absolutely not associated web-sites to ours, having said that, they are certainly really worth going over[…]

  548. Title

    […]Every as soon as in a even though we pick blogs that we read. Listed below are the most recent web sites that we decide on […]

  551. Title

    […]we like to honor numerous other web web-sites on the web, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  552. Title

    […]we prefer to honor lots of other internet websites on the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  558. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated information, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one master about Mid East has got additional problerms as well […]

  559. Title

    […]just beneath, are various absolutely not connected web pages to ours, nevertheless, they’re certainly worth going over[…]

  561. Title

    […]although web-sites we backlink to below are considerably not connected to ours, we really feel they may be essentially really worth a go as a result of, so have a look[…]

  562. Title

    […]check beneath, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, nonetheless, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  567. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine several unrelated data, nevertheless genuinely really worth taking a search, whoa did 1 discover about Mid East has got extra problerms too […]

  600. Title

    […]very few sites that occur to be detailed beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely really worth checking out[…]

  603. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nonetheless really really worth taking a appear, whoa did a single discover about Mid East has got additional problerms as well […]

  610. Title

    […]we like to honor several other world-wide-web internet sites on the web, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  615. Title

    […]we prefer to honor lots of other net internet sites on the internet, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  626. Title

    […]very couple of internet sites that transpire to be in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly really worth checking out[…]

  641. Title

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated data, nevertheless genuinely worth taking a appear, whoa did one discover about Mid East has got far more problerms at the same time […]

  650. Title

    […]we like to honor several other internet websites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  661. Title

    […]that may be the finish of this post. Right here you’ll locate some web-sites that we think you’ll enjoy, just click the links over[…]

  663. Title

    […]always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I enjoy but do not get a whole lot of link adore from[…]

  665. Title

    […]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we really feel they are truly really worth a go via, so possess a look[…]

  671. Title

    […]we prefer to honor a lot of other web web-sites around the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  673. Title

    […]that may be the end of this write-up. Here you’ll discover some web pages that we assume you will appreciate, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  674. Title

    […]although websites we backlink to beneath are considerably not connected to ours, we really feel they may be actually worth a go by, so have a look[…]

  696. Title

    […]that would be the end of this report. Right here you will find some web pages that we consider you will enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]

  700. Title

    […]always a significant fan of linking to bloggers that I like but do not get a whole lot of link enjoy from[…]

  703. Title

    […]we prefer to honor several other internet internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]

  708. Title

    […]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated web sites to ours, however, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  725. Title

    […]just beneath, are several totally not related web sites to ours, on the other hand, they’re surely really worth going over[…]

  736. Title

    […]that could be the finish of this write-up. Right here you will locate some sites that we believe you will value, just click the links over[…]

  746. Title

    […]although internet websites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they may be in fact worth a go by, so have a look[…]

  748. Title

    […]check beneath, are some completely unrelated sites to ours, nonetheless, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  750. Title

    […]we prefer to honor many other net web pages around the internet, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  751. Title

    […]we like to honor several other web sites around the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Below are some webpages worth checking out[…]

  762. Title

    […]please stop by the web-sites we adhere to, including this one particular, as it represents our picks from the web[…]

  766. Title

    […]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated internet websites to ours, however, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  767. Title

    […]Every the moment inside a whilst we pick blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most recent internet sites that we choose […]

  788. Sabres fans say “The future looks good!” after the season…

    EVERY.

    SINGLE.

    YEAR.

    It’s gettin’ old.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Follow Us

Previous Story

News of the Weird 4.7.16

Next Story

Lights, Camera, Action!

Latest from Uncategorized