Sabres Achilles Heel - Back to Backs?

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Sabres always seem to play more back to backs then any other team. This year they'll have 19 sets of back to back games.

 

Our record so far in the front end is 6-4-3

Our record on the back end is 3-9-1

 

Subtract the 2nd game record from our overall record and we'd be 24-18-11 or on a 91/92 pt pace.

 

I delved further into the numbers and found some interesting stats. Of our 13 second opponents only 5 had also played the night before. We also played 9 of the 13 on the road.

Our road record on the second night is 1-7-1 (home 2-2-0)

Our record against rested 2nd night opponents is 2-6-0 (Non-rested 1-3-1)

The average record of our 2nd night opponents is 31-24-9 (71pts) and included Pitt, Chi, Mon, SJ, Edm, Tor, and the NYI. Our records against these playoff teams is a surprising 3-4-0.

 

So what does this all mean?

The Sabres are a bad road team in general going 11-16-6, but we are decent on the road when rested 10-9-5.

We also have a habit of playing up or down to our opponent regardless of back to backs.

Is this a conditioning problem? Is this a coaching issue? Is this a young team that doesn't know how to win when they don't have their best?

 

To me it seems like a conditioning issue, but regardless management needs to talk to the NHL about finding better balance for the Sabres. In fairness we shouldn't be placed at a continual disadvantage of playing rested teams on the road. 9 of 13 our 2nd games to date were on the road and 2/3 were against rested teams. Our record in those games 1-5-0.

[pi2000]

Enough of the excuses.

 

Every team has scheduling issues, this is pro hockey, time to grow up.

[Randall Flagg]

Overall we had the worst disparity between games played rested against tired opponents versus the opposite. My theory  :ph34r: is that we're being scolded for blatantly tanking and this is our punishment. 

[Lanny]

While they play more back-to-backs, they don't travel nearly as much as other teams. 

 

http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2016/6/23/12013512/nhl-travel-miles-the-2016-2017-super-schedule-released

[North Buffalo]

Poor Defense bottom line.

[inkman]

The influx of then posters is triggering my OCD

[RustySabre]

When are they going to learn how to play with a lead? Dropping back and letting the other team come to you is not getting it done. Keep your foot on the gas and make them worry about stopping you. Stop changing what you are doing just because you have a lead.

[Doohicksie]

Any team worth its salt will push back.  What the Sabres need to learn is not how not to lay back (because sometimes it's the right thing to do), but how to seize momentum back when the other team makes their push.

 

As far as the back-to-back thing, I think the cure for that is depth.  If you have enough depth on the active roster, you don't have to play certain players 30 minutes per game and they'll have something left in the tank at the end of the second game.  And if you have depth in the pressbox, you can rotate a couple players in during that second game and they won't have heavy legs.

 

You look at our healthy scratches now and on D were marginally okay with Falk and Fedun.  On offense though, it's a big dropoff between, say, Okposo and DLo.  Part of that will get better as the younger guys make the team and are competing for spots and some of the transitional players (Gio, Moulson, Ennis, DLo) are gone.  I want the transitional players to do well and they do sometimes; Gio in particular has had a very good year, Moulson has scored a few.  But they are not part of the Sabres future, although they are still taking up roster spots that might otherwise go to Fasching/Baptiste/Bailey/ERod and eventually Nylander/Asplund, etc.)

While they play more back-to-backs, they don't travel nearly as much as other teams.

 

Well of course.  Buffalo is at the geographic center of a cluster of half the teams in the NHL.

[GASabresIUFAN]

When are they going to learn how to play with a lead? Dropping back and letting the other team come to you is not getting it done. Keep your foot on the gas and make them worry about stopping you. Stop changing what you are doing just because you have a lead.

 

This maybe the best argument against DD that I have seen whether intended or not.  This also pertains to our lack of depth, but going into the "prevent" is bad coaching be it in the NHL or NFL.  Lindy Ruff used to do it also.

Any team worth its salt will push back.  What the Sabres need to learn is not how not to lay back (because sometimes it's the right thing to do), but how to seize momentum back when the other team makes their push.

 

As far as the back-to-back thing, I think the cure for that is depth.  If you have enough depth on the active roster, you don't have to play certain players 30 minutes per game and they'll have something left in the tank at the end of the second game.  And if you have depth in the pressbox, you can rotate a couple players in during that second game and they won't have heavy legs.

 

You look at our healthy scratches now and on D were marginally okay with Falk and Fedun.  On offense though, it's a big dropoff between, say, Okposo and DLo.  Part of that will get better as the younger guys make the team and are competing for spots and some of the transitional players (Gio, Moulson, Ennis, DLo) are gone.  I want the transitional players to do well and they do sometimes; Gio in particular has had a very good year, Moulson has scored a few.  But they are not part of the Sabres future, although they are still taking up roster spots that might otherwise go to Fasching/Baptiste/Bailey/ERod and eventually Nylander/Asplund, etc.)

 

Well of course.  Buffalo is at the geographic center of a cluster of half the teams in the NHL.

I agree with the lack of depth.  We all like Gionta and Foligno and respect what Moulson and Ennis once were, but IMHO they are not part of a championship team long-term.  Foligno maybe.  We need to upgrade the bottom six and I agree most of that should come from the growth of our pile of decent young wingers like ERod, Bailey, Baptiste, Carrier and Fasching.  Who knows, those guy with Foligno and Girgensons maybe the bottom 6 next season.

[Doohicksie]

Sabres Achilles Heel - Opposing teams.

[Ottosmagic13]

I think a big contributor is the amount of playing time that Risto and ROR get on a daily basis. With the Philly game and the back to back this weekend Risto has played a full games worth of minutes. That's not a recipe for success. 

 

In the Philly game thread there was an excellent post comparing the special teams use of the Philly D vs ours. Risto played both PP and SH while the Philly D was decidedly one or the other. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

I think a big contributor is the amount of playing time that Risto and ROR get on a daily basis. With the Philly game and the back to back this weekend Risto has played a full games worth of minutes. That's not a recipe for success. 

 

In the Philly game thread there was an excellent post comparing the special teams use of the Philly D vs ours. Risto played both PP and SH while the Philly D was decidedly one or the other. 

It's funny you just posted this comment.  I was just researching to see if Risto's playing time has hurt his game, especially after the -5 last night.  

 

My research showed that after a decent start (11a in first 22 games) and a ten game drought in Jan, the guy has been mostly excellent even recently.  He has 12 pts in his last 18 games and before last night he was only -2 in his last 17 games with only 1 penalty in his last 12.  

 

However, I agree that playing these guys so much isn't a recipe for long-term success.  I think this is a case of young legs being able to handle the workload short-term.

[North Buffalo]

Sabres Achilles Heel - Opposing teams.

Beat me to it... Agree.

[Drunkard]

Our Achilles heel is DB.