Disastrous homestand leaves Sabres in shambles
By Rick Anderson
December 13, 2003

Alexei Zhitnik tries to get around Rangers defenseman Darius Kasparaitis during first period action of the Sabres 3-1 loss to the Rangers.br>

[AP Photo/Don Heupel]

This was supposed to be the homestand where the Sabres could finally make up some ground. Four games in a row in the friendly confines of HSBC Arena proved otherwise as the Sabres didn't come up with a point in a humiliating 4 straight losses at home. Wednesday night, they were totally humiliated 7-2 by the Detroit Red Wings. Friday night, against a New York Rangers team they should have easily beaten, they were upended by the Rangers 3-1.

A team that was supposed to be winning its fans back, may have put more distance between them as their inept four games proved the most negative Sabres fans right. This team is no different from the one that struggled at the very bottom of the league last season. A lot of people blamed the stress of bankruptcy and lack of ownership as the reason the players found it hard to concentrate on the game. Now it appears as if there is a disease within the very core of the team that is preventing them from playing with intensity.

There are a lot of reasons for the Sabres demise this season. But a lot of it has to with the fact that the Sabres didn't make any changes at the top during the offseason. Tom Golisano officially took over at the end of last season and he hoped to make a fresh start, to completely cut ties with the old Rigas regime. However, like a nightmare that repeats itself, the Sabres are looking much like last season's edition.

Front office cobwebs

If Golisano wanted to make the Sabres fans forget about the last two seasons, he should have cut off the rotten head at the top. Darcy Regier has not been the most respected sports figure around Buffalo since he first was hired as Sabres general manager. He abided by John Rigas' game plan and cut the overall salary base by letting go of some of the few stars the team had in Michael Peca and Dominik Hasek. He also cut the chord with other offensive players who could have helped, namely Geoff Sanderson, Dave Andreychuk, Doug Gilmour and Stu Barnes. Those players thrived elsewhere and the team has been in an offensive quagmire ever since.

Reiger did add a couple players since Golisano took over, namely Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, but the image of Scrooge he has nicely nurtured during his tenure with the Sabres just can't be erased that easily.

Ruff time on the ice

Lindy Ruff's situation is probably even more tenuous than Regier's. He has not been given a great base of talent to operate with, but it is his job as coach to make the best with the hand he is dealt. Ruff certainly has not done that. Proof of it is the fact that players that have left the Sabres have suddenly fared much better away from Ruff's defensive scheme.

Proof of the pudding is Slava Kozlov, with the Atlanta Thrashers. Last season, the player the Sabres received as compensation from the Red Wings for Dominik Hasek, just couldn't get a handle on Ruff's defensive setup. He was benched by Ruff and Kozlov demanded to be traded. After Ruff spent time trying to smooth Kozlov's feathers, Kozlov started to show some of that offensive spark the Sabres had hoped for when they made that trade. But a major injury curtailed his season and the next year, he found himself plucked from the Sabres roster by Atlanta in the expansion draft. Since then, he has been a productive clog in the Thrashers' offense. Last year, Kozlov scored 21 goals. This year he is even on a hotter pace, scoring 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points.

Another player the Sabres let loose was a man who loved having a second chance playing for the team where he now lives. In his last year with the Sabres, Andreychuk scored 20 goals by doing what he knows best....positioning himself in front of the goalie and scoring some good and some garbage goals. The Sabres couldn't afford his $1 million contract, so they turned him loose. He went to Tampa Bay and scored 21 goals his first year with the Lightning. Last year, he scored another 20 and is the team's captain. He scored an important goal in the Lightning's win over the Sabres last weekend.

Sanderson is another offensive gunner who found his hands tied playing for Ruff. A man who seemed to always have the worst luck scoring for the Sabres, had 34 goals and 33 assists last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ruff ‘s straight jacket

While Ruff's straight jacket completely ties up the Sabres forwards, the situation it is creating is tightening the noose around Ruff's neck. The four straight games at home were supposed to turn the Sabres season around in the right direction again. Instead, the complete opposite has happened.

"We've set ourselves back big-time," articulated the Sabres December captain James Patrick. "It's a big disappointment. All we can try to do is move forward, get better and learn from our mistakes when we get on the road. A change of scenery could do us some good."

Ruff is close to losing this team and if that happens, what looked like a prospective playoff team would be headed for the depths of the league once again.

A prime example of the way Ruff has handled this team this year and every year since he took over for fired Ted Nolan, was his keeping Ryan Miller in the nets when it was obvious to all that the young goaltender was having yet another third period meltdown. With the Wings up 2-1 after two periods, Miller was victim to 5 goals. After the fourth goal, any astute coach would have pulled his struggling goalie. Ruff decided to ride it out and it may have caused some serious damage to Miller's psyche.

Ruff's secret to some of the success he has achieved during the playoffs, even though it seems ages since the last time the Sabres were in the postseason, has been the very defensive system that is binding up the offense. Lately, even the defense has imploded in Ruff's face. Against Detroit, the veteran defensemen were skating around aimlessly, leaving Miller to face the Wings sharpshooters all alone.

"To get five goals against in the third period, there's no explanation," said a frustrated Alexei Zhitnik. "We just got smoked in the third. I can't explain what the hell happened."

Rotating captains and goalies a bane

Ruff employed a rotating captaincy system this season. So far it is a complete flop. While it may rejuvenate the appointed captain during the month he is in charge, as soon as the ‘C' is stripped from that player, he goes into a funk. Ruff envisioned the leadership position would make that player take more charge in the locker room and on the ice. But the crushing blow of having that leadership position suddenly taken away seems to be having the opposite effect that Ruff wanted. He should have named Drury as the permanent captain after it became apparent that he relished that job and it improved his game. Since Patrick was named captain, Drury has been struggling as much as the October captain, Miroslav Satan.

Last two losses the most damaging

The Sabres actually took the early lead against the Wings, but couldn't keep the pressure on Curtis Joseph, who had been recalled from the AHL when the Wings two regular goalies were injured. Cujo played a stellar game after allowing the first goal.

The Sabres defense completely abandoned its game in the third period and the rout was on. Against the Rangers, it was similar as the defense made bad clears and allowed the Rangers to get in front of Mika Noronen to score the last two tallies.

"It's not our goaltenders' fault," defended Briere. "We need to give them more support. I won't lie to you. We're not making plays we should be making."

Meanwhile, Miller was sent back to Rochester with his confidence shattered. The young goalie who many had hoped would be the Sabres next great netminder, has not been handled well by Ruff. In fact, he may have ruined the career of a goalie who could have been the next Hasek. But Ruff doesn't see it that way.

"We just wanted to take a look at him," Ruff said. "It was a learning experience. It was a lesson learned, but it was a tough one."

Whether Lindy wants to admit it or not, he may be losing this team and if he wants to save the season, he has to find a way to bring all the elements together again. His very job is depending on it.

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