The season is barely one-third complete and both the visiting Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames are feeling the pinch of their situations heading into Monday’s meeting.
Especially the Sabres, who have no points on the board after the first two outings of a make-or-break road trip.
The Sabres arrive in Calgary on the heels of a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Buffalo dropped a 5-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers in the opener of its six-game trek.
Outshooting the Jets, regarded as a strong defensive club, by a 35-23 count was cold comfort since Winnipeg closed out the clash with three unanswered goals to break open a game that was tied after the first period.
“We’re not here for moral victories,” said Sabres forward Jason Zucker, who has tallied in three consecutive games. “We didn’t do enough to win. We’ve got to be better.”
The Sabres last made the playoffs in 2011, the longest active drought in the NHL and equal to the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest futility run in North American major sports. They currently sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Changing their fortunes will require better results offensively. Buffalo has scored only three goals in its past two games, and only one at even strength.
To coach Lindy Ruff, the level of determination must be elevated.
“Stick the puck in your teeth and dive in the net head-first,” Ruff said after Sunday’s practice. “I think when you look at the couple situations where the puck is loose in the crease (in Winnipeg), I didn’t think our desperation was good enough.”
The Flames are also well off the playoff pace but believing they can make a run. After a horrid start to the campaign had them at the bottom of the league standings for a lengthy period, the Flames have turned their fortunes around somewhat over the past four weeks.
Thanks to a 2-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, Calgary has won two straight — both at home — and posted a 7-3-2 mark in its last dozen outings.
The Flames are riding a 4-0-1 run at the Saddledome and have won the first two contests of a stretch with 11 of 14 games in Calgary.
“It’s nice to come home and actually be home for a little bit and, hopefully, we can keep taking advantage of this homestand, and then we’ll see where it takes us,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said.
The Flames have a long hill to climb but take solace in their strong defensive play, backstopped by strong goaltender play. Dustin Wolf stopped 27 shots against the Mammoth and has blocked 53 of 54 pucks he has faced in the first two games of the homestand.
He spent a few outings riding the pine after surrendering a trio of early goals in the Nov. 26 clash at the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he’s responded.
“I wasn’t really happy with some areas of my game, but bounces happen, and that’s hockey,” Wolf said. “I like the way my game’s at and keep building, and at the end of the day, you’re trying to give your team a chance to win.”
Calgary has not surrendered an opposition power-play goal in its last six games and snuffed 31 of 32 penalties in the last 10.
