That Buffalo Saber‘the suffering continues.
The franchise’s winless streak now stands at 18 games (0-15-3), the longest by an NHL team in 17 years. Wednesday 4-3 overtime losses for the Flyers it was very bitter, as Buffalo smashed a 3-0 lead in the third half.
“It’s a shame,” defender Sabers Brandon Montour the word. This whole stretch is embarrassing. Every team in the NHL, it’s a win.
“You just have to get better. Obviously, 17 games or something, but it’s definitely better on our side. It’s on the players. It’s entirely on 20 people on the ice. It’s brutal.”
As the Sabers built up a 3-0 lead, William Hill Sportsbook posted Buffalo at -2500 on the direct cash line. It didn’t work.
“Third period, like you just gave up,” said Montour. “Guys, I don’t know if we feel sorry for each other, but you have to find a way there. That’s unacceptable.”
The flyer defender Ivan Provorov scored 42 seconds from stoppage time to give Philly the win.
Buffalo defender Rasmus Dahlin went so far as to say the team had a “panic attack” in collapse.
“We’ve never been in this situation,” said Dahlin. “We’re panicking.”
The Sabers last won on February 23 against The New Jersey devil. Captain Jack Eichel has been out of the lineup (upper body) for 11 consecutive matches, and there is no schedule for the No. +1 for returning. Buffalo sacked coach Ralph Krueger on March 17, when his streak reached 12 games. Don Granato serves as interim; technically he is Eichel’s fourth coach since entering the league in 2015-16.
“I didn’t want to say anything to them after that; I thought they should feel what they felt,” Granato said. “And we have to talk about it tomorrow. Let the emotions flow. Maybe they get the best of men, but let them run, and tomorrow, we can give them clarity.”
Saber has the longest winless stretch since Pittsburgh Penguins went 0-17-1 on 2003-04. Pittsburgh followed up with drafting Evgeni Malkin (No. 2 overall in 2004) and Sidney Crosby (No.1 of 2005) in successive drafts. The last team that was winless in 19 consecutive games was 1993-94 Winnipeg Jets.
Saber plays the Flyers again on Wednesdays.
The NHL trading deadline is April 12, and Buffalo is expected to field talent in an effort to gather draft capital and prospects to build on in the future. First-year general manager Kevyn Adams started last week, trading one of the big off-season acquisitions, in the middle Eric Staal, to Montreal Canadiens for the third and fifth round picks. Buffalo made a splash in the offseason by signing a former league MVP Taylor Hall for a one-year contract worth $ 8 million. Hall could also move out in the next two weeks. Hall, 29, who won the Hart Trophy just three years ago, has only two goals in 34 games.
Saber (6-23-5) are last dead in the NHL with 17 points, 11 fewer than any team. They have a goal difference of minus 51 and have scored the fewest league goals per game (2.03).
“We often talk about confidence, confidence in the sport regardless of this situation, and unfortunately, that’s what we can take from this match,” Granato said. “If some people think we’re panicking, then we’ll talk about it. But I think we’re in a very good process, again, with a focus on everything that helps us improve.
“If you keep going in that direction, and you don’t buy anything else, with all the negativity that is out there, we will improve.”