Tonight in Buffalo, the Sabres face off against the Dallas Stars led by former coach Lindy Ruff. This game carries the weight and consequences of the rebuild more so than any point previously this year for a number of reason.
First and most pressing on the hearts and minds of Sabres fans everywhere is the loss of Thomas Vanek. He was traded late Sunday night without much hype or rumor to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson, a first round pick next year in 2014, and finally a second round pick in 2015.
A perennial goal scorer and fan favorite Thomas Vanek will be missed in Buffalo but due to the complete nature of the current rebuild this move should have been expected.
Matt Moulson offers some secondary scoring for the Sabres, he’s 6’1”, twenty-nine years old, and ironically the Sabres leading scorer at six goals and three assists. A decent player but a worrying replacement for a goal scorer with league-leading potential and thus the first and second round picks. There has never been a clearer sign that this rebuild is built to come to its fruition in a few years.
Another, and perhaps the most notable, detail of tonight’s match-up is the return of longtime former coach Lindy Ruff. His position in Buffalo was the cause of much debate a year ago but the instantaneous improvement the fans expected did not come. Ruff’s current team is not fairing much better than is former team for the Stars find themselves dead last in the Central division with only nine points.
The Dallas Stars are also having a difficult time living up to fan expectations after the coaching change and blockbuster acquisition of Tyler Seguin, the Bruin’s highly praised young star. The Sabres are in a complete rebuild while the Stars appear to be adding pieces for a postseason run. Both teams will look to gain some sort of a foothold in tonight’s tilt.
Buffalo’s efforts have fluctuated in effectiveness game to game. They have split their last two games beating Florida 3-1 and losing to Tampa Bay 3-2. Consistency and predictably are a problem with young teams and the Sabres have displayed this throughout this season. With the events of yesterday considered more of this is yet to come, the Sabres must find scoring in other places than Thomas Vanek.
More than ever this year the likes of Steve Ott, Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford, Cody Hodgson and Marcus Foligno need to step up their play and lead by example for the players still adjusting to the league. The weight on their shoulders has increased tenfold for Vanek was a force even strength but especially on the power play.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. and the game will be aired on MSG.