[Lysowski] – Les difficultés des Sabres devant l’UPL ajoutent de l’intrigue au dilemme du gardien de but
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Spiritual_Bourbon
@Sabres de Buffalo
[Lysowski] – Les difficultés des Sabres devant l’UPL ajoutent de l’intrigue au dilemme du gardien de but
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Spiritual_Bourbon
3 Comments
https://archive.ph/U9gCC
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen didn’t make any excuses, even though it was apparent to anyone who watched the Sabres’ preseason game Wednesday night that his teammates did little to help their starting goalie.
Sabres coach Don Granato gave a blunt assessment following the 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena.
“We need to be better, and we know that,” Granato said. “That was below a standard that we want. We’re going to have to learn from it.”
The Sabres didn’t cover the front of their net. Inaccurate passes led to turnovers and odd-man rushes. They were trying to out-skill the Blue Jackets, rather than earning scoring chances through hard work. Five of their top six defensemen were in the lineup, as well as Alex Tuch, Casey Mittelstadt, JJ Peterka and Victor Olofsson, among others, yet their performance showed how much they must do to prepare for the start of the regular season next Thursday in KeyBank Center.
### 2. Adding on
Owen Power worked tirelessly during the summer to improve his shot. It was the only glaring weakness of his game with the puck as a rookie, and the Sabres want their defensemen to get more pucks through traffic to create scoring chances.
Power, 20, saw Wednesday night that sometimes it is best to simply get it on net. The defenseman circled the offensive zone and seemed to surprise Merzlikins with a backhand shot from the right circle that leaked through the Blue Jackets goalie to cut Columbus’ lead to 3-2.
### 3. Sticking around
The Sabres planned to give Benson only three preseason games. His fifth Wednesday night only made it more difficult to send the No. 13 pick back to junior hockey. Benson made more exceptional plays with and without the puck, and he redeemed himself after his competitiveness led to a penalty. He made a tape-to-tape backhand pass that almost gave Lukas Rousek a shot on a 2-on-1 and, moments later, Benson’s wrist shot from the slot tied the score 3-3 with 1:15 left in the second period.
There is no question that Benson has outperformed the other forward prospects competing for a roster spot in camp, and the Sabres can give him as many as nine regular-season games without burning a year of his entry-level contract. It would be challenging for him to be a consistent player for 82 games at 18 years old, but he is more than capable of helping Buffalo win games during an extended stay.
### 4. Prospect watch
Benson and fellow Sabres prospect Matt Savoie will have a different junior coach with the Western Hockey League’s Wenatchee Wild if the first-round draft picks are returned to the club for the season.
The WHL announced Wednesday that Wild coach Kevin Constantine was suspended indefinitely for violating the league’s conduct policies by “making derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature.” Constantine, who previously coached in the NHL, is not eligible to apply for reinstatement until July 2025 at the earliest.
Benson and Savoie were with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice until the team relocated to Wenatchee at the end of last season. Both are still with the Sabres, though Savoie has yet to play a game because he’s been recovering from a shoulder injury. He traveled with the team to Columbus, but has not skated with the Sabres in training camp.
It’s pretty concerning his teammates decided to leave him out to dry last night knowing his job might be on the line. I feel bad for UPL at this point. I don’t know if he will ever pan out but that effort was ugly last night by the team in front of him.
Defensive effort could have been better, but end of the preseason that’s going to happen.
Fact of the matter is he still gave up some cupcakes that an NHL goalie has to stop, and that’s always been the book on him, even with good defensive coverage.
He is who he is.