Buffalo has been over .500 only once during October and November
Buffalo has been over .500 only once during October and November
The Buffalo Sabres have not been able to grasp what it takes to win on a consistent basis thus far this season, and it is something that is annoying to head coach Don Granato, who expressed his frustration after a 7-2 loss to New Jersey on Saturday.
"I'm not happy about it. The lessons will keep repeating until they learn them. You come off a game you feel good about last night, but you have to have greater respect (for) the intensity that is needed day in and day out in this league,” Granato said. "It's a matter of respect for that. It's a matter of experience gained in that and lessons learned and it was a big lesson tonight."
Buffalo struggled in the first forty minutes against Pittsburgh on Friday, but found an energy boost on in the third, scoring three times in a 3-2 victory over the Penguins. That energy did not carry over in the second of back-to-back games, as the New Jersey Devils scored four times in the first period against a defensively confused Sabres squad.
"Very few goals are scored just on sheer talent. It's breakdowns, goal after goal after goal. We had too many breakdowns tonight.” Granato said. "You play last night, you get on a plane, you come in late. If you are tired, you've got to learn how to deal with it. You've got to find a B game. You make errors late in the shift because you're tired. Anywhere in the league, and I'm not talking even about tonight, but you have to learn how to play that way and be smarter and we weren't."
Things do not get easier for the Sabres, who take on the red-hot New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The game will be Buffalo’s third game in four nights, against a Rangers club that has won three straight and leads the NHL with a 15-3-1 record.
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