For Sabres, sometimes the truth does hurt
Teammates hope blunt talk cures them of their ills
The Buffalo Sabres claim to be best friends. The overwhelming majority started in the minors together, worked hand-in-hand to make it to the NHL and parlayed that into some on-ice success and big-dollar contracts.
But sometimes, a friend has to tell you what you don’t want to hear. There’s lobster in your teeth. You really shouldn’t date that person you’ve fallen in love with. Your kid is spoiled.
Or, in the Sabres’ case: Dude, your game is terrible.
That appears to be what’s going on in the Sabres’ dressing room. As they head into tonight’s game in Toronto, the team is reeling. Players are slumping or not working, and they were booed off the ice in the past two home games.
The Sabres say they are trying to hold each other accountable. They also are hinting their friends are taking it personal.
“We’ve got to demand out of each other more,” Sabres center Jochen Hecht said Wednesday. “We’ve got to be able to give the other guy a hard time when he’s not playing well, be able to tell him. It’s something that’s hard when you’re good friends, but usually you think if you’re good friends you would take whatever he says seriously. That’s what we’ve got to do, hold each other accountable.”
Hecht’s words about accepting advice came 14 hours after goaltender Ryan Miller made a similar statement.
“We’ve got to maintain a close team, and a team that we have to [be able to] offer constructive criticism,” Miller said after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to Washington. “Guys have to be able to be able to take it. Guys can’t be immune to it.”
They can’t ignore it, either. There’s no getting around the fact the Sabres are not very good. They are 1-2-2 in the past five games, have blown third-period leads in three of them, and no one even bothered to show up for the first 40 minutes against the Capitals.
The troublesome part is it’s nothing new. The Sabres have won 17 of their 37 games this season. In calendar year 2008, they won 37 of 82. It’s less than half, and it’s not good enough to make the playoffs.
“Your responsibility as a player is to hold each other accountable,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “If your work level is higher than your teammates and he’s a good friend, hold him accountable. You have to get him to want to work and win as bad as you can. Is it big? It can be big.”
In what may be a good sign, four of the team’s biggest names have the spotlight of accountability shining on them. Ruff has publicly called out Hecht and fellow center Derek Roy. Miller and Thomas Vanek are demanding more of themselves.
Vanek has one goal in seven games and is minus-7 in the span. He is always hard on himself and took the blame for Tuesday’s lackadaisical showing. Told no one else did anything for most of the game, either, he didn’t back off.
“Someone’s got to do it, and I didn’t do it,” Vanek said. “I feel I should be doing it right now. I’ve been here long enough. I sat on the back of the bus for a while; it’s my turn to be in front again. The last two weeks I haven’t been playing my best hockey, so right now I’ve got to be better again. Once I am, I think the team plays better.”
Added Miller, who has allowed at least three goals in five of his past six games: “I can be better, so I’ll set the standard.”
In case the players aren’t able to shake themselves up, Ruff is helping them along. He has rearranged the dressing room. Players have been in the same stalls for years, but not anymore. Only a handful of guys remained in the same spot. Even if they did, they had different players on either side.
“Not happy with the home record at all [10-9-2], put some different voices next to different guys, put our defense together so when I address them I only have to look in one place,” Ruff said. “It’s something I thought about for a long time, and it’s a decision we made as coaches [Tuesday] night. That might not be the end of the changes. There may be other stalls moved.”
One thing matters more: how the players in the stalls respond to what their teammates say.
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