"You can't clinch a playoff spot early in the season but you sure can lose one"
I first remember hearing this quote during a Minnesota Wild game back in 2002 against San Jose. The Wild were off to their best start in team history going 8-1-2 while the Sharks went 3-6-1 to start the season after making the playoffs the year before.
I can't remember who said the quote but when I heard it I realized that how you start the season is very important in where you finish the year.
If you have read my Power Polls the last four weeks you will notice two teams have been loitering near the bottom of the standings, New Jersey & Buffalo.Today we will take a look at what is wrong and whether or not they can turn their season around before it is too late.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils are currently 4-10-2 on the season. They have ten points and are currently the worst team in the NHL. There are many reasons for their struggles.
They are currently last in the NHL in Goals scored with 25 on the season. They are last in Power Play Percentage with an average of 6.5. They are 0-7 when trailing after the 1st period and 0-10 when trailing after the 2nd period.
Ilya Kovalchuk has 8 points on the season but is a minus 6 on the ice. Their other big free agent signing Anton Volchenkov has only played in three games due to an injury this season. Last week Zach Parise was lost for three months due to a torn meniscus. Add in the loss of Paul Martin on defense and the Devils struggles shouldn't surprise anyone.
The Devils are ten points behind Philadelphia for 1st in the Atlantic Division and five points out of the final playoff spot. At this point they can forget about repeating as division champs. As for a playoff spot it will take a big turnaround. The way they have played during the first fifteen games I don't see it happening.
Buffalo Sabres
If it wasn't for New Jersey they would be the biggest disappointment in the NHL this season. Actually there still is time for that to happen. They are currently seven points out of 1st place and three points out of the final playoff spot.
The knock against the Sabres last season was they had good goaltending but they couldn't score. So far this season that is still true but what is different is the struggles of 2nd year defenseman Tyler Myers.
Myers has three goals & one assist through 15 games this season but he is a minus 12 on the ice. Last season he was a plus 13.
Teammate Thomas Vanek was expected to provided the scoring for the Sabres this season. He has four goals and three assists but he has been a minus 8 on the ice.
With the struggles of the Sabres a lot has been made about the job status of Head Coach Lindy Ruff. He has been behind the Sabres bench since the 97-98 season.
The best comparison I could come up with when talking about Lindy Ruff is Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans. Both have been with their teams for over 12 years and if either one of them were fired they would have another job right away despite never winning a championship.
The Sabres could make a coaching change but it won't solve the problem. Boston & Montreal have started strong which will make them tough to catch. The Sabres should pass Toronto at some point in the standings and I think they can finish ahead of Ottawa but if they want to make the playoffs the defense has to play better.
Time is running out Devils & Sabres fans, you can both start panicking.
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