To reverse fortunes, Sabres aim to get to the net

It's an adage heard in dressing rooms across the NHL: In hockey, you create your own bounces.
In their overtime loss to Anaheim on Tuesday, good bounces were few and far between for the Buffalo Sabres. Of the three goals they allowed in regulation, two went in off their own players. One shot hit the post and was pushed in by Robin Lehner; another was roofed into the net by Ryan O'Reilly.
Bad puck luck? Maybe, but Phil Housley saw another trend that factored into Anaheim's scoring.

"They had people and players going to the net," Housley said. "I think that's what we need to do more. I preach that all the time. First of all, we need to have a shot mentality, and then we need to have a net-front presence, have more guys going there and pay a price to score."

When the Sabres did score goals on Tuesday, they came as a result of that mentality. Zemgus Girgensons scored shorthanded off a bad-angle shot because he chased his own rebound. On the 6-on-5 goal scored by O'Reilly to tie the game late in the third period, both Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart were stationed in front of the Anaheim net.
Housley has reiterated his belief that it will take that mentality - the combination of taking shots and clogging the net - to produce more scoring at even-strength. The Sabres rank last in the NHL with 71 goals at 5-on-5 and have not scored an even-strength goal in four games during their current homestand.
"I think we talked about it a bit here, about getting to the net more," O'Reilly said. "Obviously, it's an issue. We have to create more 5-on-5. We have to find a way to get these chances and it starts with playing harder and getting to the net-front.
"We did a good job of getting the puck in the zone and had some good zone time, but I think we have to put a little more emphasis on getting there, playing heavier in front and looking for those greasy goals. I think from that, that's when you get those bounces."

The Sabres are 0-3-1 with one game left to play on their homestand, against the New York Islanders on Thursday night. Josh Gorges suggested that Buffalo's struggles at home are cyclical; they might lose a game in front of their home crowd, have to talk about it as a result and then have it in their head the next night.
"This game is so mental," he said. "When you're thinking about things, good or bad, it's going to affect the way you prepare and the way you play the game. The easiest thing to say is turn your brain off and just come to play."
O'Reilly added: "We're trying so hard to make this a tough building to play in and win some games here that sometimes you tighten up and try to muscle through it and do different things, and the bounces don't seem to go our way.
"I don't know how to explain it, how to get out of it. It's just a tough thing that happens and we have to continue to keep trying because last game was a bit better, but there's still more you can do."

Power play thriving off confidence

While even-strength goals have been hard to come by, the Buffalo power play stayed hot with a goal from Jack Eichel on Tuesday. The Sabres are 12-for-37 (32.4 percent) on the power play since Jan. 7, which leads the NHL.
"I think we're confident," O'Reilly said. "We go out there and we know we're going to score. It's different. I think at the beginning of the year we were a little hesitant. We weren't very comfortable. And I think we found some of that."

Evaluations ongoing for McCabe

Jake McCabe left Tuesday's game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return, which Housley said was the result of a blocked shot. McCabe was still being evaluated when the coach met with the media on Wednesday.
McCabe is one of two Buffalo defensemen - along with Marco Scandella - to appear in all 53 games this season. His average ice time of 19:30 ranks fifth on the team, third amongst defensemen.