Sabres reflect on end of 2019-20 season

A long offseason awaits the Buffalo Sabres, who missed qualifying for the NHL's return-to-play format by the narrowest of margins.

Rasmus Dahlin will need no extra motivation to use that time wisely.

"It pisses me off a little bit actually to not play now," Dahlin said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. "It's going to be a long summer. I can take care of my body well. I can do all the small stuff I can to get better every day. I can be a lot better over the summer for next year.

"I take this as a fuel to be a lot better next year."

Sabres players reflected on the end of their season in the wake of Tuesday's announcement by the NHL that a return to play would include the top 12 teams from each conference based on points percentage. The Sabres (.493) finished 13th in the Eastern Conference.

One more win would have vaulted Buffalo past Montreal, which earned the 12th seed with a .500 points percentage. Naturally, players pointed to their Western Conference road trip in March as the difference.

The Sabres won five of six games to move within five points of a playoff spot entering the trade deadline on Feb. 24. They lost six straight after that, the first four of which were played on the road against playoff opponents from the Western Conference.

That western trip opened with a 3-2 loss to Colorado that ended with a flurry of missed chances in the final minute.

"I think that that's probably the most disappointing thing for me," forward Kyle Okposo said. "Obviously, we didn't know that this was going to happen. But at the deadline, we were in a really good position to make a push.

"… We ended up going out west and lost a heartbreaker in Colorado. We just made one more mistake than they did and they capitalized. We win that game, I firmly believe that it's different. But, would've, could've, should've, it doesn't matter. It's in the past."

Alternate captain Jake McCabe said the team felt confident in its ability to make a run going into the trip.

"There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to go out there and do the job and stay in the race," he said. "Unfortunately, we played some good hockey but didn't get the results and that's the bottom line in this league, obviously."

As the team's Players Association representative, it was McCabe's job to communicate the details of the return-to-play plan to teammates as it was being collectively bargained. Though members of the Sabres were disappointed with the outcome, McCabe stressed that it was an imperfect situation and that any returning format would be imperfect, too.

"I mean, everyone understands the circumstances and just how there's never been anything like this," McCabe said. "You've never had to collectively bargain anything like this before. With saying that, I mean, everyone I think kind of came to the conclusion that this was the format we were going to go with and the league and the return to play committee … went through tons of different scenarios for weeks to try and figure out fairness and obviously health and safety are at the forefront at it all."

Though disappointment was at the forefront, those who spoke Wednesday have also held onto the positives of 2019-20. Okposo and McCabe both lauded the job done by Ralph Krueger in his first year as head coach. Teammates praised Jack Eichel for his leadership and work ethic.

"It's disappointing, it's where we ended up," Okposo said. "I understand the weight of the team that's on the city, and I get it, because I now live here full-time. I talked to a lot of people, I've become friends with a lot of different people, and I know people are pissed, I know people are mad and they want to win. We want to win, too.

"Things don't happen overnight, especially when there's a lot of history and there's a lot of things that need to go in the right direction, but we are going in the right direction, and I think that' the message I have for fans. And obviously there's going to be a lot of people that are going to say, 'I don't want to hear that, I want to see results.' And I understand that, too. You're entitled to your opinion, for sure. But that's what I believe and that's my message to them.

Dahlin reiterated that message. He's mad and he's motivated, and he believes his teammates feel the same.

"I think a lot of guys are like me, working on stuff every day," he said. "I really think the guys in the locker room are the guys we can win with. So, we have all kinds of players. It's very fun, the next couple of years here. It's going to be a lot of fun I think."