According to John Vogl from the Buffalo News, the Sabres definitely need to add scoring going forward. He described that when head coach looks around his dressing room, he sees quite a few goal scorers. In those players he recognizes six plyers who in the past have scored more than 20 goals in a single season. Those players are: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Brian Gionta and David Legwand. In addition, he had Zemgus Girgensons who last year was on pace to pass the 20-goal mark before he got injured.
Of those players, the only players he has to pass the 20 goal mark are Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane.
“I am surprised that we don’t have more goals,” Bylsma said Friday. “Not by one particular person specifically, but I am surprised. We’ve created and done things that you need to do to score goals, and we haven’t always gotten them throughout the year.”
What seem to lack for the Buffalo Sabres this year is the finish around the net. They get their chances but like captain Brian Gionta recently declared: “I’ve had some great scoring chances this season, but I’ve just got to find ways to get it in.”
Murray could be active by the trade deadline
Needless to say, the focus for general manager Tim Murray is to find scoring. The Sabres will likely not make the playoffs this year but the future is bright. With the drafting of phenom Jack Eichel at no.2 who’s had a really good rookie year so far, the Sabres could be in a position to win the next draft lottery and take a stab at Austin Matthews.
“We’ve got to find ways to get those guys hot, get guys scoring up and down the lineup,” Gionta said in First Niagara Center. “That’s part of the reason why we’re not coming out on top of those one-goal games.”
Should they end up in the no.2 to no.5 spot at the lottery, they could be tempted to trade that pick for more offense ready type of player.Even, if the sabres are out of the picture officially by the trading deadline, Murray will be on the lookout to add some offense depth for the longer term. Currently the sabres have lost three straight and are 15-19-4.
