It seems we land on this area a lot when it comes to the Sabres this season. But the reality is that it's a flashpoint that can't be ignored.
It's time to talk goaltending. Again.
And it's time for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to be here and pair with Craig Anderson.
Dustin Tokarski delivered 31 saves in a battle of wills that ended in a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Rochester Amerks have three games in three days over this weekend. Let UPL do whatever he can for them, take Monday off, be at KeyBank Center for practice on Tuesday and in the Bell Centre in goal for the Sabres against Montreal on Wednesday.
Simple. No degree in advanced analytics or decades in NHL management needed. Memo to Kevyn Adams: No reason to overthink this one. Just do it.
Dustin Tokarski is a nice story. Last year, the Sabres gave him his first shot at the NHL since 2016. But his shelf life is expiring. He's given up bad goals for three straight games, directly turning a 3-1 lead against Columbus into an overtime loss and putting the Sabres on their heels in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Colorado that easily rates as the most high-level entertainment we've seen downtown this season.
Let Luukkonen obtain whatever wisdom he can from the wise 40-year-old before Anderson is shipped off at the trade deadline. From this view, there will be teams interested in taking on Anderson as playoff insurance and the Sabres will be willing to get a draft pick for him.
Tokarski was terrible in the first period Saturday. There's no sugarcoating it. You can't give two freebies to the best team in the NHL.
He gave up a brutal five-hole goal to Nathan MacKinnon and was beaten high by Nazem Kadri, both coming less than a minute after Tage Thompson goals. Talk about gut shots. In most cases, he would have gotten the hook after three goals in 13 minutes but the Sabres have another game Sunday in Columbus and Anderson is reticent about playing in consecutive games – let alone consecutive days – after missing nearly three months with a neck injury.
Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) puts the puck past Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (31) in the first period at KeyBank Center on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.
Obviously, you would have wanted your No. 1 guy in net when you're playing the NHL's best team but Anderson just can't do it. Another reason to get Luukkonen up here. If this is a development year like we all know it is, why are we watching a 32-year-old and a 40-year-old play goal?
Luukkonen has been injured and is now fine in Rochester. Since returning from the lower-body injury he suffered last month against Tampa Bay, he entered Saturday 1-1-1, 2.25/.920 for the Amerks, stopping 81 of 88 shots in road games at Providence, Bridgeport and first-place Utica. Not an easy task.
Coach Don Granato admitted a pull was on his mind but the coach was essentially hamstrung by the schedule. And then Tokarski pulled through with an outstanding second period that featured a handful of 10-bell saves, including a diving paddle stop on Kadri and a great lateral move to swallow up a Cale Makar one-timer.
"He competed really hard," said Tage Thompson, he of the first career hat trick. "I think he gave us a really good chance to win that game. A couple of saves he made in the second and third, those go in and it's a different game. He gave us a chance all the way to the final buzzer, so kudos to him."
Coach Don Granato is not married to the Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner line that's had some recent success, writes Lance Lysowski.
"He was challenged, he struggled early, and you're gauging is he going to fight his way out of this?" Granato said. "We have to factor in the game that we play tomorrow night. And you're watching it minute by minute to see if he can respond and rebound. He did. ... He looked much, much better."
It's a tough situation for the Sabres. The players know what Tokarski has been through and his work ethic is revered. He's battled with Covid fog since early December. No player on this team has dealt with a more difficult situation this year. But those are emotions and the cold, hard facts are that Luukkonen needs to be here playing and Anderson (6-4, 2.60/.917) gives the Sabres a much better chance to win than Tokarski (5-7-4, 3.30, .902).
The Sabres are probably worried about losing Tokarski on waivers. At this point, they shouldn't. Believe it or not, they still have Aaron Dell in this organization (and he's been very good in Rochester). And they just sent Michael Houser to Cincinnati because there's no place for him to play just three weeks after it looked like he was going to start in Arizona, Colorado and Vegas. But then Covid knocked Houser out and forced Tokarski and Anderson to both return probably a couple of weeks before they should have.
Houser can pair with Dell just fine in the AHL if Tokarski is lost. And would anyone really argue a Luukkonen-Houser pairing for the final month of the season in Buffalo if that was necessary? Probably not.
We see where the Sabres are going here. They went toe-to-toe Saturday with a team that might win the Stanley Cup come June. It was a tie game in the third when referee Dean Morton made an egregious noncall as Rasmus Dahlin was high-sticked and mugged behind the Colorado net by Jack Johnson. With a stunned Dahlin down, Alex Newhook scored what proved to be the winning goal.
Buffalo's 40-year-old goalie shared laughs with his former teammates, but Ottawa triumphed thanks to a late surge.
Prior to the game, the Sabres and Avs celebrated Morton's 1,000th NHL game by presenting him signed jerseys. The Colorado one had his name and 1,000 on the back. The Buffalo one was blank, as this organization is just never quick-thinking with details. As the game turned out, the Sabres should have just demanded it back from Morton.
Bad teams don't get calls. Good teams do. In all sports. Think back to 20 years of Bills-Patriots games.
But for all the proper blame Morton's act deserves in the outcome of this game, it's hard to overlook what happened in the first period.
The Sabres haven't gotten nearly enough saves this season. Their future No. 1 guy is healthy now and playing in Rochester. Time for him to make the trip back up the Thruway.
