The Sabres have a defensive system in place where they try to mix young developing defenseman with cerebral older veterans. If you look back, you see it in every Sabres team since Lindy Ruff’s been coaching here. The Sabres prefer a quick skating, puck control type of defense. It works well if you have the right players. But the effectiveness of this defense is also directly dependent on the forwards and defenseman playing within the system.
That means that the players need to play with a lot of effort. The Sabres win when they play harder than other teams. That’s fine, I’m confident with Lindy Ruff’s ability to motivate his players but this is the National Hockey League, everyone is literally a professional. As an organization, you can’t expect your professional team to outwork every other professional team in order to win games.
There’s been a lot of talk around Western New York about lack of effort from the hometown team. Some say Lindy Ruff may have lost some of the players in the Sabres dressing room. I say BS. I think this defensive unit, and by extension, this team, is in a transitional period that is unlike any we’ve seen before from a Regier/Ruff team.
I noticed something in the Tuesday night Ottawa win that I haven’t seen from this team in a long time. Think back to when there was about seven minutes left in the third period and Ottawa was pushing for the tying goal. Ottawa was bringing pressure and the Sens’ forwards were swatting at Miller’s pads, trying to chip in an easy goal. The Sabres had been outplayed the entire third period. While Miller was trying to secure the puck, Craig Rivet absolutely bull-dozed two Ottawa players out of the crease, one with each arm. Rivet just overpowered the Senators with strength and aggression. It was the kind of aggression that leaves a memorable impression for opposing players. A scrum ensued and Rivet proceeded to announce to any opposing player within arms reach that he was not very pleased at the overall complacency and lack of respect Ottawa was showing his team. Now they know that if they want to take shots at Miller, there’s a tole that has to be paid and Craig Rivet will not forget to collect.
If there is one disturbing weakness that the Buffalo defensive unit has had over the years, it is their physical game. In particular, the physical play in front of their own net. In particular, the physical play in front of their own net during the playoffs. Sometimes you just need to have bigger and stronger guys on your team. There was no one bigger or stronger on the ice Tuesday night than Craig Rivet. He’ll always be there to test you, asking, do you really want it that bad because if you do, I’m going to punish you in the process.
It was a statement from a man still trying to earn his stripes on this team. But really, with further play like that, just hand this guy the keys. The Sabres saw it, the fans saw it, and you can bet that everyone wearing Ottawa jersey saw it. He’s already the captain and now we’re learning why. This is the guy that Jaroslav Spacek was supposed to be when they signed him in the ’06 summer and the guy that the Sabres have been missing on this team for years: a tough, gritty, passionate defenseman.
Any team worth discussing in this league has a clear and obvious advantage playing at home. Being consistently good at home is always part of the foundation with which every great team is built upon. And the best way to get victories at home is to create a dependable defensive unit.
Winning teams have identities on defense, often inspired by one or more standout players. Think about Detroit. Nick Lidstrom is a standout defenseman. He skates well, he’s smart with the puck and no one is better at positioning themselves in the defensive zone. That team and that defense, has an identity and it’s lead by Lidstrom.
Think about Chara in Boston or Phaneuf in Calgary and now Campbell in Chicago. Those teams win and are particularly successful at home with those guys dictating the tone of the game. Those players always have an effect on the outcome of their games.
Rivet will never be as dynamic of a player as the aforementioned. The guy’s 34 years old. But I like what he brings to the Sabres. He’s a difference maker and I wouldn’t mind seeing if the Sabres could pair up Mike Weber with Rivet in the future.
Sometimes I feel like the Sabres marquee players are sometimes afraid to battle with teams when they don’t have any competitive energy or physical support. A guy like Craig Rivet gives the Sabres both of those things.
Don’t believe me? Well, check out the following numbers. The Sabres record is 13-7-2 when Rivet is in the line-up this year. They are 7-8-3 when he’s not in the lineup. At home, the Sabres are 8-3-1 with Rivet in the line-up. The three losses came against Ottawa early in the season, Columbus when Lalime let in 4 goals on the first 8 shots he faced, and against Philadelphia later in November. With Rivet out of the line-up, at home, the Sabres are just 3-6-1.
After Rivet’s play, with 6:33 to play in the third, the Senators who up until that point had thrown 9 shots on net, managed only two more for the rest of the game.