Buffalo Sabres: Does Dan Bylsma Deserve So Much Criticism?
By Paul Taylor
With the Buffalo Sabres in danger of falling out of playoff contention, coach Dan Bylsma appears to be getting most of the blame, but is it fair?
The Buffalo Sabres earned a desperately-needed 4-3 victory on Tuesday night, against the Detroit Red Wings. In the process, they ended a four-game losing streak.
However, don’t expect the win to have much impact on the criticism surrounding Dan Bylsma. The Sabres’ coach has been under increasing pressure of late, with some hockey analysts believing his job could be under threat.
There’s no denying the Sabres have already endured a ridiculous number of injuries this season. Certainly, it doesn’t help when you lose the likes of Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane for any period of time.
Regardless, there are those who believe even the absence of prominent players doesn’t excuse the team’s performances in general. Byslam’s system has been described as “plodding” and “unwatchable”.
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It’s tough to argue with this damning assessment, when you rank second-worst in the NHL for goals scored. Given this lack of firepower, it didn’t help that entering Tuesday’s game against Detroit, the Sabres had given up the first goal in seven consecutive games.
For a further indication of the problems surrounding Bylsma’s system, consider the play of Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons. Perceived as talented players with more to give, both have struggled to produce since the current coach took over at the start of last season.
Another example of Bylsma’s questionable coaching comes via Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Harrington writes that the Sabres’ best defensive pairing this season, has been Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe.
And yet, in recent games, the 46-year old has teamed Ristolainen with Dmitry Kulikov, who has been terrible since coming to Buffalo. This may have been the preferred pairing heading into the 2016-17 campaign, but it clearly isn’t working.
In fairness to Bylsma, some of the recent criticism seems a bit unwarranted. For example, he received a lot of flack for his handling of Eichel’s benching for the first power play during last Thursday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
It turns out that the 2015 second overall draft pick was benched for disciplinary reasons, but the Sabres’ coach attempted to protect him by not initially disclosing this. Regardless of how clumsily Bylsma may have handled the situation, it hardly ranks as a justified reason to criticize him.
The Sabres’ struggles during shootouts have been used as an example of another area where Bylsma needs to improve. The team has a record of 1-5 this season (and 3-12 as a whole during his tenure).
According to Harrington, none of the Sabres’ shooters have any confidence. They are apparently all stressed by the shortcomings of Robin Lehner (0-6) and Andrew Nilsson (4-8), when it comes to making crucial saves.
However, save for changing one or more of his shooters, Bylsma can only do so much to improve anyone’s belief in this area. Pure and simple, at some point the players need to man up take some responsibility.
Overall, the former Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Stanley Cup-winning coach understands better than anyone, that criticism comes with the territory. However, as is often the case with media and fans alike, some of the finger pointing towards him has been unjustified.
Given that some of struggles have been out of Bylsma’s control, to still be within six points of a playoff spot has to count for something. As frustrating as it might be for people, it’s best to take a “wait and see” approach at this point, with plenty of time left for the Sabres to get back on track.
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What’s your take on all the criticism Bylsma has been receiving lately? Is it fair or unjustified, and why? Further, do you agree that he is a candidate to be fired by the end of this season? Share your thoughts in the comments section.