The Rochester Americans were missing five defensemen tonight when they played the Oklahoma City Barons.
They should have lost and did lose, 5-2.
When you have two defensemen up from the ECHL (and at this point of the season those teams have been picked over), another who needs to be there to play, and a fourth who had been a healthy scratch a lot lately, there’s little chance to slow down or contain a team as strong as the Barons.
Too many mistakes, too many turnovers, too many poor decisions with the puck, and it was a five-goal onslaught by OKC between the 9:58 mark of the first period and the 18:41 mark of the second.
Alex Biega played 29 minutes, 41 seconds. Nick Crawford was on for 29:42. That’s half the game for two defensemen.
Hey, it happens now and then. AHL teams lose players to the parent team all the time. You deal with and move on. T.J. Brennan and Joe Finley will be back, probably once the Sabres hit the NHL All-Star break. Brayden McNabb also is up but could be staying in the NHL.
Drew Schiestel was absent Thursday due to a death in the family and Shaone Morrisonn was serving the first game of a three-game suspension.
So the thing is, the losing will very likely continue. The Amerks and Barons play again Friday night at 7:35 in downtown Rochester. Why would anything change, unless the Amerk forwards somehow play a dominating game and keep the puck at the other end of the ice for the majority of the game?
Then on Saturday the Amerks are in Grand Rapids, Mich. Yeah, that’s fun travel. Home Friday, bus 8 1/2 hours or so to play a third game in three nights. Guaranteed win night for the Griffins.
“It’s important to bounce back tomorrow,” coach Ron Rolston said, “but then we play a divisional opponent on the road.”
Rolston didn’t blame the loss on a weakened defense. He knows he was short, and was trying to spread out minutes and preserve somewhat. The callups from the coast, Maury Edwards and Brock Matheson, were by no means terrible (though each was minus-2).
“At times I thought they did a better job back there than some of the other guys,” Rolston said.
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On Dec. 27 in Oklahoma City, Barons defenseman Taylor Chorney came cutting into the slot and, with a shoulder and/or forearm to head, knocked out Amerks winger Evan Rankin.
Because of the concussion, Rankin has yet to play again, though he did light skating in practice this week.
Retribution? Nope. Not discussed, Rolston said. Not necessarily, apparently.
“He’s not a dirty player,” Rolston said. “I know him, I’ve coached him.
“We needed to focus on the thing we needed to do and we didn’t.”
The game has changed. I’m sure some think it sounds barbaric, but isn’t this why dirty hits continue? If a guy never has to pay a price for a cheap shot, then why would he ever stop bashing opponents?
As some followers pointed out on Twitter tonight, though, it’s very much the Sabres way. Let opponents take advantage of whoever they want; it’s OK with us. So what if half the team is concussed?
There is surely a faction of fans who will say I’m crazy. But I know this: The Amerks need Rankin now (they need their defensemen back, too). And every time someone is allowed to deliver a dirty check or cheap shot without any sort of retribution, they’re bound to do it over and over.
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Zack Kassian wasn’t real good tonight, not that many Amerks were. Rolston thought he was better than last weekend’s two games, when he was really invisible.
“He didn’t think he was very good (last weekend) and we didn’t think he was very good,” Rolston said.
A lack of older players, especially with captain Colin Stuart hurt (lower body), mean the kids grow up fast but their inconsistency is glaringly evident. That’s what keeps prospects out of the NHL; they are great one night and then you can’t remember seeing them the next three games.
“We rely on a lot of young players.,” Rolston said. “The play a lot and play over their head (in terms of ice time and situations).”
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Patrick Kaleta left the Sabres game with a lower body injury and did not return. The Sabres lost, BTW, 4-1 at Winnipeg. Also, Nathan Gerbe left in the third period. Not sure of his status.
The Sabres will need at least one forward, and probably two, to meet them in St. Louis for Saturday’s guaranteed loss night against the Blues.
A defense stripped to nothing, and now maybe the same up front for the Amerks.