SABRES LOSE SEVENTH STRAIGHT, LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED TO FIND A WIN
Entering the third period of Monday night’s game vs Detroit, the Sabres had a two-goal lead, but the tension at KeyBank Center was palpable from the press box to the benches, with the home team on the precipice of extending their losing streak to seven straight games. Buffalo suffered two goals against in the third, squandered away a late power play chance, and lost, 6-5, in a shootout to the Red Wings.
Seven losses in a row. The Sabres are the second team in the league this season to lose seven straight games, following San Jose, who opened the season with nine straight losses, after selecting first overall in the draft this summer, the undisputed worst team in the league last season.
I wrote about how fans should expect the Sabres to be streaky this season back on November 4th. At the time, it appeared that the Sabres would be a “win three, lose three” team all season, which is why I didn’t put too much stock into the sweeping of California on their road trip, now three weeks ago.
After the loss on Monday night, Jason Zucker spoke to the media. Zucker, who was one of the few play drivers all game against the Red Wings, ended the night with two goals and an assist, drawing a penalty to boot. He referenced a stretch of 14 straight losses he encountered while playing for Minnesota, and said “It’s not a Buffalo Sabres thing, it’s a National Hockey League thing.”
It’s the first stretch the franchise has seen with that many consecutive losses since November of 2022. Funny enough, that was the same season the Sabres would finish one point shy of Florida for the final playoff spot in the East. There are 11 players that are currently on the Sabres roster that were on the team for that losing skid two seasons ago. What’s more confusing, is that, despite losing eight straight in November that season, a majority of those 11 players went on to have career years and earn contract extensions, providing generational wealth to their families. Perhaps that can still happen again this year?
Going back further, during the 2021 season, the Sabres lost an astonishing 18 straight games, which saw Head Coach Ralph Krueger fired after twelve. There are only three players remaining from that team, but two of them are now designated leaders: Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson.
With Dahlin injured since the Colorado collapse last week, Thompson, an alternate captain, has become the de facto leader. He took accountability himself after the shootout loss on Monday, saying, “it starts with me.” Thompson scored against Detroit despite the loss.
While power play issues have been prevalent, there is only one way the Sabres get out of this losing skid. As their Head Coach said, “you have to be comfortable playing in uncomfortable situations.”
The Sabres end a stretch of seven of eight straight games at home tonight, as Buffalo tries to end the losing skid against the New York Rangers. Puck drop from KeyBank Center is at 7PM.
SOUTH PARK’S ADAM “BAM” NUNES WINS THE 52nd CONNOLLY CUP
On Monday night, ten finalists for the most prestigious award in WNY high school football gathered for the awards ceremony. After each student athlete was given a plaque and a varsity jacket for their nomination as finalists, the 52nd Connolly Cup winner was announced: Adam Nunes of South Park High School.
Nunes becomes the second South Park Spark to win the Connolly Cup, following Tyree Brown in 2015. He is the 13th Spark to have been named a finalist for the award given to the most valuable football player in Western New York.
Overwhelmed with pride and joy, Nunes dedicated the award and retroactively, this past season, to his sister, who passed away in a car crash this past February. Nunes rushed for over 2,400 yards this season, while setting a NYSPHSAA record for most rushing yards in a game, posting nearly 600 yards on the ground vs Iroquois. South Park went on to play at Highmark Stadium in the Section VI Class B Championship game, where they fell to Health Sciences.
Nunes has picked up a Division II offer from Findlay University in Ohio to play football at the collegiate level next season, though Nunes has yet to make his commitment.
PAUL BURGGIO STEPS AWAY FROM CLARENCE FOOTBALL
After eight seasons at Clarence High School, Paul Burgio has stepped down from his position of Head Football Coach.
The announcement comes after Burgio led the Red Devils to new heights, posting 18 wins in the last two years, while claiming the Class A Sectional Championship in 2023. When Burgio took the reins on the program in 2017, Clarence had won 16 games in the prior four years combined.
Burgio credits the recent success to a cohesive staff and talented players, saying “Number one, we worked really hard as a staff to develop a commonality within the program. And then two, some darn good football players have come through this program in the past few years…I was able to do more things as a coach because of the talent we had.”
Burgios time at Clarence began well before he became the varsity Head Coach 2017. Back in the early 1990’s, he was a student teacher under Mark Kensy, who was on the varsity staff. Kensy kept asking Burgio to come back as a volunteer coach year after year, until Burgio became a full time coach for the program in the later 90’s.
Nearly thirty years of coaching at one school brings about so many lessons learned, one of which stands out to Burgio. “Life is not easy, and when it's not easy, you can only work hard to change that. You can't avoid difficulty in life, and you need to fight through those difficulties to have success.”
Burgio’s advice to the next Head Coach of the Red Devils is simple: “The 54th kid in the program is just as important as the number one kid, and that is really important to me. That kid who comes out that has no ability but is going to work and grind and learn every day, he's just as important as Bryce Tubin.”
Tubin was just honored last week as a Connolly Cup Finalist, the first Clarence player to have that honor in 14 years. A fitting end to the coaching career of Paul Burgio.
