Standings From Sabers' Prospects Challenge Match vs Blue Jackets – Hockey Writers – Sabers Prospects

The Buffalo Sabers host their annual challenge this weekend, featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins. On Friday evening, they faced a Blue Jackets team with a roster full of top players including Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius, Isak Rosen, and Noah Ostlund, just to name a few. A number of other names on my top ten list were always on the ice and put on a clinic and finished the game with a score of 3-1 and outscored their opponents 41-21.

With so many young players coming to watch the Sabres, it was hard to keep tabs on everyone, so I let the highlights draw my attention to them as much as I could. Some players were more invisible than others, but others just stood out and made you notice them. By the end of the game, it was clear who were the highlights, and the flops.

The Sabers' Hopes Are Dwindling

With so many injuries on the team, there is definitely a lot of pressure on all the young players, and that should make them all rise up for this team and play at a high level to please the general manager and head coach. who were in the house. Another player in particular who fell hard was Alexander Kisakov. The 2021 second-round pick is featured on the third line alongside Tyson Kozak and Oliver Nadeau. The trio had a lot of power, and the latter two were playing their hearts out when Kisakov floated and turned the puck. There didn't seem to be much fight in his game, and there needs to be more showing from him during the rest of the tournament if he wants to have significant ice time in the regular season in Rochester.

Another player who was not seen was Isak Rosen. The 2021 first-round pick got plenty of ice time with potential teammates Jiri Kulich and Victor Neuchev and registered one assist off the puck off his body, but generally, he didn't do much. His play options weren't where they usually are, his speed looked a little dependent, and he looked too static compared to his two teammates who were on fire all night. He has a lot to show, and I expect him to do it in the upcoming games.

Sabers Top Prospects

There are three words that come to mind for the way this game played out and which ones stood out the most in their game. The first is definitely Konsta Helenius as he was covered in snow. Every single time, he skated hard to be in position on both ends, and he made a difference at that position. In the defensive zone, he split plays and organized rushes, and in the offensive zone, he organized left and right plays, and created scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, none of them directly led to a goal, but his presence was prominent throughout the game regardless. He kept the pressure on all night, and it was a big sign that things were going to come from him.

The second player was defenseman Ryan Johnson. As the team's “veteran” player (having played in many NHL games) he looked like the steadiest hand throughout. He served as the Sabres' top defenseman at night and was paired heavily with rookie Vsevolod Komarov, and was there to guide his teammate, while doing what he does best; protecting with peace and skiing with fluidity that even the water would envy. Whenever he had the puck and held onto it for more than two seconds, it showed. He would move up the ice with a smooth transition, draw the opposition, then make a smart play before returning to a strong defensive position. There's not much more one could ask from one of their young defensive players.

Then the third and most obvious was the lightning rod himself, Jiri Kulich, who was all over the place offensively and a threat to opposing defenses all night. He finished the game with two goals and one assist, and did so by being one of the most consistent scorers on any team. When the puck was near him, he wanted it, and nothing was going to get in his way. He was connecting players on the puck left and right to take it away from them, digging corners to make plays happen, going to the front of the net for shots and rebounds, and everything in between that a good scorer should do. He made a compelling case for the Sabers to consider giving him a real shot in training camp and the preseason.

Sabers Prospects Played Well As A Team

The team as a whole was consistent and supportive throughout the night. They played well defensively and kept things out of goalie Scott Ratzlaff, and when things got tight, they fought back, as there were two fights at the end of the night (courtesy of defenseman Jack Bodin and forward Ty Cheveldayoff). The forwards were flying and pressing, the defense was changing well and didn't give up too many good chances otherwise, and overall, the team looked cohesive.

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Now with a good and honest win under their belt, they need to carry that momentum into the rest of the tournament. At the end of it, it will be interesting to see which players stand out the most compared to the beginning, and if any they came out well compared to how they started. There will be plenty of opportunities to see both as things unfold throughout the weekend.