Greg Wyshynski: In leaving the Nashville Predators bench to take over as Sabres coach, Phil Housley went from the fifth-best possession team at 5-on-5 last season to the second-worst. The Sabres (5-12-4) aren't much better this season, with a minus-104 in shot attempts and ranking 27th in possession through 21 games.
So the one key fix for the Sabres isn't a roster tweak or a lineup change, but rather a plea to practice what their coach is desperately preaching.
"We've got to defend better. We have to be quicker to close, be more aggressive, because we're allowing teams to cycle and wear us down defensively," said Housley told reporters before Monday night's 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.