The more Buffalo Sabres lose, the worse it gets for their opponents’ health.
At least that’s the way it appears with the woeful Sabres, who seem to be taking out their frustrations in an increasingly dangerous way.
The team’s towering enforcer, the 117kg John Scott, and Patrick Kaleta, another noted “bad boy”, were suspended in back-to-back games in the past week for taking cheap shots at opponents.
Kaleta earned a 10-game penalty for an illegal, brutal body check on defenceman (and defenceless) Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was the fourth suspension of Kaleta’s crude career. His past offences were cited in the league ruling, and may have doubled his sentence.
Four days later, against Boston Bruins, Scott charged across the ice and whacked Loui Eriksson on the jaw with an upraised arm.
Eriksson, wobbly, was helped off the ice. Scott received a match penalty and word from the NHL that a suspension, length to be determined, is coming.
The Sabres are 1-9-1, leading to speculation that their coach, Ron Rolston, will be replaced.
There may be another, better reason to see him gone. Rolston mysteriously sent the little-used brute Scott onto the ice against Boston in the third period of a relatively clean game, with Buffalo losing 4-2. Scott has not scored a goal in four years.
For the safety of non-Buffalo players, we can only hope the Sabres start winning, or the irritated Rolston stops using his players like cudgels.
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