BUFFALO, N.Y. — They are both captaining boats with tattered sails and nothing but rocks ahead.
Yes, Peter Horachek and Ted Nolan find themselves in rather unenviable positions. And yet with only a handful of games left in lost seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, they arrived at work Wednesday intent on trying to salvage whatever they could from the situation.
By virtue of their job description, not to mention parallel careers as life-long hockey men, they are compelled to show defiance. Against the idea that losing right now is really winning. Against some within their own organizations whose primary focus is on the odds in a draft lottery.
For many fans and observers, that was the real backdrop of Buffalo’s 4-3 comeback win (loss?) here at First Niagara Center.
But not for Nolan or Horachek.
To them, this loosely contested affair was a roller-coaster of emotions. After all, it could be one of the final NHL games they each get to coach — with both unlikely to return to their current teams next season and neither guaranteed a future opportunity as good as the one in his possession now.
Horachek had arrived here in good spirits following two straight Toronto wins, but found himself scolding players between periods for playing defence reminiscent of an exhibition game. The Leafs were outchanced all night long and squandered a 3-2 lead by giving up two goals early in the final period.
“It definitely was sloppy, wide-open hockey both ways,” said Horachek. “Too many turnovers, too many run-and guns. It looked like training camp.”
In this case, beauty was in the eye of the beholder.
Nolan saw all kinds of things worth celebrating, including a game-winning goal and assist from Matt Ellis. Those were the first two points he’d registered in 34 NHL games this season.
“Whether you’re playing on a Sunday morning or a June night, he’s still going to play the same (way) he does now,” Nolan said of Ellis. “It was great to see him finally get rewarded.”
In the big picture, there has been nothing rewarding about this season in Toronto or Buffalo. The teams have combined for 104 losses and still have a few more games to play.
By now everyone is well-acquainted with the real “reward” both organizations — and many others — hope to achieve later this month. His name is Connor McDavid. The Sabres are suddenly just two points back of Arizona and in danger of moving out of 30th, while the Leafs seem fairly entrenched in 27th.
No matter what happens down the stretch, both organizations will have a decent shot at winning the rights to a potential generational talent.
However, with games still to prepare for, that’s the last thing a coach wants to hear about.
“We’re all aware of all that kind of stuff,” said Horachek. “That’s not what our situation is in here in the coach’s room. We want to keep (the players) focused on what they have to do on a day-to-day basis, and keep that energy of the room going in the right direction and the work ethic and the attitude.
“We all know that everyone has their own jobs to do, and what they’re supposed to do, so we’ll let the other guys handle that.”
The Sabres and Leafs arrived here in much different ways.
Horachek replaced Randy Carlyle in early January while Toronto still had playoff aspirations and has seen his team come apart at the seams. He’s repeatedly complained about a lack of effort from players.
The issue in Buffalo has been more about a lack of talent, with Nolan seeing his lineup repeatedly weakened over the last 139 games following a decision from management to initiate a full-scale tear down.
He doesn’t fault his players for what has happened on the ice. They’ve not been accused of giving up.
“Whether we’re in the basement, it’s about the integrity of the game,” said Nolan.
That it’s even a topic up for conversation is strange for men who first battled one another on the ice more than three decades ago. Nolan and Horachek were opponents in the Ontario Hockey League in the late 1970’s and again in the AHL after that.
Eventually, they both moved behind the bench.
Today they are alone on separate islands, preaching similar messages and trying to squeeze whatever they can out of the final 10 days of this NHL season.
“The only thing we can control is the way we work and compete,” said Nolan. “Certainly with (the Buffalo players), their attitude and the way they’ve worked the last few weeks has been admirable.”
In a situation as dire as this one, it’s about the only thing that can make an old coach smile.
