Browsing: misery

Juventus lost 1-0 at Lazio in Serie A on Sunday to pile more pressure on their coach, Igor Tudor. The Bianconeri have not won in any competition since 13 September, when they beat Inter 4-3, and they went a fourth straight match without scoring a goal as they lost in Rome.

A mistake from the Juventus forward Jonathan David led to Lazioâ€s goal in the ninth minute. The Canada international was deep in his own half and — under no pressure — when he headed the ball to the home sideâ€s Danilo Cataldi, who laid it off to Toma Basic to drive into the bottom right corner.

Juventus were fortunate that Weston McKennie was not sent off in the 57th minute after he appeared to push over Mattéo Guendouzi, who was furious. McKennie had been booked three minutes earlier but the United States international avoided getting another yellow card and being sent off. It was Lazioâ€s first win in nearly a month.

Romakept pace with Napoli at the top of the table after a 1-0 win at Sassuolo, with Paulo Dybalaâ€s 16th-minute goal on the rebound earning all three points. Bolognalet a two-goal lead slip at Fiorentina, who stay winless but battled back for a point through Moise Keanâ€s late penalty after Emil Holm was sent off for the visitors.

Paulo Dybala scored the only goal for Roma as they won at Sassuolo. Photograph: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Torinofought back from a goal down at half-time to beat lowly Genoa2-1 at home, with defender Guillermo Máripan volleying the late winner from a corner. Verona also stay winless as they drew 2-2 at home to Cagliari, having been 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go.

In Ligue 1, fourth-placed Lilleput six past Metz, with Félix Correia scoring twice. Hamza Igamane, Romain Perraud, Benjamin André and Hákon Haraldsson were also on target in a 6-1 rout that keeps the bottom club stuck on two points.

Nicemoved above Rennesin mid-table as Jonathan Clauss†opportunistic finish proved to be decisive in a 2-1 away win. In two games featuring sides in the relegation picture, Angersdefeated Lorient2-0 at home, while Le Havrewon 1-0 at Auxerre.

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Bayer Leverkusenearned their fourth straight Bundesliga win with a 2-0 home win over Freiburg. Ernest Pokuâ€s fine finish and a header from Edmond Tapsoba sealed victory for Kasper Hjulmandâ€s side. Elsewhere, Stuttgartare up to third after fighting back to beat Mainz2-1 at home, Deniz Undav netting an 80th-minute winner.

In the Eredivisie, Ismael Saibari hit a hat-trick as PSVedged a top-of-the-table battle with Feyenoord, winning 3-2 to move level with their hosts on 25 points. Ajaxare fourth after three goals in seven minutes secured a 3-2 victory at Utrecht.

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Alex Lyon (left; Martin Necas (right) -- (Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Images)

Any way you want to frame it, losing three straight games to start the season is a disaster for the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres‘ third straight defeat came Monday at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche — a legitimate Stanley Cup frontrunner — and once again, offense was a problem for Buffalo.

To wit: The Sabres only managed a single run for the second straight game. Buffalo has just two goals combined in their three games. You do the math.

The Sabres weren’t even close to good enough to beat the New York Rangers or the Boston Bruins in Games 1 and 2. Buffalo’s offense has been feeble, to say the least, because after Monday’s game, the Sabres now have the 32nd-ranked offense in the league.

Indeed, it’s been a nightmare beginning to Buffalo’s season. And the worst part could be soon to come.

By which, we mean the Sabres’ schedule is relentless in its quality of opponent. Buffalo is taking on the Ottawa Senators in their next game. And after that, they’ll square off against the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs (twice) and Columbus Blue Jackets. And just like that, more than 10 percent of the Sabres’ season will be over.

Injury-Plagued Sabres Having Worst-Case-Scenario Start To Season
Injury-Plagued Sabres Having Worst-Case-Scenario Start To Season
The news from Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was about as bad as it can get for a hockey team — Buffalo’s first-line center, Josh Norris, will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future after being injured in the Sabres’ first game of the season Thursday.

And while it’s true you can’t earn a Stanley Cup playoff spot by the end of October, it’s also true you can start to bury your playoff aspirations within the league’s first month. That’s the very real possibility for Buffalo in these next seven games. If they can’t generate wins in the next few weeks, the Sabres will be chasing a post-season berth for what could be a very long time.

The particulars of Buffalo’s three losses don’t really matter. The reality is all anyone ultimately cares about is that the Sabres are once again in the basement of their division. Even an overtime and/or shootout loss would be more encouraging than the start that Buffalo has gotten out to.

Norris Out Long-Term After Being Injured In Opener
Norris Out Long-Term After Being Injured In Opener
One of the things that the Buffalo Sabres needed to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a healthy Josh Norris playing on the top line as a #1 center, setting up sniper Tage Thompson.That hope lasted just one game, as Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced on Saturday that Norris will be out a “significant period of time†after being injured in the clubâ€s  4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday.

You can’t make any definitive statements about the Sabres after three games. But you can definitely say that Buffalo is in the worst spot imaginable, and nothing less than a quick-and-major competitive turnaround will ensure the Sabres’ season begins to circle the drain.

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