Pominville population stagnant

Jason Pominville is always one of the most upbeat players in the Buffalo Sabres’ locker room. Ask about any of his teammates and he’s effusive with his praise.

But when the topic shifted earlier this week to his own struggles, you saw a different side of Pominville. There was a pained expression, a distant look, even a few stares at the locker room floor.

Pominville knows he’s expected to be one of the team’s top offensive threats on the wing. One goal in the last 16 games simply doesn’t get the job done.

“It’s frustrating, extremely frustrating,” said Pominville, who will be looking to snap out of it tonight when the Sabres meet the Washington Capitals in Verizon Center. “I’ll be honest with you: The confidence isn’t as high as it’s been before, that’s for sure. But you still have to keep working at it and hope to get a bounce here or there.

“When you lose a game by a goal and you know you’ve missed opportunities, that’s the tough part for me. You want to help the team win and one way I do that is by putting the puck into the net.”

Pominville’s only goal in this stretch was the empty-netter that clinched the Dec. 10 win over Tampa Bay. He hasn’t beaten a goaltender since the first period of the Nov. 19 loss at Boston.

Everything seemed fine at that point. He had scored in four straight games, had eight goals on the season and was on pace for 37. Since then, nothing has worked.