The Buffalo Sabres wrapped up their preseason action last night, and looked very much like the Sabres of old in a preseason drubbing at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Buffalo wrapped up their preseason with a 5-1 loss to the ‘Canes, and things could have been much worse. The Sabres gave up 36 shots, and according to Chris Ryndak of Sabres.com, Carolina’s total Corsi in the game was 64. Michal Neuvirth was the man who gave up the five-spot, essentially sealing his fate as the backup goaltender to Jhonas Enroth, who’s been lights out this preseason.
The Sabres also escaped a scary situation when Josh Gorges was boarded by Chad LaRose early in the first period. While he would miss the rest o the first period, he did return to the game after showing no signs of a concussion. It seems the Sabres have blissfully escaped the preseason with only Mark Pysyk on the shelf; Pysyk is expected to return in another week or so.
While the Sabres were outgunned on the ice, their lone goal was certainly a beauty. After sprinting after a loose puck in the corner, Mikhail Grigorenko whirled a no-look pass to Jake McCabe, who took a second to settle the puck before snapping a wrister past Cam Ward.
GIF: See @McCabe19‘s goal tonight, set up by a sweet pass from Grigorenko. #CanesSabres http://t.co/y6eiQtlOho
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 4, 2014
With the loss, the Sabres preseason is now over, and the team has the next two days off as they make their final roster cuts and prepare for their season opener on Thursday against Columbus.