Score: Sabres 1, Red Wings 2
Shots: BUF: 32 | DET: 23
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Alex Tuch (4)
Detroit Red Wings Goals: Dylan Larkin (6,7)
Plus 1: Alex Tuch
Before we get to the frustrating parts of Saturday’s game, let’s start with perhaps the one bright spot, which was Sabres forward Alex Tuch. First off, Tuch scored his fourth goal of the season, this one coming on a shorthanded breakaway. Unfortunately for Buffalo, that was their lone tally of the night.
Tuch also helped save the game – literally – as he made not one, not two, but three impressive consecutive saves from the crease. This could’ve been an easy 3-1 lead for the Red Wings, and Tuch did everything he could to keep that puck out. Safe to say he’s getting “Save of the Night” honors for this sequence, including the windmill.
Minus 1, 2, 3…: Everything Else
The Sabres struggled on a number of levels Saturday night, and it reflects their overall struggles this season. To go from the high of a three-game winning streak to now the low of a three-game losing streak is enough to give you whiplash. Lindy Ruff mixed up the lines and pairings, but it still wasn’t enough to spark this team into action.
While I mentioned Tuch’s trio of saves from in the crease earlier, the fact is, he shouldn’t have had to make those saves. It was a sloppy game, particularly the second period, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the Red Wings had six high-danger scoring chances in the frame. The Sabres? None.
Trouble hitting the net. Low-quality shots. No offensive depth. Samuelsson having issues. Quinn literally tripping over himself with a wide open net. This game had it all, and nothing at all.
Final Thoughts
To put it into perspective, the Sabres are 12 games into the season and have already had two separate three-game losing streaks. On the plus side, they’ve also had a three-game winning streak, which took significantly longer last season to accomplish. While that’s good, it also makes everything that much more frustrating.
Yes, it’s still early in the season. But I’d hate for it to come April time, that we look back on these losses and say “If only they’d won that Detroit game, like they should’ve.” or “They should’ve gotten that win against the Islanders. No excuse for that.”
Again, some positive news on the Rochester Americans’ side of things, as the Amerks beat the Comets again tonight – this time in a shootout. Konsta Helenius and Mason Jobst scored in regulation for Rochester, while Vsevolod Komarov got the game-winner in the shootout. Michael Houser made 28 saves and stopped three of four players in the shootout.
The Sabres have two days off before their next game, a Tuesday tilt against Ottawa. It’s a busy month ahead, with 12 games in a span of 26 days, including a California road trip.