Sabres “Power Play” Goes From Something to Work on to a Literal Nightmare
Score: Hurricanes 6 | Sabres 2
Shots: CAR 36 | BUF 21
Carolina Hurricanes Goals: Sebastian Aho (7, 8-PP), Jack Drury (3), Stefan Noesen (6), Teuvo Teravainen (11), Brady Skjei (4-SH)
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Casey Mittelstadt (5), Tyson Jost (2)
Minus 1: Same Old Same Old
Throughout a majority of the opening period, both the Sabres and Hurricanes saw action in both ends. There was even a little tiff between Rasmus Dahlin and forward Stefan Noesen and, after a shove to the face, gave the Sabres the first power play of the night. Sounds great, right? Well, after failing to score with the man-advantage yet again, the Sabres are now five for 18 in that department. They were honestly lucky that Carolina did not net a shorthanded goal as they already have five this season (spoiler alert: there will be a sixth one tonight during the third period). It has been tough to watch these power plays continue, but here we are. Another tough pill to swallow is not getting on the scoreboard first…over and over again. After losing the faceoff in the Canes’ defensive zone, Sebastian Aho capitalized on a quick pass from teammate Jaccob Slavin to give them the 1-0 lead late in the first period. Just seconds later, the home team increased the lead after Jack Drury scored just seconds after Aho.
Minus 2: 12 Seconds
Following an interference penalty by Alex Tuch, the Sabres found themselves shorthanded for the first time tonight, though it would not be the last. How long did it take Carolina to score, you ask? Just 12 seconds. It followed yet another faceoff loss – which the Sabres sit at 31st in the league with a 44.6 win percentage – and was Aho’s second goal of the night as well. Adding insult to injury (pun intended) was Jordan Greenway exiting the game early in the second period with an upper-body one, leaving Buffalo with one less forward on the ice.
Minus 3: Double Minor Joke
After JJ Peterka suffered a stick to the face, it seemed like Buffalo’s bad luck might turn around, but, as well all know, it did not. Even with a five-on-three for over a minute and Carolina serving a double minor for over four minutes, the Sabres could not score for that entire time and only managed one shot on goal during that stretch. At what point will the Sabres franchise/team/coaching staff/management/whatever do something about this horrific joke of a power play?
Final Thoughts
The Sabres have found themselves unbearable to watch. Between losing a majority of the faceoffs tonight to their offense completely disappearing, something has to give. Not only are they not scoring on the power play, they are giving up goals with the man advantage and tonight was no exception.
Feel free to sound off in the comments with what you think Buffalo’s next move should be – other than continuing to disappoint their fanbase year after year.