Can We Get a Do-Over?
Score: Buffalo Sabres 3-6 Columbus Blue Jackets
Shots: BUF 26-23 COL
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Samuelsson 1st (Ostlund, Power) Quinn 1st (Benson, Ostlund) Helenius 1st (McLeod, Power)
Columbus Blue Jackets Goals: Sillinger 1st (Coyle, Mateychuk) Knies 1st (Coyle, Werenski) Fantilli 1st (Werenski, Knies) Knies 2nd (Andrae, Johnson) Monahan 1st ( Nichushkin, Voronkov) Olivier 1st (Coyle)
“Frustrated Incorporated”
Minus 1: Sammy! Then WHAMMY!
Buffalo got a good chance just seconds into the game when Tage Thompson rang one off the iron. Josh Doan followed that up with a nice pass from Josh Norris, taking the puck right to the net, but Jet Greaves of Columbus made a quality save. The Blue Jackets then put on a strong forecheck but couldn’t get the puck to the net for a shot. Carson Soucy was called for cross-checking Sabres forward Jack Quinn, giving Buffalo’s much-maligned power play its first opportunity of the season.
It didn’t last long.
After fumbling the puck at least twice, TNT was called for hooking, negating the rest of the man advantage. That opened the ice for 4-on-4 play and gave Mattias Samuelsson plenty of room to let one rip. Sammy cashed in with a wicked shot that eluded Greaves. Noah Ostlund and Owen Power picked up the assists on Buffalo’s first goal of the new season.
Ten minutes in, the shots were just 3-2 in favor of the Sabres.
Buffalo picked up its fourth and fifth shots while enjoying some quality zone time, but a Columbus breakout would tie the game. Charlie Coyle tried to split the Sabres defense, which closed in on him, but Coyle made a great play to drop the puck back to an open Cole Sillinger. He fired a snapper past a surprised Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Sabres’ forwards were caught too deep and couldn’t get back to cover the man in the slot.
A little later, Buffalo fumbled the puck in front of its own net with some inopportune passing. Samuelsson had to tie up his man to recover, bringing him down and taking a penalty in the process. Columbus cashed in quickly as Matthew Knies snapped a shot on UPL from about 15 feet out that found the twine. The Jackets had now collected four straight shots and two goals. They added another on their next shot. Adam Fantilli’s long-distance blast had eyes, beating Luukkonen again.
The Sabres’ first-period collapse was painful to watch and incredibly discouraging after scoring first on the road. Buffalo’s new and undermanned defense was certainly not in midseason form, and neither was UPL. The Sabres weren’t aggressive enough defensively, repeatedly backing in instead of challenging the Columbus attack. This was a serious shake-your-head period—one Buffalo desperately needed to put behind it. Would they?
Plus 1: Two on the Board but One Against
A quick turnover to start the period allowed Jack Quinn to bring the game back within one. Buffalo held the puck in at the blue line, where Zach Benson came up with it and quickly dished it to Quinn. Benson then drove to the net, taking a Columbus defender with him. Quinn cut wide, setting himself up for the shot before zipping the puck past Jet Greaves. It was a huge goal to start the middle frame and exactly what the Blue and Gold needed.
Buffalo found some new life after the goal, generating more zone time and pressure. The Sabres would draw a penalty on a strong forecheck as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen headed to the bench. The whistle eventually blew with the puck rolling in front of Buffalo’s empty net. Mathieu Olivier decided he would break the unwritten rules and fired the puck into the yawning cage, and Sabres defenseman Zach Metsa let him know that wasn’t going to fly, giving him a good shove. The hulking Blue Jackets enforcer then decided to go ham, attacking Metsa and firing away with wild punches. Metsa was clearly overmatched and undersized, but to his credit, Zach hung in there. He absorbed Olivier’s relentless barrage and even managed to sneak in a few shots of his own. Metsa did his best to shield himself from the assault, but where were the refs on that one? A much smaller player was essentially in survival mode against a significantly bigger opponent, and the zebras simply stood back and watched. Way to go, NHL.
Buffalo would receive a five-on-three advantage following the incident, but the Sabres couldn’t cash in. A two-man advantage was the perfect opportunity to tie the game, and good teams find a way to capitalize in those situations. Buffalo didn’t, and it would come back to bite them as Columbus reestablished its two-goal lead. Matthew Knies scored again, giving him three points on the night. The former Toronto Maple Leaf seemed possessed, apparently determined to continue finding success against Buffalo even after leaving the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres would get their fourth power play of the night shortly afterward, but once again failed to score. However, Buffalo continued to keep the pressure on and finally found twine moments after the penalty expired. Konsta Helenius scored his first goal of the season after receiving a beautiful cross-ice pass from Ryan McLeod. Owen Power picked up his second assist of the game on the play as well.
The Sabres generated some good zone time for the remainder of the period, but couldn’t find the equalizer. After 40 minutes, Columbus still held a 4-3 lead.
Minus 2: Sammy’s Double Whammy
Buffalo continued to get some zone time early in the period, generating a few chances while pressing the attack. Benson and Ostlund were standouts among the forward ranks. Luukkonen then came up with his best save of the game, getting a piece of the puck while sliding across the crease to deny a Columbus 2-on-1. He had faced just 16 shots to that point, but four of them had already found the back of the net. He remained focused though.
Owen Power then had his stick slashed in half as Sillenger was sent off the ice. Another chance for the dreaded Buffalo power play. Once again, failure, though the Sabres came close with a shot off the post with 3 seconds left. Columbus was all over the puck carrier and was winning most of the face offs. UPL then came up big again, denying Knies of a hat trick on a breakaway. It wasn’t his best outing for sure but he kept his team in it for much of the third period.
Samuelsson then took his second penalty of the evening, this time for tripping. The Sabres nearly killed it off, but Sean Monahan tipped the puck past UPL with just two seconds remaining on the man advantage. Just like that, Columbus had a 5-3 lead. Both of Sammy’s penalties ultimately resulted in Blue Jackets power-play goals.
Buffalo eventually pulled UPL, and, well, we all know how that usually goes. You have a better chance of hitting the Lotto than the Sabres cashing in on a 6-on-5 advantage. After several more puck fumbles, Mathieu Olivier found the empty net to seal a 6-3 Columbus victory. As discussed before the game, the Sabres simply do not match up well against Columbus, for whatever reason. It was a disappointing way to start the new year, with mental mistakes and poor puck control plaguing Buffalo throughout the night. The defense also failed to attack the way it needed to, allowing the Blue Jackets far too much room to operate.
Overall, it was a frustrating game to watch. The Sabres have plenty of work to do and will need to clean up several problem areas before they take the ice again. What a ginormous disappointment. We waited all summer for THAT???
Final Thoughts:
Once again, special teams were a major issue in this game. The power play went 0-for-5, while the penalty kill managed to go just 1-for-3. There’s your game right there. Those are simply dreadful numbers, and the struggles on the faceoff dot only made matters worse. Draws have been an issue with this group for some time, and tonight was no different. Buffalo won just 41 percent of tonight’s faceoffs, including losing many while on the man advantage.
Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson were very quiet in this game, not a good winning recipe.
The Sabres now turn their attention to the Chicago Blackhawks for their home opener on Saturday, October 3rd, at 7 p.m. at KeyBank Center. Former Buffalo defenseman Bo Byram will make his first return to the building.