Buffalo come out flat and get steamrolled
Score: Buffalo Sabres 2-5 Carolina Hurricanes
Shots: BUF 17-37 CAR
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tuch [PPG] (21), Peterka (17)
Carolina Hurricanes Goals: Staal (11), Aho (21), Rantanen (27), Hall (10), Jarvis (23)
Minus 1: Wow, Just Wow
If you missed this game because of other personal commitments, consider yourself lucky. If you watched the first period and kept the TV on after that, you are either a masochist of the highest order or a true hero and deserve a medal of some sort.
The Hurricanes came into this game having lost five of their last six, and just having dropped a 4-0 decision in Montreal. Playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks, Jesper Kotkaniemi challenged Dylan Cozens to a throwdown right after the faceoff. No idea why the Sabre accepted, but Cozens took one square to the face, the home crowd got pumped up and so did the home team, and the Sabres got taken to the woodshed in the first period.
A Corsi score of 40-9 for the first stanza tells the whole story of which way the ice was tilted. Awful defensive positioning from Dennis Gilbert and then a terrible turnover near his own goal for Bowen Byram saw the Canes jump into a 2-0 lead just eight minutes in.
Lindy Ruff yanked Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to jumpstart this team, also keeping in mind the Sabres play four times in the next six days. It didn’t work as James Reimer came in and immediately got snowed under as well with the hosts adding a third on the power play less than two minutes later.
Alex Tuch creating turnovers in the opposing team’s defensive zone is one of his qualities that doesn’t get talked about enough, and he was able to give the Sabres a late lifeline during a limp power play by intercepting then scoring a solo goal to make it 3-1 at the break.
Minus 2: Better In The Second
Ruff didn’t waste any time making changes during that first intermission, mixing the lines up to go with –
Greenway-Thompson-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Krebs-McLeod-Kulich
Malenstyn-Lafferty-Benson
That top line had looked good against the Ducks and though the Sabres were able to rein in the runaway Canes, they were powerless to stop Carolina from getting their fourth with the pairing of Owen Power out to lunch and Byram aimlessly floating about, leaving Reimer having it all to do.
Shots were 11-5 for the hosts after a 17-4 first period, and it looked like all the demons in this building from the Sabres ’05-’06 playoff run were still well and alive here.
Minus 3: Short Memories
A seeing-eye pass from Jack Quinn to Ryan McLeod triggered a two-on-one with the forward feeding JJ Peterka for an early goal in the third to make it 4-2, and it looked like the Sabres were trying to make things interesting.
However, Carolina are very good in possession and game management, and continued to maintain their shot advantage keeping the Sabres hemmed in and unable to sustain any pressure on the hosts. The Canes played penalty-free in the third period to ensure they didn’t let the Sabres back in, though their propensity to give up odd-man rushes could have still hurt them more had Buffalo actually finished the chances they were handed.
With the goalie pulled, Seth Jarvis pressured Tage Thompson at the blue line to force a turnover with just over two minutes to go, and that resulted in an empty net goal to finish off the game at 5-2. That’s eleven games now that the Sabres are winless in the Canes’ barn, by far the worst house of horrors for this Buffalo team against any opponent.
Plus 1: Yay for Sentiment
The only plus from today has nothing to do with the Sabres to be honest. It was Hartford Whalers night for the Canes today, and no matter what you think about their goal song ‘Brass Bonanza’ (it got played five damn times tonight, you utter monsters), this was a good night for hockey and sentimentality. The Canes turned it into a retro-themed 90s night and did it really well too.
Final Thoughts
Some games you just have to wait for the final horn and then you consign to the trash heap. This was one of those. From the fight to start the game to the lackluster play from multiple Sabres including UPL, this was always going to be trouble. The Sabres had beaten the Canes 4-2 in Buffalo earlier in the season so they know how to beat the opponent, it’s just coming down to Charlotte that seems to terrify the pants off the Sabres.
The Sabres are playing much better at home, but need to solve road games against quality teams next. In the meantime though there are games coming up against teams directly above them in the standings where they will need to be better tuned in than tonight.
There’s also the NHL trade deadline coming up in a week – will the Sabres sell, and to what extent?
Comment of the Game for me is a two-parter from acrididea –
Poor Sammy. Another PPGA while on ice. Sigh. Team-leading 25th. As many as Power (10) & Byram (15) combined.
He just isn’t quick enough to be a good PKer this season, physically or mentally. I wish Lindy would take him off PK. He did that w/ Cozens early in the season, playing Malenstyn & Benny instead.
Next up for Buffalo is a home-and-home against Montreal who have won three in a row.