Buffalo drops back-and-forth game in shootout
Score: Buffalo Sabres 5 | Detroit Red Wings 6 (SO)
Shots: BUF 21 | DET 31
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Zach Benson (4), Jason Zucker (6,7), Tage Thompson (15), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (1)
Detroit Red Wings Goals: Andrew Copp (6,7), Lucas Raymond (11), Moritz Seider (3), Alex Debrincat (12)
Minus 1 (through 7): Losses piling up
The Sabres may have garnered a point in Monday’s game, but at the end of the night, it is still another loss and now marks seven in a row (0-4-3) for Buffalo. Pick your word to describe this streak: inexcusable, sad, ugly, disastrous, insufferable.
The team did show some bright spots on Monday, but none of it means much when all is said and done. Scoring first should be a good thing, but not so much when the team has a 43% win rate when doing so. Holding a two-goal lead heading into the third period should be a positive, but not when the team only manages four shots on goal in the third period and blows the lead. Facing a relief goaltender who is making his NHL debut should provide an appetite for throwing everything at the net – including the kitchen sink – but the Sabres only made Sebastian Cossa face 14 shots in 45 minutes.
Plus 1: Jason Zucker
Jason Zucker has quickly proven himself as a leader on the ice and off. Zucker had two goals on Monday night, his fifth and sixth of the season, and spoke after the game. He didn’t offer excuses, but accountability.
Zucker says the losing skid is not a Buffalo Sabres thing, it happens elsewhere too, (he mentioned a 14-game losing streak in Minn) but it doesn't mean it's okay by any means. #Sabres
— Brian Koziol (@BrianWGR) December 10, 2024
Final Thoughts
Having watched both the Bills game on Sunday and the Sabres on Monday, I couldn’t help but feel like they were similar in some vein. Neither Buffalo team could stop its opponent. Every time we scored, they did, too. Our short guy (Benson) scored, so did theirs (Debrincat). They took a lead, we rallied back and regained the lead. They came back and tied it, etc.
Monday’s game felt like a “bad team vs. bad team” contest and the Sabres won, in the wrong way – by losing. There is no pride in the loser point. Sabres are now 3-4-3 in their last ten games, which is by no means good, but is somehow slightly better than their next opponent: the New York Rangers. The Rangers are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games and, of course, recently traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.