Detroit, Mich. (WGR 550) – It wasn’t that the Buffalo Sabres weren’t ready to play on Sunday, as Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka started the game with a great shift. After that, though, the team folded.
More than once this season, the Sabres have gotten themselves back into the playoff race. Each and every time, they buckled under the added pressure.
They entered Sunday’s game with the Detroit Red Wings four points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Once the Thompson line came off the ice, the rest of the team started making uncharacteristic plays.
Jack Quinn tried to force a pass in the neutral zone all the way across the ice, and it was picked off by Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond. As Raymond approached the slot, Owen Power just kept backing up and backing up. He easily could’ve stepped up to take the open ice away from him, but he retreated instead.
Raymond then just let it rip from the slot for the game's opening goal. I could say that it’s not an easy save, but it’s one Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has made many times before.
Less than three minutes later, Quinn doubled down with another cross-ice pass across the neutral zone. He did have Zach Benson, but the rookie winger didn’t see the pass coming and went towards the bench for a change. By the time he realized it, Pat Kane was past him, and Bo Byram and Henri Jokiharju got crossed up.
Kane was able to split them both to go in on Luukkonen to make it 2-0.
By the 7:37 mark of the first period, Dylan Larkin was left alone in front and his power play goal made it 3-0, Detroit.
Tage Thompson got one of those goals back on the power play at 13:16, which gave the Sabres 46:44 to get two goals to tie the game. They had 38 shots on goal, with the Thompson line spending most of the afternoon in the offensive zone, but no more goals were scored.
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Trust me, Alex Tuch is well aware that in the last few weeks, they’ve visited Detroit with the Red Wings riding long losing streaks, and with the chance to pull to within one point and two points of the Wings. The Sabres failed.
The veteran winger wasn’t going to try to sugarcoat all the chances this team has had to get into the playoff race.
"If you can’t win more than three in-a-row, you’re probably not going to be in the playoffs," said Tuch in an annoyed tone following Sunday's loss.
This is not a mentally tough team, and the group in Buffalo has proven it over-and-over again. It doesn’t help that cracking under pressure is treated as a learning experience on this team, instead of it being a part of life that needs to be conquered, not coddled.
By the way, everyone doesn't crack under pressure. Ask Quinn Hughes, Luke Hughes, Cale Makar, Jack Hughes and Connor Bedard.
This loss pretty much ended any hopes the Sabres might have had left this season.
The most points Buffalo can get is 87, and winning their last four games still likely wouldn’t be enough. The Red Wings have 84 points, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals have 83 points, while the New Jersey Devils have 79.
If any one of those teams gets to 88 points, the Sabres are done.
The Sabres have Monday off, and then visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
