Boston, MA (WGR 550) - It was just more of the same for the Sabres in Boston, dominate much of the zone time, have Tuukka Rask stand on his head and give up one outnumbered chance and leave the first period down 1-0.
Buffalo had the first six shots of the period and had Rask stop Conor Sheary on a cross-ice power play one-timer, and Victor Olofsson hit the post open down the slot.
I liked how active Sam Reinhart was on the power play as he took the puck from the corner hard to the net. He got it through Rask, but as the puck was going over the goal line, Patrice Bergeron scooped it out of the net.
When Boston did finally generate a scoring chance, it was a really bad decision by Rasmus Ristolainen to step up along the wall. I understand Jake McCabe sending the puck around the wall might not have been the easiest play, but it also should never have resulted into a goal at the other end. Ristolainen has to be aware that the best line in the National Hockey League is on the ice. The team wants pressure, but I think you have to be smart about who is on the ice. Bergeron chipped it up past Ristolainen to Brad Marchand and he found David Pastrnak for and easy 2-on-1 layup as McCabe failed to take the pass away.
So Buffalo leaves the period with a 7-2 shots advantage, a huge zone time advantage and a 16-7 hitting advantage, but trailed 1-0. That just can't keep happening.
Buffalo finally got on the board in the second period producing a nice 3-on-2 and 2-on-1, but it was actually Zdeno Chara and Rask that put the puck in. Reinhart found Ristolainen after Marcus Johansson made a nice play to chip the puck up to a breaking Reinhart. Rask made the save, but the puck was behind him. It looked like it hit his skate and Chara's stick before going in.
Through two periods, the Sabres did an excellent job of killing three Boston power play attempts. They got one really good opportunity, but Linus Ullmark made a big glove save from the slot.
Curtis Lazar and Rasmus Asplund actually got two shorthanded opportunities. Lazar caused a turnover allowing Asplund to walk in alone on Rask, and Asplund had another chance shooting from the right circle.
Buffalo was outshooting Boston 19-13 after two periods and had the better of the chances, only to be turned back by Rask.
The excellent penalty killing didn't last into the third period. Johan Larsson took two penalties for four minutes. Jake DeBrusk, who was benched in the first period, tipped in a power play goal and just 18 seconds later, he took an off angle shot that somehow eluded Ullmark for another PP goal. Ullmark has to make that save.
The Sabres didn't give up as 2:13 later during a delayed penalty, Lazar crashed the net and scored on a Ristolainen rebound.
The bottom line is this, they've played Boston pretty well in all three game, but that's not good enough. These drastic swings this team has are way too much. It doesn't matter if they played well, the bottom line is they have the start getting points.
Bills' head coach Sean McDermott wants nothing to do with moral victories, he doesn't care about them.
It seems like Ralph Krueger is fine with them and feels if they keep playing well, results will come. The problem is that they're starting to get too far behind. Only three teams in the Eastern Conference have fewer points than the Sabres.
That has to be unacceptable to Krueger and Jason Botterill and until it is, this isn't going to work.
