Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres gave it all they had on Wednesday’s return to play, but with 11 players out of the lineup due to either the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol or injury, they fell one goal short to the New Jersey Devils.
Buffalo got behind 2-0 after one period, but the one player who played really well in that first 20 minutes was Alex Tuch in his Sabres debut. Tuch was fast and physical, and seemed to be all over the ice while quite a few others were overmatched.
I know the hardcore Twitter universe will say I’m just being soft and there’s no excuse, but 11 players is almost half of your 23-man roster. Buffalo also couldn’t call up Mattias Samuelsson or Jack Quinn because of sickness.
With about 15 minutes gone in the first period, Brett Murray had seen enough and it was great to witness. Kyle Okposo got barreled into the boards by Jonas Siegenhaler, and Murray was having none of it.
Murray showed up in a flash and took 17 minutes in penalties, but the message was sent to New Jersey that there would be consequences. That’s the kind of penalty you don’t mind killing off.
That gave the Sabres a spark that they carried into the second period.
Tuch, Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka went straight into the offensive zone with a purpose. Tuch got the puck near the blue line, while Thompson headed to the net. Thompson tipped in Tuch’s shot for his first goal in 11 games.
Before the break, head coach Don Granato revealed that Thompson had been playing hurt and it was very obvious. It was nice seeing him all over the ice on Wednesday, scoring two goals. It showed the break gave him a nice chance to get healthy.
Just 2:44 after the first goal, Rasmus Dahlin made a beautiful flip pass past the Devils defense to Thompson, who walked in 2-on-0 with Tuch before scoring again on Mackenzie Blackwood.
It looked like the Sabres were off-and-running, but the Devils took over again and never stopped. By the end of the second period, New Jersey held an 18-10 shots advantage.
Overall, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 38 saves on the night, but looked shaky, at times, leaving big rebounds that Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes turned into goals. Both players were also left uncovered.
Luukkonen hadn't played a game since Dec. 16 when he beat the Minnesota Wild and was rusty.
Ethan Prow had to fill in on defense on Wednesday. The 29-year-old was playing in his first NHL game, and I never really noticed him, which means he played his game. He even pulled the Sabres to within a goal with just 5:22 left in the third period.
The play was a nice read by Prow, who snuck in from the left point and converted Victor Olofsson’s rebound. Prow played a total of 15:59 with two hits, two blocked shots and his first NHL goal.
Getting back to Tuch, he had one assist on the night, playing 18:27 in his first game since May 12 with the Vegas Golden Knights. Tuch led the Sabres with four hits.
Peyton Krebs was OK in his Sabres debut. He did make a real nice pass to an open Olofsson cutting down the middle, but Blackwood, playing in his first game since Dec. 16, made a great save. Krebs also had a couple of good breakout passes, but he and Peterka looked nervous.
Krebs played a total of 17:03 and was minus-2 on the game. This season, he’s minus-8 in 10 NHL games.
Peterka really struggled, but it was his first NHL game at the age of 19 and he definitely looked nervous. Old habits crept into his game, but I’m sure he’ll be better next time out.
New Jersey has had its problems this season, but the Devils have beaten Buffalo both times they’ve played.
The Sabres are scheduled to play the Islanders in Long Island on Thursday night, but that game could be in question if either team has any more positive COVID-19 tests on Thursday morning.
