Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - For the fifth game in-a-row, the Buffalo Sabres found themselves playing for a win in overtime. However, tje Sabres still haven’t actually won in overtime, as their one victory came in a shootout on Saturday against the Washington Capitals.
The Sabres ended losing Tuesday night to the visiting Utah Mammoth, 2-1. In each of the overtime losses, the Sabres' best players had Grade-A scoring opportunities to end it and none of them have come through.
In this game, Alex Tuch came down the slot and was robbed by the glove of Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff hated how his team defended after that, and Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin and Jack Quinn just let Clayton Keller walk right around them and in on Alex Lyon for the game-winning goal.
Tuch appeared to have the Utah captain covered at first, but then Keller got a step on him and blew around Quinn for the goal.
If you boil this game down, the Sabres were lucky to even get a point out of it with the players that are out injured or sick. Not available were Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jason Zucker, Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, and Justin Danforth. Even goalie Colten Ellis still isn’t 100% either.
In his career against the Sabres, Vejmelka is 5-2-1 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. He was unconscious in the first period, making, at least, five point-blank Grade-A saves.
In one shift, Bo Byram had Michael Kesselring sneaking in from the right point. He put a perfect pass on his stick for, what appeared to be, a layup goal. However, Vejmelka got across to make the save.
Right after that, he stopped Byram right in front, and then Byram set up Jack Quinn 1-on-1 against Vejmelka, but was robbed too.
Right before that, Tage Thompson came down the slot but put a backhand off the post.
The Sabres were spent after that, getting only nine shots on goal in the final 41 minutes.
In the second period, Thompson hit the post again, while Quinn was robbed in alone on a blocker save.
Buffalo did have the chance to go ahead in the third period on a 3-on-1, but Tuch missed a wide-open net.
Lyon was even more spectacular than Vejmelka, facing 28 shots in the final 41 minutes.
Utah took a 1-0 lead in the third on a cross-ice pass to Nick Schmaltz, as Lyon just barely failed to get over.
Buffalo then tied it when an open Noah Ostlund put his shot over the net, it hit the glass, and Isak Rosen connected with the puck just over the crossbar, sending it back to Ostlund in front. Ostlund then tapped home his first NHL goal into the open net.
The three stars were an absolute joke and total home cooking, as Lyon certainly deserved the first star, but the goalies were the show in this game. Vejmelka has to be the second star, but didn’t even get a star. I have no problem with Keller getting the third star, as he played well and had a goal and an assist.
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