Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It was just two weeks ago Saturday that the Buffalo Sabres were in third place in the Atlantic Division and in a playoff spot. They had won three-straight games out in California, and were showing signs of a much improved team.
It didn’t take long for the roof to cave in, as Buffalo lost its sixth-straight game Saturday at home against the Utah Hockey Club, 5-2.
Honestly, it was a pathetic effort from the Sabres, as they only had 10 shots on goal through most of the first 40 minutes. Blowing leads is becoming a nightly occurrence, and Saturday was no different.
Tyson Kozak, Beck Malenstyn and Dennis Gilbert were three of the few players that showed any passion in this game. They connected to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead after the first period.
It was a very hard-working goal, as Malenstyn found Kozak going hard to the net for his first NHL goal.
I also thought Jason Zucker showed passion in this game and played hard.
Buffalo even got a break, as a first period Utah goal was disallowed due to Barrett Hayton making contact with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease.
It was shocking how many times this team went offside and missed the net. It was even more shocking how many goals Utah scored with uncovered guys around Luukkonen.
Related
Ever since this group got together two seasons ago, they have shown way too many times how mentally soft they are. It isn’t all the time, because they are quite capable of playing good hockey just like they did this season when they went 4-1-1 and 7-2-0. However, there has been nothing I’ve seen in two seasons that has shown me they can play the right way on a consistent basis, or not crack when the pressure is really on.
"I’m not going to offer excuses, this is the NHL," said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff after the loss.
"On the fourth goal, we have a chance to make the game 3-2, and it’s a lack of execution. Now you’re on a long shift, you don’t get back and the shift’s over a minute. Our puck play, I thought, was the worst I’ve seen."
The play in question was Dylan Cozens leading a 3-on-2 coming down the middle, but then makes a bad pass into skates. Utah then gets the puck and is gone.
"You either shoot the puck or you make the play. The play’s there to be made," Ruff said. "He’s at the end of a shift, so now you have to come back tired. Benson has to come back tired, Peterka has to come back tired, and you saw what that looked like."
It looked like two guys standing with Luukkonen by themselves, and Jack McBain scoring to put Utah up 4-1.
I’m not going to pull any punches here, going offside as much as they did is amateur hour. That is inexcusable, and Ruff agrees.
"You can’t explain offside," Ruff said. "Our puck play coming from our end, we made some poor decisions where we put the puck.
“We need more from other guys. Mentally, this is one of the weakest games I’ve seen where you go offside that number of times. You don’t execute the small plays."
Bo Byram played 22:19, but he wasn’t on the ice for any of Utah’s goals. He still didn’t like what he saw from the team.
"Outworked, and outcompeted. Whenever you’re going to get outworked and competed like that, you’re not going to win too many games," said Byram following the loss.
Buffalo, once again, gave up three goals in the second period, and have been outscored in the second stanza this season, 35-23. Ruff said they just don’t play sound hockey when their bench is further away, and it started right away on Saturday.
"You win a faceoff, that play should be over to your D partner, you hard rim and you get it, and now you start to play a 200-foot game. We try to make a pass to someone that’s covered at the blue line and you turn it over, and you’re feeling their offense," Ruff explained.
Byram thinks they get too sloppy in the second period.
"We have chances to make easy passes, and somehow we end up fumbling it and kicking it around. And they’re coming back the other way on us, and then we can’t get fresh guys on the ice. A tired hockey player is a bad hockey player," Byram added.
Five of the six losses in-a-row have come at home, and in the last three games, the Sabres have blown leads.
The arena was restless once again on Saturday, as chants were heard to fire general manager Kevyn Adams. We all know what happened last season when they started the same thing to fire head coach Don Granato.