Dysfunctional power play prevents Sabres from overcoming ugly start in loss to Canes
The Hurricanes scored three first-period goals in a span of 3:32, and though the Sabres had opportunities to rally, their power play failed them in a 5-2 loss at Lenovo Center.
Sabres right wing Alex Tuch, skating against the Ducks at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, scored his first power-play goal of the season on Thursday against the Hurricanes. Joed Viera, Buffalo News
Dylan Cozens bent over to prepare for the Buffalo Sabres’ opening faceoff Thursday night, exchanged a few words with Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and both tossed their gloves aside as soon as the puck was dropped.
Cozens absorbed multiple punches while trying to clutch onto Kotkaniemi’s collar before the two fell to the ice.
The sellout crowd of 18,844 fans roared. Kotkaniemi yelled over to the Hurricanes’ bench to try to fire up his teammates. The emotional moment could have galvanized and motivated the Sabres. Instead, they responded with one of their worst first periods this season.
The Hurricanes scored three goals in a span of 3:32, and though the Sabres had opportunities to rally, their power play failed them in a 5-2 loss at Lenovo Center.
“We should have responded better as a team,” lamented Sabres winger Alex Tuch, whose 21st goal of the season cut the deficit to 3-1 with 56 seconds left in the first period. “We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been struggling the past couple of games, and we needed to do better. … We have to have a better start.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff issued a reminder to his players prior to the game. He didn’t want to see any undisciplined penalties. To win on the road, Ruff said, the Sabres needed to win one-on-one puck battles and make smart decisions when they had possession. They did none of the above for most of the night. As a result, Buffalo was unable to win a third game in a row.
After beating the Ducks at home on Tuesday, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was pulled Thursday after facing only seven shots against the Hurricanes. Joed Viera, Buffalo News
The Hurricanes’ first goal was bad luck for the Sabres. The puck went between Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s legs when Jordan Martinook’s pass went off Jordan Staal’s right skate with 13:51 left in the first period. The rest of Carolina’s goals were glaring mistakes, though.
Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram couldn’t handle a pass along the end boards, and his former teammate, Mikko Rantanen, made a quick pass to the front of the net, where Sebastian Aho scored to make it 2-0.
Zach Benson’s offensive-zone penalty gave Carolina a power play, and, 37 seconds later, Rantanen snapped a blocker-side shot to score on James Reimer, who replaced Luukkonen following the second goal. Buffalo lost coverage in the defensive zone when Jack Roslovic made a highlight-reel, backhand pass to set up Taylor Hall for a backdoor shot on the Hurricanes’ fourth goal. Sabres winger JJ Peterka’s 17th goal of the season cut their deficit to 4-2 with 18:45 left in regulation, but Seth Jarvis added an empty netter for Carolina after he forced Tage Thompson to turn the puck over at the blue line.
“We got outcompeted,” said Ruff. “They beat us to puck. We got to pucks and didn’t execute. A lot."
There were no surprises from the Hurricanes. The pressure they created with their man-to-man defense caused the Sabres to make mistakes when exiting their defensive zone and when they tried to cross the offensive blue line with the puck. Buffalo committed too many turnovers and lost too many one-on-one battles to defend the way that it has in recent weeks.
The Sabres had allowed three or fewer goals in eight of their previous 10 games, and they had a plus-13 goal differential while winning six of their previous eight games. They led the NHL in first-period goals and first-period goal differential. Their special teams had been inconsistent, but they’ve been one of the best 5-on-5 offensive teams in the NHL and, finally, the team defense was coming around.
The performance in Carolina represented a step back. The Sabres had only nine shots on goal through two periods and 15 overall. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, had 17 shots in the first period, 37 for the game and 38 more shot attempts than Buffalo.
The Sabres dropped to 24-28-5, and are 4-12-1 in their last 17 road games dating to their three-game California sweep in November.
“We just weren’t good enough,” Cozens said.
Here are takeaways from the game:
1. Challenge accepted
It is fair to question Cozens’ decision to fight Kotkaniemi.The Hurricanes lost five of their last six games, and they were playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks. By accepting Kotkaniemi’s challenge, Cozens, 24, gave the Carolina center a golden opportunity to give the Hurricanes momentum. No one would have known if Cozens declined, but he is an eager center who wants to prove himself. And remember, the Sabres’ toughness was called into question not long ago.
“He just asked me to go, and I just didn’t really want to say no,” Cozens said.
His teammates weren’t happy with the question being asked by a reporter following the game. Tuch was quick to defend Cozens. Reimer walked over and patted Cozens on the back as a sign of support. Both sides of the debate can be right.
2. Quick hook
Ruff was correct to pull Luukkonen as soon as the Hurricanes scored their second goal.The Sabres have four games in six days, and Reimer was going to play as soon as Saturday. It was a tactic by Ruff to try to send a message to his players, and his No. 1 goalie didn’t give them a bailout save on either goal. Reimer made 27 saves in relief. He stopped multiple breakaways and gave his team a chance to get back into the game.
3. First one
The only encouraging moment from the first period was Tuch scoring his first power-play goal of the season.The Sabres were 3-for-29 on the power play over their previous 10 games, and their top scorer on the man-advantage, Jason Zucker, was not in the lineup. Tuch took the vacant spot on the first unit and intercepted a clearing attempt, then corralled the puck before he scored on an odd angle shot. His lack of production on the man-advantage is partly because he has been on the second unit, but the Sabres need him to be a power-play difference-maker.
They didn't have a notable scoring chance on either of their power plays in the second period. The Hurricanes' pressure caused some mistakes, but Buffalo also forced bad passes.
“Our power play could have gotten us back in the hockey game,” Ruff said. “It didn’t even come close to executing.”
4. Recovering
Zucker wasn’t available to play because of the foot injury that he suffered Saturday against the Rangers. Zucker labored through 12:57 of ice time Tuesday and did not participate in Buffalo’s morning skate in Raleigh. Sam Lafferty drew into the lineup, but Benson took Zucker’s spot on a line with McLeod and Tuch. The assignment didn’t last long for Benson, though. He was benched for the remainder of the first period after his penalty led to the 3-0 goal.The Sabres did not have a practice scheduled Friday, so the morning skate Saturday may determine Zucker’s status for their game against the Montreal Canadiens.