As series shifts to Boston, Sabres have food for thought
David Pastrnak has a goal and four assists in the first two games. Morgan Geekie has two goals and two assists. Obviously, that can't continue if the Sabres want to win this series.
The proceedings are heading to Boston, even, which is what the Bruins wanted all along when they got to Buffalo on Saturday. To be frank, the Sabres should probably be thankful they're not heading to TD Garden in a serious 2-0 hole.
We're shipping up to Beantown for games in the Hub on Thursday and Sunday, with lots of food for thought from KeyBank Center in the wake of the Sabres' 4-2 loss on Tuesday night.
Sabres players Alex Tuch (89), Zach Benson (6), Conor Timmons (21), and Logan Stanley (64) sit in the penalty box against the
Boston Bruins during the third period on Tuesday at KeyBank Center. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
As we ponder clam chowder vs. lobster rolls vs. Fenway franks vs. Pizzeria Regina of the North End, here are some of the subplots that seem to be developing:
Your best players have to be your best players: David Pastrnak has a goal and four assists in the first two games. Morgan Geekie has two goals and two assists. Obviously, that can't continue if the Sabres want to win this series. Tage Thompson had his two goals and three points in Game 1 but was blanked on Tuesday. No points in either game from Rasmus Dahlin, Josh Doan, Zach Benson, Jason Zucker, or Ryan McLeod.
In the nets: It's one of the more interesting mano a mano matchups in the playoffs, even if ESPN somehow hasn't bothered to make sure its studio crew can pronounce the name of a Buffalo goalie who entered this series with 93 wins in 190 NHL games.
In the wake of his terrific season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen doesn't deserve to enter franchise infamy. But he's there now. Dominik Hasek once gave up a center-ice goal to Joe Juneau during the 1998 Eastern Conference finals in Washington, but that was a shot he got beat on. Luukkonen flubbed Morgan Geekie's backhand flip from just before the center red line, unable to play the bounce as it took a right turn and burned him with 3:31 left in the second period
What a killer. It was 2-0, Boston. Game over.
Luukkonen said he was trying to attack the puck but didn't get close enough to it. It allowed the bounce to essentially play him. And he said he didn't lose the puck in the background of the fans on the high flip either.
"Of course it's my fault. There's no way around it," Luukkonen said. "You've just got to do better with those."
What now? Jeremy Swayman is obviously a rock in the Boston net, and only an injury would take him out of the cage. The Sabres went back and forth with Luukkonen and Alex Lyon most of the season. It would seem a good bet they might switch to Lyon for Game 3 to stem the Bruins' tide.
Ruff admitted it's a thought, and they wanted to get Lyon a period in the series first, with the score a little out of hand at 4-0.
The power play: The Sabres' top players are on it, and they haven't won enough puck battles with the man advantage. They went 0 for 5 in the game. They're 0 for 9 in the series and 0 for April (0 for 31 counting the regular season and playoffs). Right now, it's mental. There have to be changes in schematics and, perhaps, personnel. Let's see what Ruff does on Thursday.
Weird offense: The Sabres don't have a goal in the first 52 minutes of either game. They have six in the remaining time. They're specializing in fire drills, and the Bruins seem brittle at the end of games. How do you generate that kind of offense through the normal course of events of the first 40 minutes?
"We're playing well in the third. We're making pushes," said Zack Benson. "But we've got to be better at the start, and we know that. It's been two games. It's nothing to freak out about."
Temperature is up: It took two games, but there's now the requisite animosity. The teams had 47 penalty minutes apiece in this one, with much of it coming at the 6:14 mark of the third period after Nikita Zadorov body slammed Benson in front. They both ended up getting misconducts, and so did Tage Thompson, as officials did a poor job separating combatants, and multiple jab sessions took place. Logan Stanley did heavy work earlier in the third after a bad hit to the knee by Boston's Charlie McAvoy on Beck Malenstyn, who emerged unscathed.
"I think every game you play, you hate each other more," Benson said. "It's just guys battling. I'm trying to get to the blue paint, and (Zadorov) is trying to keep me out of there. We've got each other's backs. A good response from our group."
Deadpan Lindy: Ruff tweaked Bruins coach Marco Strum again on the scrums when he said, "You heard that he already said they're bigger and more physical. So yeah, for sure I'm going to worry."
For the record, the Bruins led in hits in the game, 32-30
Familiar spot: This is three straight playoff series for the Sabres that have been tied at 1-1 through two games. The last two (2010 vs. Boston and 2011 vs. Philadelphia) have followed the same script, with Buffalo also winning the opener and dropping Game 2. The Sabres dropped both of those series in six and seven games, respectively.
Said Ruff: "I don't want to see one person doubting that we're not going to go to Boston and win a hockey game."