Sabres have hit overdue road bump and need to patch it up
The Sabres have given up the first goal in three of the last four games. And in those four games, Buffalo has fallen behind at some point in the first period of all of them.
You knew the bump in the road was coming.
Everybody goes through them. Frankly, it's downright monumental that the Buffalo Sabres haven't smacked into the detour since December.
But here they are.
When they hit the ice Saturday night to face the Seattle Kraken in KeyBank Center, the Sabres are trying to snap a three-game winless streak. At 0-1-2, it's the first one they've endured since their franchise-altering turnaround began in December.
"We've had a long, sustained stretch of really excellent play and now we're hitting a little bit of adversity," goalie Alex Lyon said after Friday night's 5-2 downtown downer against Detroit. "... The reality is we're still in a good position, and we just need to nip it in the bud right now and move forward."
Lyon took accountability for the first period, when one of the goals he gave up came off a rebound from a puck he couldn't corral, and another came on a flat-out glove whiff of Lucas Raymond's unscreened shot from the left circle.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) makes a save against Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93)
in the second period of their game at KeyBank Center on Friday, March 27, 2026. Joed Viera/Buffalo News
The Sabres have given up five power-play goals and 11 goals overall in Lyon's last two starts, Sunday's overtime shootout in Anaheim and Friday's game. So if you believe the adage that your goalie is your best penalty killer, that shows you where Lyon's game has been in his last 120 minutes of play after a simply sensational run.
"We just have to move forward, do your best to win a game and try to put yourself back in a good headspace," Lyon said. "There's no secret recipe to it. It's a lot of experience, a lot of really bad first periods that I've had, and you've just got to learn from it."
The sense from this view is no real panic in the dressing room and lots of it from the fanbase. Understandable. You've probably forgotten what it's like for this team to lose, but you're also squirming with talk of magic numbers to end the playoff drought, too.
You should relax a little after pondering some of the following numbers. It's just the Sabres' turn to have a stretch like this. They happen all over.
From Feb. 26 to March 14, the Tampa Bay Lightning were 2-7-0. Montreal (6-6-1), Pittsburgh (5-5-3), and the New York Islanders (6-6-0) have been treading water for a good spell now. Detroit was 3-5-2 in its last 10 before Friday's victory.
It's the same out west. The Dallas Stars entered Saturday's game in Pittsburgh on a 0-3-1 slide. Colorado was 1-3-1 until it corrected course and has won its last four. Minnesota is 3-4-1 in its last eight. Vegas is 1-4-1 in its last six.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) looks to shoot in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center on Friday, March 27, 2026.
Joed Viera/Buffalo News
Realistically, one of the big issues is that the Sabres are suddenly playing from behind too much. They've given up the first goal in three of the last four games, something captain Rasmus Dahlin called "unacceptable".
And in those four games, Buffalo has fallen behind at some point in the first period of all of them.
The Sabres were in a 3-0 hole against the Red Wings after the first period − the first time all season they were three down after 20 minutes. The 3-0 deficit was just the second period of any game since the calendar hit 2026 that they've been outscored by three.
"It's different. (When playing from behind), you've got to take a little bit more risk, and we don't like it when we're in that position," Dahlin said. "We have to have a better first period. We can't come out like we did (Friday)."
Pretty simple what has to change here. Better starts. And enough with the dumb penalties. The Sabres have given up 15 power-play opportunities the last four games, with stick fouls accounting for four of Detroit's six on Friday.
The Sabres had a good scoring chance Friday in the first minute from in tight, but Alex Tuch was stoned by Detroit goalie John Gibson.
Buffalo skated better against the Red Wings than it did Wednesday against Boston − especially in a second period that was much more reminiscent of what we've seen the last three months. The Sabres didn't have nearly enough finish to their game.
"I think the first period is the key," said coach Lindy Ruff. "You get down by a couple and start chasing the game, it makes it hard. Teams this kind of year are going to go into prevent (defense), make sure they have people back. We left a lot of opportunities out there, and their goalie made a couple of pretty big saves at key times."