Sabres shut out again in 'flat' showing against Isles: Takeaways from 3-0 loss
It took the Sabres only four days to spoil the momentum that they built by sweeping the three-game trip through California. They went 0-2-1 for the week, including an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks, to drop to .500 again.
Too many Sabres weren’t skating well.
Too many were getting outmuscled around the puck.
And, when the Sabres had possession, they were reckless and committed too many uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the first period against the New York Islanders.
Lindy Ruff expected fatigue from his team Saturday night at UBS Arena. It’s inevitable in the second game of a back-to-back, especially one that requires travel. He had little patience for the troubling signs that he saw during the first 20 minutes of regulation, though.
When the Sabres returned to the ice for the second period, Ruff changed three of his four forward lines. There are only so many ways to coax more out of a team under the circumstances. And, though several of his players responded with better play, the Sabres were shut out for the second time in three games with a 3-0 loss to the Islanders
“This game was below the level we needed to win, for sure,” Ruff lamented after Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped each of the Sabres’ 29 shots.
New York Islanders Anders Lee congratulates goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 at during an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in N.Y.
(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
It took the Sabres only four days to spoil the momentum that they built by sweeping the three-game trip through California. They went 0-2-1 for the week, including an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks, to drop to .500 again. Their 11-11-2 record is enough to be only three points out of a wild-card playoff spot, but it was a confounding way to end a month in which they showed signs of promise and maturity.
Don’t be fooled by some of the statistics from the game. The Sabres had more shot attempts (54-45), Natural Stat Trick credited them with twice as many 5-on-5 high-danger scoring chances (6-3), and they held the Islanders to only 20 shots on goal. But this game also featured some of the bad habits that have plagued this team in recent seasons. They forced bad passes instead of chipping the puck in and working for scoring chances.
The Sabres were credited with 12 giveaways, and they missed the net 19 times. Some of their players followed Ruff’s game plan. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson were among the few who used low shots to try to create rebounds around Sorokin. Too many Buffalo forwards played around the perimeter. There wasn’t enough traffic around Sorokin to prevent him from seeing the puck.
The Islanders (9-10-6), meanwhile, scored their first goal on a deflection by their captain, Anders Lee, and they made it 2-0 only 2:03 when Sam Holmstrom finished a 2-on-1 with a shot from the right circle in the second period. Holmstrom added an empty-net goal after the Sabres’ unsuccessful 6-on-5 with James Reimer pulled for an extra attacker.
“We’re being a little stubborn and not playing the way that we know is successful right now,” Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton said. “We’ve got to get back to that hard style, and we’re just giving up to much. We could have given up six goals tonight without the saves (because of) all the odd-man rushes and Grade-As.”
There were chances for the Sabres to mount a comeback. Dylan Cozens’ one-timer during a 2-on-1 was stopped by Sorokin. Their power play went 0-for-2, though, and their even-strength offense hasn’t produced recently. They’ve scored only seven goals at 5-on-5 over their last eight games, and their 48 goals at 5-on-5 are tied for 14th-most in the NHL this season.
Ruff's team is 25th in the league in 5-on-5 shot quality, according to Natural Stat Trick. Thompson has zero points in three games since returning from a lower-body injury; JJ Peterka has one goal in his last 11 games; and Jack Quinn’s only goal through 23 games is an empty-netter.
The Sabres are better defensively under Ruff. They’ve allowed two or fewer goals in three of their last five games, and they’re in the top half of the league in goals allowed per game and shots allowed per game. This is the third time this season that they’ve lost three in a row, though, and the lack of consistency is preventing them from keeping pace with the top teams in the Atlantic Division.
“We know how they’re going to play, and we just gave them what they were working for and that’s chances,” Cozens said. “We came out flat. Execution was terrible, and we played right into their hand and did exactly what they wanted us to do. That’s on us as players. We knew the game we needed to play and just didn’t do it.”
Here are other takeaways from the game:
1. Frustration
The power play is a problem again.The Sabres are 0-for-13 over their last five games, and their power play had fewer shots on goal Saturday than the Islanders' penalty kill. Entering the zone hasn’t been the issue. They haven’t been as effective once they’re set up, though, and a lack of movement made them easier to defend. The Islanders’ 31st-ranked penalty kill pressured Buffalo’s power play into mistakes midway through the second period and early in the third.
“I think we’ve been getting frustrated, as of late, and it’s definitely not doing us any favors,” Cozens said.
2. Shopping list
A right-shot defenseman should be at the top of Kevyn Adams’ Christmas list.The Sabres general manager watched from the press box Saturday as Owen Power failed to tie up Lee’s stick on the Islanders’ first goal, then Henri Jokiharju’s failed attempt at keeping the puck in the offensive zone led to the 2-on-1 that Holmstrom scored on.
"We made some tough decisions that cost us,” said Ruff.
Mattias Samuelsson skated Friday for the first time since he suffered a lower-body injury Nov. 1, but he’s left-handed and struggled at the start of the season. He’s also, at least for now, better suited for the third pair. The Sabres need a right-handed defenseman who can kill penalties, play 20-plus minutes per night and make fewer mistakes than we’re seeing from Jokiharju. The problem, however, is finding one available at this stage of the season.
3. Successful challenge
Ruff immediately looked down at the screen at the Sabres’ bench when Matt Martin scored on Reimer with 7:08 left in the first period.It took only a few moments for the Sabres to decide it was worth challenging for offsides. The initial replay showed that Casey Cizikas entered the Islanders’ offensive zone before the puck crossed the blue line. The NHL’s Situation Room took several minutes before one of the officials at UBS Arena announced that Cizikas was offside before the goal.
4. Opportunity awaits
Tyson Kozak walked into the Sabres’ dressing room at UBS Arena alongside one of his former Rochester teammates, Jiri Kulich.It must have been a surreal moment for Kozak. He was a seventh-round draft pick, 193 overall, in 2021 and did not enter the season as among the top options to be recalled from the Amerks. The 5-foot-11 forward played his way into consideration by winning faceoffs, blocking shots, finishing checks and chipping in offensively.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel drew into the lineup instead of Kozak, but the rookie may not have to wait long. His five goals through 14 games matched his career high as a pro. Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert briefed Ruff on what Kozak can bring.
“I think Seth’s the best resource we have on how hard this kid works and the type of game he plays,” Ruff said of Kozak. “He plays a real hard game, so he may get an opportunity here.”
5. Next
The Sabres’ next five games are at home, beginning Tuesday night when Casey Mittelstadt and the Colorado Avalanche are at KeyBank Center for puck drop at 7 p.m. Buffalo has lost nine of its last 10 games against Colorado dating to February 2018.The 7-6-1 record for the month was only the Sabres' fourth above-.500 November since the playoff drought began, but they need to be better in December. They're also 4-9-1 against Eastern Conference teams.
"We won three in a row, then lost three in a row, and that’s happened twice now," said Cozens. "We can’t let that happen. We need to have a big homestand."
