Sabres’ goalie question isn’t their only issue after Game 2 loss to Bruins
Beyond who starts in net in Game 3, there are other lineup and tactical adjustments for the Sabres to consider.
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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was replaced in Buffalo's net by Alex Lyon in the third period of Game 2. Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stood in front of his locker and took the blame head-on. What else could the Buffalo Sabres goalie do?
The Sabres were already losing 1-0 to the Bruins in the second period when Morgan Geekie flipped a backhand from center ice that was intended to be a dump-in. He put the puck toward Luukkonen, and it bounced and went right over Luukkonen’s glove. With 3:31 left in the second period, the Sabres were suddenly down 2-0.
“That’s my fault,” Luukkonen said. “There’s no way around it.”
That goal marked the beginning of the end for the Sabres, who started slowly and watched the game unravel in the second period. Two days after a thrilling, third-period comeback to go up 1-0 in the series, the Sabres got soundly outplayed by the Bruins on their way to a 4-2 loss.
And while the loss wasn’t entirely because of the Geekie goal, that mistake was hard to overcome. Luukkonen said he was trying to get out to get the puck before it bounced, but he let it hit the ice right in front of him.
“It’s a bad bounce, but there’s no way around it: It can’t go in,” Luukkonen said. “Just made a bad read on it, but that’s about it. Was trying to get to it before it bounced, but when you kind of start to question yourself and stuff like that, then you get the bad bounces. It’s unfortunate, but got to play through it.”
Luukkonen didn’t manage to do that. He let in another goal later in the period when Pavel Zacha redirected a David Pastrnak pass. And then on the first shot of the third period, Viktor Arvidsson beat Luukkonen high glove side for his second goal of the game to give the Bruins a 4-0 lead. At that point, Lindy Ruff decided to put Alex Lyon into the game, and he hinted that Lyon could play in Game 3.
“I think if you look at the year and the way it unfolded and how successful we were when we were alternating goaltenders, and then Alex (Lyon) got hurt, so he missed a few games, but just felt that there may be a chance we’re going to need him,” Ruff said. “May play next game, but just get him a period of play, because he hasn’t played in a while.”
The goalie question will loom large as the series heads to Boston tied 1-1. Lyon has a bit of postseason experience. He stopped all seven shots he faced in the third period. And he put together a strong regular season before dealing with an injury.
The goalie question is just the start of the Sabres’ issues after this game, though. For the second straight game, the Bruins’ defensive structure proved to be a headache. Buffalo managed six high-danger chances in Game 2 and didn’t score until late in the third period. Jeremy Swayman was good for the Bruins, but the Sabres didn’t test him nearly often enough early. They put 20 shots on him in the third period, but that late push wasn’t enough.
Then there’s the issue of Buffalo’s power play, which had another dreadful night, going 0-for-5 to make them zero for their last 31 tries with the man advantage dating to the regular season. Ruff said it’s going to be a point of discussion in the coach’s room, and the Sabres will need to make some tweaks. Inserting Noah Östlund into the lineup could be a start, but he’s not fixing everything.
If the Sabres can’t get the power play corrected, the Bruins may try to toe the line with the physicality even more than they have in this series. The Bruins clearly came into Game 2 intent on backing up coach Marco Sturm’s pre-series words about them being the “bigger and stronger” team. After Game 2, he said he felt his team got back to “Bruins hockey.” That meant being more aggressive on the forecheck and slowing the Sabres down in the neutral zone. It also meant more post-whistle altercations and a questionable low hit from Charlie McAvoy. Nikita Zadorov and Tanner Jeannot were at the center of a lot of the activity. Zadorov rag-dolled Zach Benson after Benson crashed the crease in the third period, sparking a five-man altercation.
“Every game you play, you hate each other more,” Benson said.
The Sabres may be the faster and more skilled team, but the Bruins are intent on making this a grind between the whistles and after the whistles. This is the type of back-and-forth you expect in a playoff series. The playing styles between these teams clash. It’s a constant battle for the Sabres to get the game played at their pace. On Tuesday, the Bruins disrupted the Sabres’ breakouts and never let them find an offensive flow in transition. Can the Sabres find an answer to the Bruins’ clutch-and-grab style? Can they handle a full series of Boston’s physicality and nastiness? Can they find the form that helped them win the Atlantic Division?
“It’s playoff hockey,” Ruff said. “Our guys have experienced very little of it. Now, in a matter of a few days, they’ve been able to experience two games. Experience a win and a loss. I walked in the dressing room, I said there’s a lot of things I like about our team and I like about our players. There’s areas we’re going to have to get better at, but don’t want to see one person doubting that we’re not going to go into Boston and win a hockey game.”
Ruff is the veteran hand trying to guide this young team through its first playoff experience. There are lineup and tactical adjustments Ruff can make, but equally important is managing his team’s emotions through this series. He was steady after the game. He thought the Bruins got fortunate bounces on their first two goals and didn’t have any panic about how his team played. He even smirked and laughed when asked about the Bruins raising the temperature in the series.
“You heard him say they’re bigger, more physical, so yeah, for sure,” Ruff said. “I’m a little worried.”