NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 27: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen #1 of the Buffalo Sabres makes the third period save on Jimmy Vesey #26 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 27, 2023 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Sabres sat at 9-10-2 coming into this week with a big four game slate looming. They needed as many points as they could get, knowing they are starting to slip in the standings. It would be a tough challenges as three of the four games are on the road. Let’s take a look at how they fared and if it’s time to hit the panic button.
Transactions
11/28 – G Devon Levi sent to minors Rochester – AHL
11/29 – C Jiri Kulich sent to minors Rochester – AHL
11/29 – LW Brandon Biro called up from minors from Rochester – AHL
Weekly Point Leaders
- Casey Mittelstadt – 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists)
- Alex Tuch – 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist)
- Peyton Krebs – 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
- Victor Olfosson – 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
- Rasmus Dahlin – 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
Sabres at Rangers (11/27)
It was a great start to the week as the Sabres dominated the New York Rangers, 5-1. JJ Peterka opened up the scoring on assists from Victor Olofsson and Owen Power as the Sabres took that 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The second period was more of the same. Buffalo expanded their lead with a goal from Alex Tuch to make it 2-0 heading into the third.
Mika Zibanejad scored midway through the third to make it 2-1, but the Sabres weren’t about to let this one slip away. They regained their two-goal lead with another Alex Tuch goal, followed by Casey Mittelstadt keeping his hot streak going for his fourth of the year. Kyle Okposo would make it 5-1 with just seven seconds left.
It was an amazing overall game for the Sabres as they led from beginning to end. They outshot the Rangers 39-26, including outshooting them 17-3 in the third. It was a refreshing win for Buffalo against one of the top teams in the NHL.
Sabres at Blues (11/30)
The good times didn’t last long for Buffalo as they visited St. Louis. The Blues started out hot as they went up 3-0 about 11 minutes into the game. Rasmus Dahlin would find the back of the net before the first period with his fifth goal of the year. It would cut the intermission deficit to 3-1, but the Sabres still found themselves in a hole.
In the second, the Sabres would end up tying the game at three after goals from Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs. However, the game wouldn’t stay tied long as the blues scored two goals 24 seconds apart to go up 5-3 heading into the third. Both teams would end up getting one more goal each as the Blues got the win, 6-4.
The box score looked like an NHL video game. The Sabres outshot the Blues 46-20 yet could not find a way to come out on top. It was a tough night for goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as he stopped only 14 of the 20 shots. The Sabres should’ve won this game, but it slipped away from them.
Sabres at Hurricanes (12/2)
Buffalo has struggled mightily against Carolina over the past few years; specifically against their star center Sebastian Aho. That struggle continued this past Saturday as Aho got the Hurricanes on the board with less than five minutes to play in the first. Just over a minute later Jack Drury would put the Canes up 2-0, and that lead would stand going into the second.
Sabres fans thought the first period was bad, yet the second was worse. Aho tallied his second of the game to go up 3-0, but that wasn’t all. Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teravainen put Carolina up 5-0 with two periods done. The game was essentially over already, but the Sabres decided to put up two goals of their own in the third from Casey Mittelstadt and Tyson Jost. The final score would be 6-2 as the Hurricanes grabbed one in the third as well.
It was an ugly and disgusting loss for the Sabres as the Hurricanes dominated from start to finish. They were outshot 35-22 and had no answer. This keeps the domination going for Carolina over Buffalo as the Sabres still have not won in Carolina since March 22, 2016.
Predators vs Sabres (12/3)
After an embarrassing loss the night before, fans expected the team to come out firing against Nashville. Although the Predators had a different idea. Midway through the first period Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin put them up 2-0 with goals a little over a minute apart. The Sabres didn’t find anything in the first but hoped for a strong second.
The Sabres were able to get on the board ten minutes into the second, thanks to a penalty shot goal by Victor Olofsson for his third of the season. The Sabres would have plenty of scoring chances in the second and third but could not find the back of the net. The biggest chance came with 12:51 left in the third as Dylan Cozens was robbed by Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.
Juuse Saros is one of the league’s best goaltenders and it showed on this night. He saved 33 of the 35 shots including a few that might be on his highlight reel. While the Sabres couldn’t score, their goaltender had a solid game. Luukkonen stopped 27 of 29 shots while allowing both Predator goals in the first period. It was a tough loss as the Sabres needed this one to get back in the win column.
Conclusion
Dylan Cozens said it best after the loss to Carolina. In an interview with WRG Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton, Cozens said, “I think we definitely play too soft. We’re too easy to play against, and we need to get a little ‘F-you’ in our game…”, and he’s right. The Sabres currently sit at 14th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-13-2. This team has taken a step back offensively and has not improved much defensively through 25 games. It’s time this team started to light a fire under themselves to put together a nice rest of the month.
