Buffalo's first win streak was snapped after only two games as the Sabres fell to their bitter rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1. Seth Griffith scored the Sabres only goal while Chad Johnson allowed five goals on 38 shots. With the loss, the Sabres fall to 3-6-2 on the season.
Five observations from Wednesday's loss:
The better team won
Columbus is a very good hockey team and that showed against the Sabres. The Blue Jackets have a ton of talent at both ends of the ice and have arguably the best goalie in the world.
After a back and forth first 35 minutes the Blue Jackets pulled away, scoring three goals in less than three minutes, turning a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage. For the Sabres this is the third time in 11 games where they've let five bad minutes cost them a game.
Bob
Sometimes you run into a hot goaltender and there's not much you can do. That happened to the Sabres on Wednesday, as Blue Jackets' goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was the best player on the ice, stopping 34 of 35 shots faced.
His biggest save came in the second period on a breakaway, making a nice kick-save on Sabres assistant captain Ryan O'Reilly. Although it was only one of his many impressive saves, it seemed like from that moment on nothing was going to get past him. Someone at Nationwide Arena must've screamed shutout because Griffith's goal in the final minutes ruined the perfect game.
Too much Tennyson
Matt Tennyson has played in every game this year for the Sabres and I'm not sure why. In the summer when he was signed, many people, myself included, thought Tennyson was going to be a nice veteran player in Rochester. He impressed during training camp and the preseason and earned a spot on the opening night roster but hasn't been great since.
Wednesday wasn't his worse game by any stretch but I think it's time Phil Housley takes another look at someone like Taylor Fedun. When Zach Bogosian is ready to return someone will need to leave the lineup and personally, I think Antipin has more upside and should stay. Despite the criticism, Tennyson does not deserve all the blame. As a matter of fact, only Marco Scandella stood out for the right reasons on Wednesday.
Tragic in Transition
Four of Columbus' five goals came in transition while the Sabres were caught flat-footed. Buffalo isn't a fast team and that showed on Wednesday. They'll need to make some adjustments to make sure they aren't burned like they were on Wednesday the next time they face a quick squad.
When Bob speaks we listen
Evander Kane's future in Buffalo has been something we've talked about for years. During the first intermission, TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie appeared on set with NBCSN's Kathryn Tappen, discussing that very topic.
McKenzie basically said what many in Buffalo have anticipated and expects Kane will be moved before the season ends. Kane, who leads the Sabres with six goals and 11 points in 11 games this season, is an unrestricted free agent after this season. McKenzie noted that Kane will likely get a big deal longterm deal this summer and questions if that's something the Sabres would be interested in.
What happens to Kane will be something that's talked about all year. Chances are nothing will happen until the trade deadline approaches. Until then, just hope he keeps scoring because it could help the Sabres in both the short and long term.
