BUFFALO, N.Y. [WKBW] — For the first time this season, the Buffalo Sabres lost after scoring the first goal of the game. In a back-and-forth effort with the New Jersey Devils, the Sabres fell short, falling 5-4. With the loss the Sabres slid to 3-5 on the season.
5 Observations from Friday's loss:
Wasted offense
You should win when you score four goals. It's the second-most goals the Sabres have scored in a game this season, yet they still came up short.
So why did that happen?
They didn't get the big saves that their opponents did. In the second period alone, Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped two breakaways and a few other quality scoring chances. New Jersey capitalized on some fortunate bounces, but a few big saves from Luukkonen may have changed their fortune.
They still have a goalie problem. And even if they aren’t “his fault” the Sabres need a few big saves that they almost never get. The good ones make the saves even when a puck gets tipped or there’s a weird bounce. You should win on nights when you score four goals.
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) October 28, 2023
Top players producing
The one bright spot from this game may be that the Sabres top players are producing.
Tage Thompson had a ridiculous goal. Rasmus Dahlin got his first goal of the season. And Dylan Cozens scored a big-time goal in the third period to momentarily tie things up.
This team needs their best players to produce and they are starting to fill the net on a more consistent basis.
Clifton will be hearing from the league
The Sabres played most of the game with only five defensemen. In the first period, defenseman Connor Clifton was given a match penalty for a hit to the head on Devils captain Nico Hischier. Officials determined that Clifton made contact with the head, which led to his ejection.
Connor Clifton receives a match penalty for this hit to the head on Nico Hischier. pic.twitter.com/Zu06XHvMi1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 27, 2023
After watching the replay a few times, it won't be a surprise if Clifton is suspended because of the play. Clifton has a clean record so he may be spared by the league, but I've seen lesser hits lead to a suspension.
Three's Company
The Sabres decision to keep three goaltenders may benefit them. In the second period, goaltender Eric Comrie left after what appeared to be a routine play. He immediately went into the locker room and was replaced by Ukko Pekka Luukkonen for the remainder of the game. With Devon Levi already considered day-to-day, the Sabres may need to call up a goalie from Rochester for their game on Sunday if Levi isn't ready to go.
Costly turnovers
Two of New Jersey's goals came directly from sloppy turnovers for the Sabres. With a team that has the firepower of the Devils, you can't be giving them additional opportunities to score goals.
Seconds after Clifton's match penalty the Devils capitalized as Jesper Bratt beat Comrie five-hole. The goal happened after Mattias Samuelsson couldn't handle a pass from Rasmus Dahlin and led to the odd-man rush.
In the second period with a man advantage, the Sabres made their second major unforced error as Dylan Cozens's pass to Dahlin was off the mark. The play led to an Erik Haula shorthanded breakaway who didn't miss.
