Sabres go 3-3 on their six-game homestand
Luukkonen Shutout Streak Ends
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen entered the game against Tampa Bay with a shutout streak extending back to the second period of their 1-0 loss to Vancouver one week ago, but it ended 6:14 into the first period as Nick Paul gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Tyler Motte scored the game-winner 52 seconds later, and Calvin de Haan added an empty-netter late in the third. Luukkonen’s streak lasted 164:09, which surpasses Ryan Miller’s streak of 161:35 in 2010.
.500 Homestand
Buffalo began their six-game homestand on January 9 six points out of the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot and needed to gain ground to stay consequential in the race. The Sabres were able to beat the three teams below them in the NHL standings (Ottawa, San Jose, and Chicago), but lost three games to clubs with better records (Seattle, Vancouver, and Tampa Bay) and after going 3-3, they are now seven points out of the final wildcard spot.
-38
The Sabres as of January 21 are 20-21-4 (44 points) and have an 11.3% chance of making the playoffs according to Moneypuck.com. This time last season, Buffalo was four games over .500 (23-19-3) and just four points out of a playoff spot. If you are looking for the main cause of the Sabres decline, the club has shaved their goals-against by nine goals (155 to 146), but their goals scored have gone down by 38 (172 to 134). That is in part due to the decline of their power play, but the club has adopted a more defensive mindset and it has come at the cost of one of the best offenses in the NHL.
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