Sabres fall in the shootout in a battle between Northeastern U. alums Devon Levi and Cayden Primeau
Sabres fall in the shootout in a battle between Northeastern U. alums Devon Levi and Cayden Primeau
The Buffalo Sabres put forth a solid effort for most of the contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but for the second time this season, the Habs were victorious at Key Bank Center in front of a crowd populated with Bleu, Blanc et Rouge jerseys.
Montreal’s 3-2 shootout victory was a battle between Northeastern University alums Devon Levi and Cayden Primeau, with Primeau making 46 saves in regulation and two stops of Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka in the shootout for the victory.
Jayden Struble and Nick Suzuki scored in the second period to put Montreal up 2-0, but the Sabres rallied to tie the game early in the third on goals by Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo. After a scoreless overtime, the Canadiens got shootout conversions from Cole Caufield, Jesse Ylonen, and Juraj Slafkovsky for their 12th win of the season.
Here are three takeaways from Buffalo’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens:
Yes To Compete, No To Complete
Sabres head coach Don Granato, team captain Okposo, and veteran winger Skinner all agreed that the club put together their second straight effort with high energy and compete level, but the club could convert that into a much-needed victory against a club in the same boat they are in, near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Since Thanksgiving, Buffalo has lost all five games against non-playoff clubs and is 2-1-0 against teams currently in postseason positions.
Sluggish Power Play Costing Sabres
Buffalo entered Saturday’s contest 25th in the NHL on the power play and continued to struggle, going 0-for-5 with the man advantage against the Habs 30th ranked penalty-killing. The Sabres had three power-play chances in the first period (including a :35 five-on-three) and another chance at the end of regulation and the beginning of overtime.
Levi Looking Like He Will Be Staying
After a very good outing in Boston, the 21-year-old Levi made 29 saves and several excellent stops during regulation but only stopped one shootout attempt. The rookie goalie was called up on an emergency basis when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen fell ill last week, but with him returning to the lineup this week, the Sabres will either go back to carrying three goalies or place the struggling Eric Comrie on waivers.
It seems highly unlikely that Levi will be sent back to Rochester unless he begins to struggle.
LATEST THN BUFFALO STORIES
Takeaways From Victory Over Boston
Sabres Acquire Robinson From Columbus
Takeaways From Loss To Red Wings