Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Sabres 4-1 Loss To The Boston Bruins
Sabres lose special teams battle in loss to Atlantic Division leader
Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Sabres 4-1 Loss To The Boston BruinsTage-Less
The Sabres appeared to be on the verge of having all hands on deck coming out of the Christmas break, as Zemgus Girgensons skated with the club before the match against the Bruins and is about ready to come off injured reserve, but prior to the game it was announced that center Tage Thompson would not play due to personal reasons. On Thursday, Thompson did not practice with the club, but head coach Don Granato indicated that he would likely be back for the next game against Columbus on Saturday.
Not-So-Special Teams
Although it was not one of the Sabres more energetic performances of the season, the key to the contest was losing the special teams battle. The Bruins capitalized on their power-play opportunities, with both Charlie Coyle's goals and Morgan Geekie’s tally coming with the man advantage.
Buffalo without Thompson and with Victor Olofsson subbing in on the first power play unit went 0 for 6, including a four-minute advantage courtesy of Bruins captain Brad Marchand and a 4-on-3 and short 5-on-3 advantages late in the second.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
The tendency that the Sabres cannot escape this season is their slow starts. Whether it is “compete” or “grind” as Granato calls it, the club just does not start on time in most games and is constantly having to rally from large deficits. Buffalo fell behind 4-0 after 40 minutes and scored their only goal in the third, but the defensively proficient Bruins were able to snuff out any momentum after Erik Johnson’s goal.
LATEST THN BUFFALO STORIES