Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Sabres 5-2 Loss To The Boston Bruins
Sabres fall behind early and cannot catch up to the red-hot Bruins
Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Sabres 5-2 Loss To The Boston BruinsThe Buffalo Sabres began their evening on a high note, commemorating the 1000th game of team captain Kyle Okposo’s career with a pre-game ceremony, but things went downhill from there, as the Sabres quickly fell behind the Boston Bruins and were never able to regain their footing in a 5-2 loss at Key Bank Center on Tuesday.
The Sabres trailed 2-0 less than five minutes into the first period, as game featured one of the weirdest goals of the season, as Danton Heinen and David Pastrnak scored 68 seconds apart. Brandon Carlo extended the lead to 3-0 before the end of the first, and goals by Oskar Steen and Hampus Lindholm made it 5-0 midway through the second before Sabres head coach Don Granato pulled starter Devon Levi in favor of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Victor Olofsson scored both goals for Buffalo, who have lost their second game in a row, and fallen under .500 at 7-8-1.
Here are three takeaways from Buffalo’s 5-2 loss to Boston:
Boston Is Not Going Away
Those plotting out whose playoff spot the Sabres might take before the start of the season may have thought about the Bruins, with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the departure of Tyler Bertuzzi and the trade of Taylor Hall. That is about great a miscalculation as the underestimation of Boston prior to last season.
Through the first month of the season, the Bruins have lost only once in regulation, they’ve allowed a league-low 30 goals against, and have found players like Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle to step into the top two center roles.
Levi-ng A Lot To Be Desired
One of the things that young players struggle with early on is consistency, and there is a reason why the only goaltender under the age of 21 to succeed as a #1 in the 21st century is a guy named Carey Price. Devon Levi has had moments where you can see what the Sabres are seeing, a young netminder with a calm demeanor and excellent physical attributes, but nothing replaces experience, and expecting a 21-year-old to come out the NCAA and step right into a starter’s role is a bit much. Levi followed up his best outing of the year (a 33-save victory against Minnesota) with his worst, allowing five goals on 18 shots on Tuesday.
Levi in seven starts is 3-4-0, with a 3.65 GAA and .881 save %. With Eric Comrie nearing a return from injury, it is possible that the Sabres will lean on him and Luukkonen for a bit.
Injuries Piling Up
The Sabres played without Henri Jokiharju on Tuesday, but Granato indicated before the game that a player might miss because of illness. Zach Benson has slowly started ramping up in practice this week after suffering a lower-body injury, but after Tuesday’s injury to Tage Thompson, Buffalo is without two-thirds of their top offensive line, with Alex Tuch is still hampered by an upper-body injury.
Thompson suffered an ankle injury and left the ice early in the game, but returned at the start of the second period. He was injured once again in the middle frame, as a Charlie McAvoy point shot hit his hand or wrist. After the game, head coach Don Granato indicated that the Sabres top center would miss “significant time.”
LATEST THN BUFFALO STORIES