The Buffalo Sabres are so far living out the hockey version of the movie “Groundhog Day”, as they continue to repeat the same pattern of short winning streaks followed by short losing skids. The latest was a three-game road sweep of the California clubs, followed by a 1-0 loss to Minnesota, a 4-3 overtime loss to Vancouver on Friday, and a 3-0 shutout loss to the NY Islanders on Saturday.
Buffalo deserved a better fate in their two home defeats, getting stymied by the Wild’s Filip Gustavsson and earning only a single point after staging a late comeback from a 3-1 deficit. The same case could not be made for their loss to the Isles, as they were thoroughly outplayed by Patrick Roy’s squad.
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“We really played well against Minnesota, (it was) a lot like the LA Kings game, where you play really well and you don’t score. It’s been a little bit of a common thread.” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. “I felt like a little frustration crept in the latter half of the Islanders game. I thought our first period, we had our opportunities….didn’t score. Starting the second period, had some good opportunities….didn’t score. Then got frustrated after that and started to play a game that we’re not familiar with.”
After the latest tumble downward, Buffalo is back at .500 at 11-11-2, tied with the Isles and Pittsburgh for 11th place in the East, three points behind the NY Rangers and Philadelphia for the two wildcard spots. The Sabres now return home for a five-game homestand over the next nine days, starting with their first meeting with former Sabre Casey Mittelstadt and the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
#Sabres practicing at KBC on Monday after losing their third game in a row on Long Island on Saturday. Buffalo will open a five-game homestand on Tuesday vs. Colorado. pic.twitter.com/hcHIWaiPdc
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) December 2, 2024
Ruff provided updates on the club’s injured players. Winger Sam Lafferty did not play in New York after suffering a lower-body injury on Friday. It was thought initially that he would be out week-to-week, but it is now thought to be less serious. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (lower-body) and forward Jordan Greenway (mid-body) have resumed skating, but there is no definitive timetable for their return.
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