The Buffalo Sabres once again could not put together a 60-minute effort against a beatable opponent, as they surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period to the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-5 shootout loss on Monday. The loss extended the Sabres losing skid to seven games, but the loser point keeps Buffalo only three points in back of the New York Rangers in the race for the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot.
“I did think the last 10 minutes we were a group that didn’t make the right decision very often.” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said on Tuesday. “We needed to take a little more time on some of our breakouts, get open a little bit quicker, like we did in the first two periods, come up the ice together, and play in the offensive zone.”
The Sabres leaned heavily on blueliners Bowen Byram (28:11), Owen Power (24:57), and sophomore Ryan Johnson (20:50). Johnson had a particularly rough night in his first game of the season, as he was caught out of position on Alex DeBrincat’s first-period goal and the pairing of he and Byram were on the ice for three Detroit even-strength goals.
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Ruff indicated after a late practice on Tuesday that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson could return to the lineup on Wednesday for the final game of the five-game homestand against the New York Rangers.
“We believe he’ll be available,” Ruff said.
The big blueliner has been out a month with a lower-body injury, and the veteran defenseman is needed with team captain Rasmus Dahlin almost certainly missing Wednesday. Ruff said that Dahlin is progressing, but did not give any definitive timetable for his return.
The Sabres begin a road trip and play three games in four nights (against Washington on Saturday, Toronto on Sunday, and Montreal on Tuesday), and it is expected Dahlin will return at some point during that trip.
Related: Ruff Frustrated At The Failings Of The Sabres Top-Six
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