BUFFALO – Early in the third period of Saturday’s 6-3 loss in Carolina, the Sabres busted out of their week-long offensive slump, scoring twice to creep within one goal against the Hurricanes.
First, winger Alex Tuch beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov from the right circle at 3:23, moving them within 4-2. Winger Tage Thompson followed up at 6:29, converting center Ryan McLeod’s nifty feed from the slot.
In a span of 3:06 the Sabres scored as many goals as they had in the previous 210 minutes.
Their offense hadn’t looked that potent since Nov. 1, when a three-goal outburst in the first period buoyed them to win a 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals.
After that, the Sabres scored just once in the next two games.
Overall, they’ve compiled 40 goals in 15 outings, just 2.67 per contest, a weak number that ranked 27th in the NHL entering Monday’s games.
Numbers like that illustrate why they’ve fallen into the Eastern Conference basement.
Despite a slew of notable absences – the Sabres are down four first- or second-liners and captain Rasmus Dahlin, their top defenseman – they’ve created scoring chances. They just can’t finish them. They also have a maddening penchant for passing up shots
Their 28.9 shots per game ranked 11th entering Monday. Their 9.2 shooting percentage, however, ranked 29th.
They’ve spent 39.9 percent of their time in the offensive, according to NHL Edge, which ranked 27th. Their expected goals of 31.99 ranked 20th, according to MoneyPuck.com.
Luck has also factored in their low goal output.
“We’ve hit a lot of posts,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter. “I think we hit the most posts in the league right now.”
Sooner or later, Ruff believes the Sabres will start converting their opportunities.
“I think when you look at expected goals and some of the opportunities that have gone by the wayside, we’ve created enough opportunities,” said Ruff, whose Sabres continue their four-game road trip Wednesday against the Utah Mammoth. “We just haven’t finished. I’d be worried if we weren’t creating enough.
“I think to start the year, those first three games, (when we scored twice), we created very little. I think we went through a stretch where we really started to create a lot.”
Against the Hurricanes, a heavy team that gives you little time and space, the Sabres pumped 22 shots on goal, including 11 in the third period.
“Getting the looks, I mean, is half the battle, especially against a team Carolina,” Tuch said. “When you get looks like that, I mean, you got to be doing something right.”
Thompson’s team-high sixth goal this season puts him at a 33-goal pace over a full campaign. While that’s strong, it’s not quite up to his standards.
Right now, his shooting percentage is just 9.8 percent.
When he scored 44 times last season, he compiled a career-high 18.2 shooting percentage.
While averaging 40 goals over the past four seasons, his shooting percentage only dipped below 15 percent once, when he battled a broken hand in 2023-24 and shot just 11.8 percent while scoring 29 times.
Thompson, who recently moved to left wing alongside McLeod and Tuch, feels he and the Sabres will generate more goals.
“You’re getting chances, it means you’re doing things right,” Thompson said. “I think now it’s just we got to capitalize (on) them. And … my job is to score goals. I feel like I’ve had chances and haven’t capitalized on a lot of them that I’ve had. So got to find ways to bear down and find the back of the net.”
With forwards Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris and Jason Zucker all injured or ill, and Dahlin on a temporary leave of absence, the Sabres will be relying on Thompson and Tuch, who has also scored six goals this season, more than ever.
They’ve recently showcased terrific chemistry alongside the speedy McLeod, who created both of Saturday’s goals.
“His vision, his speed, just really good at getting to the middle of the ice, pulling defenders with him and allowing me to play with my speed away from him,” Tuch said of McLeod. “Good in the O-zone, making little plays. I think we’re developing more and more chemistry as we progress.”
Thompson called McLeod “a pure puck distributor.”
“He’s always looking to pass,” he said. “And for me, it’s just, I think that fits well. I’m just trying to find spots to get open and pockets where I can get shots off. And, obviously, I think, as a combo with us three, I thought we were moving really well, so a lot of speed.”