BUFFALO – In the waning seconds of Saturday’s second period, with skaters at four per side following coincidental minors, the Sabres went into penalty-mode killing mode.
The Sabres looked timid as the Montreal Canadiens passed the puck around their zone, acting as if the visitors had a power play.
As the final seconds ticked down, Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson skated from the point into the right circle in front of Sabres winger Alex Tuch.
Instead of hectoring Matheson – “Should’ve been going out at him stick on puck and taking his time away,” coach Lindy Ruff said following the Sabres’ 4-2 loss – Tuch gave him time to spot winger Alex Newhook as he streaked down the edge of the circle.
Newhook redirected Matheson’s pass behind Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 2.6 seconds left to put the Canadiens up 3-2.
“That was brutal – can’t happen,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said of the late goal.
Tuch said he “probably could’ve been a little bit more aggressive.”
“I should’ve got my stick in a lane, I guess,” he said.
Ruff said the Sabres “fell asleep” on the play.
“We gave up a goal with two seconds that just killed us,” he said.
In watching their six-game home-winning streak end before a bipartisan capacity crowd of 19,070 fans in KeyBank Center, the Sabres made a slew of mistakes.
Ruff pointed out the Sabres possessed the puck before the Canadiens scored their first two goals – Cole Caufield’s power-play tally to open the scoring and Josh Anderson’s game-tying goal – in the second period.
“You’re looking at those two goals, the puck is on our stick, we don’t execute, we get caught, give up an odd-numbered rush,” he said. “We’ve been talking about odd-numbered rushes since Day One. We’ve been talking about how we manage the puck since Day One. We didn’t manage the puck well enough. We didn’t manage the game well enough.”
The Sabres managed to generate some offense, although they had trouble getting shots on rookie goalie Jakub Dobes. The Canadiens blocked 26 shots, frustrating the Sabres.
“I thought they were good at getting in shot lanes, getting in front of us,” said Tuch, who extended his goal streak to three games in the second period. “They play tight man-on-man (defense), so sometimes it’s harder to get as free as you want.”
“We just need to bear down on our opportunities, maybe at times make the next play and other times a little bit more net focus.”
The Sabres, who hadn’t lost at home since Jan. 17, briefly grabbed the lead in the second period. After Tuch tied the game at 6:04, rookie center Jiri Kulich put them up at 7:33, one-timing Dahlin’s nifty feed in the right circle.
Saturday’s loss dropped the Sabres to 0-3-0 against Montreal this season. While both teams began rebuilding in 2021 – Buffalo after finishing dead last, and the Canadiens, unbelievably, after making the Stanley Cup final – the Sabres appeared to be well ahead of their Atlantic Division rival just a year or two ago.
But Saturday’s win moved the Canadiens 10 points ahead of the Sabres, who still rank last in the Eastern Conference.
“You can’t lose three out of three games,” Dahlin said.. “That’s just how it is. It’s not good enough. It’s brutal.”
The teams close their season series Monday in Montreal. At the end of Saturday’s game, Sabres winger Jordan Greenway issued a warning to Dobes.
“He’s just talking ridiculousness,” Greenway said. “I was just wanted him to know we play them Monday and we’re going to be coming, so hopefully he relays it to their guys.”
Notes: The Sabres dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen, inserting blueliners Jacob Bryson and Connor Clifton and scratching defenseman Henri Jokiharju and forwards Sam Lafferty and Jason Zucker (lower body). … Kulich, who started sporting a bubble shield after a puck hit him in the mouth Tuesday, went back to his normal visor Saturday. … Jake Evans scored an empty-net goal for Montreal. … Dobes made 23 saves. Luukkonen, meanwhile, stopped 25 shots. … Tuch has scored six goals in the last six games.
