BUFFALO – Almost five minutes into Monday afternoon’s ugly 7-5 loss to the Canadiens, Sabres center Tage Thompson grabbed a pass from linemate Alex Tuch inside the Montreal blue line and skated down the left wing.
Thompson cut to the net from the left circle, using one hand to fend off Canadiens star Cole Caufield and the other to guide the puck. When he reached the crease, Thompson, who later left the game injured, scored between goalie Cayden Primeau’s pads.
The slick goal displayed the dynamic skills of one of the NHL’s premier power forwards. Following an early hiccup, his team-leading 11th goal tied the game at 1.
The Sabres, having won three straight games, had settled down and would dispose of the reeling Canadiens, right? Well, not exactly.
In an utterly embarrassing display, they blew two leads, including one in the third-period, and fell to a team that had been on an awful 0-5-1 run.
“We got humbled today,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “I think we were very excited about our previous games.”
To make matters worse, Thompson and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson both left the game in the second period with lower-body injuries and did not return. Coach Lindy Ruff did not have an update on them following the contest.
Thompson ranks among the league’s elite scorers this season and is the Sabres’ offensive catalyst. His loss, even for a short span, could severely impact their season. He scored in each game during the Sabres’ winning streak.
That recent run felt significant. They won three straight games playing the way Ruff wanted. On Thursday, they beat the New York Rangers 6-1 in Madison Square Garden.
That triumph felt like it could be a turning point as the Sabres try to end their shocking 13-year playoff drought. Now, after losing to a team that began the afternoon in last place with a minus-22 goal differential, it almost feels like an aberration.
“We didn’t play like we can,” Tuch said of his team’s sloppy effort. “It goes back to details. I don’t know what the cause of it was, but especially when we got injuries and stuff, we just got to keep it simple and make it hard for the opponent. But that’s not what we did today.”
Instead, the Sabres took ill-timed penalties and broke down defensively before the crowd of 15,687 fans in KeyBank Center.
“The puck management at the end of the period, end of the second, where we’ve got a defenseman involved, we turn the puck over and they go the other way and it should be a nothing play,” Ruff said. “I thought we got outmuscled on a couple goals and we took some penalties that just flat-out hurt us.”
Dahlin took responsibility for the penalty that hurt the Sabres the most, an elbowing call 11:15 into the third period with the game tied at 5. Caufield scored his league-leading 12th goal at 12:58, putting the Canadiens up for good.
“Way too many, especially my penalty,” Dahlin, whose power-play goal late in the second period tied the game at 4, said of the infractions. “I take full ownership. That can’t happen.”
Ruff challenged the goal for a hand pass – “Bad challenge on my part,” he said – but officials ruled it was deflected. The Sabres received a delay of game penalty for losing the challenge.
“We fought back and ended up taking the lead, but we just hurt ourselves,” Ruff said. “We beat ourselves at the end, which is the frustrating part. It’s the part we’re trying to get away from. And we’ve been good with it, but we’re not there yet.”
When winger JJ Peterka put the Sabres up 5-4 3:51 into the third period, it appeared they might finally hold the lead.
“When you score five, you should win the game,” Dahlin said. “It was the details today. Not good enough.”
Despite mustering just 18 shots on goal, the Sabres made the most of their chances. After Peterka’s goal, the Canadiens yanked Primeau, who made nine saves, and replaced him with Sam Montembeault.
The Sabres had their own goaltending problems. Luukkonen compiled a 1.30 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in three wins last week and earned the NHL’s Third Star for the week ending Sunday.
But the Finn struggled Monday, stopping 14 of the 18 shots he faced in 40 minutes. Ruff replaced him with Devon Levi, who hadn’t played since Nov. 1, for the third period.
“That was really my decision,” Ruff said. “I mean, he had a little bit of an ailment yesterday. I just thought it could be affecting his play so it was my decision to take him out and make sure nothing gets worse.”
Notes: Centers Dylan Cozens and Peyton Krebs scored the Sabres’ other goals. … With Thompson injured, Cozens moved up to pivot the top line between Peterka and Tuch. Krebs replaced Cozens between Zach Benson and Jack Quinn. … Samuelsson played after sitting out three straight games as a healthy scratch. To make room, the Sabres scratched defenseman Dennis Gilbert, who took three penalties in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames before getting benched. They also scratched defenseman Henri Jokiharju and winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel. … The Canadiens have won five straight games in Buffalo. Oddly enough, the Sabres have won five of their last six outings in Montreal. … The Sabres have today off.
