BUFFALO – The Sabres performed a heck of a lot better in Thursday’s home opener than they did overseas. It was hardly a perfect effort, mind you. But they put together a terrific 40 minutes, showcasing speed and tenacity while generating loads of scoring chances in the first two periods.
Following two underwhelming outings to open the season, coach Lindy Ruff believes the Sabres played close to their identity throughout the night.
What do they have to show for it? Nothing.
The Sabres lost again, allowing a late power-play goal and falling 3-1 in a game in which they thoroughly outplayed the Los Angeles Kings before a noisy capacity crowd of 19,070 fans in KeyBank Center.
For the first time since 2014-15, their second tank season, the Sabres have started a season 0-3-0.
Three games. Three goals scored. Three losses.
On Thursday, the Sabres displayed an alarming lack of finish, failing to convert the prime scoring opportunities they generated and pull away from the Kings.
Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, who made 32 saves, stymied Sabres newcomer Ryan McLeod on an early penalty shot and a wraparound attempt later in the first period.
Some of Sabres’ best players like centers Dylan Cozens, who registered six shots, and Tage Thompson pumped rubber at Kuemper all night, yet couldn’t find the back of the net.
Thompson got the puck through Kuemper in the third period before it hit the post. Defenseman Bowen Byram also clanked the post late.
“I do feel snake bit, there’s no doubt,” Ruff said. “… It’s going to go in. We continue to do the right things the puck is going to go in the back of the net, or we’re sending every goaltender we play to the All-Star Game, one of the two.”
Only winger Alex Tuch, who buried his own rebound on a short-handed breakaway 16:55 into the second period, beat Kuemper.
How can the Sabres, whose power play gave the Kings trouble all night, finish more of their chances?
For starters, they can keep playing to that identity Ruff liked.
“We got back in a hurry,” he said. “We ended plays right away with physicality down low. There were a couple tired shifts where they got a little bit of momentum, but I thought we hunkered down and stayed inside of it. They’re gonna have good shifts, but they didn’t have many of them.
“Getting back quick and being physical on that first guy, kind of ending that play right away, allowed us to exit the zone.”
Tuch said the Sabres must “keep pushing.”
“Sometimes it’s puck luck, but usually you make your own puck luck,” he said. “Just bearing down on certain opportunities and, yeah, just burying them.”
They couldn’t, so the Kings hung around, then capitalized on their late opportunities.
Kings star Anze Kopitar tied the game 13 seconds into the third period, capitalizing from the edge of the slot unfettered after Alex Laferriere stripped Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin behind the net.
“I made a bad play,” Dahlin said. “He came down in the middle. Kopitar doesn’t miss those chances.”
The Sabres unraveled late by taking two penalties – one highly suspect and the other well-deserved – to set up Kopitar’s five-on-three power-play goal at 18:22.
Winger Jason Zucker went off roughing Brandt Clarke at 16:20 despite zero evidence of any foul play.
Ruff said he never received any explanation.
“I don’t like that one,” he said.
Zucker was so incensed he also received a 10-minute misconduct.
Then defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was whistled for slashing at 17:53, a play Ruff called “hockey suicide.”
“Our penalty killers had done an unbelievable job,” he said. “That is just lack of composure for a group that played so well. The killing had been so good to that point. We have to learn from that one. We’ve gotta sense that, ‘Man, these guys are doing an unbelievable job.’ That’s not on the officials. That’s a good call.”
With Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the bench, Kopitar added an empty-net goal to complete the seventh hat trick of his splendid career. Cozens responded by losing his cool, breaking his stick on the goalpost and tossing it. He received a 10-minute misconduct.
It was that kind of night.
