BUFFALO – Well, at least the Sabres didn’t chase Wednesday’s contest until late. But make no mistake, like so many of their home games this season, they could’ve easily fallen behind early to the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators generated a point-blank scoring opportunity 11 seconds into the game. Barely 90 seconds in, goalie Colten Ellis bailed the Sabres out again, using his right pad to stymie Michael Amadio’s backdoor chance from the bottom of the left circle.
“Unbelievable save he made,” coach Lindy Ruff said following the Sabres’ 2-1 loss in KeyBank Center, where they’re 3-4-0 this season.
The Sabres began the night on a season-best run, having won three straight games last week in California. But back in Buffalo to begin a four-game home stand before a capacity crowd of 19,070 fans, some of their old problems crept in.
“I can sum it up this way,” a perturbed Ruff said. “I thought we got outskated. I thought we got outworked. We gave up … six or seven odd-numbered rushes and the game-winning goal on an odd-numbered rush late.
“(We allowed) two breakaways, (a) three-on-one, three-on-two, two-on-one. We had zero odd-numbered rushes.”
Still, the Sabres, who were 3-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes, carried a 1-0 lead into the third period thanks to center Peyton Krebs’ first goal this season.
Then they fell apart late.
“We got we got to win those hockey games,” said Krebs, who scored 14:00 into the second period when linemate Tage Thompson’s shot deflected off his shin guard. “Going into the third period, up one goal, those are games you need to make the playoffs and do well in the playoffs.”
Shane Pinto tied it at 11:33, burying a rebound in front. Then Amadio put them up at 16:51, converting from the area around where Ellis stopped him earlier.
“We talked this morning about being better in this building,” Ruff said. “We weren’t better. And I think with three minutes left, we’ve taken a lot of pride in not giving up something like that, when points mean big points, and we gave up an odd-numbered rush again.”
Of course, a team can often look listless in its first home game after a long road trip.
“I didn’t think we skated as well as we could, for sure,” Ruff said. “I thought when you’re not skating well, some of the puck play wasn’t very good. I’m gonna sit here and make excuses. We weren’t good enough.
“We got outworked. They won more puck battles, they created more odd-numbers of situations. They were smarter than us.”
Ellis, who started for the third time in four games, made 28 saves. Senators goalie Samuel Ersson made 23 stops.
