SEATTLE – Jared McCann turned toward the crowd of 17,151 inside Climate Pledge Arena, twirled his stick then holstered it to his side as the goal horn blared.
His shot from the left circle on the power play just beat Buffalo Sabres goalie Eric Comrie to the short side of the net to give the Seattle Kraken another three-goal lead Tuesday night.
The crowd roared while four Sabres skated slowly back to their bench. Their momentum was gone. Late in the second period, they were running out of time to start playing the fast-paced, attacking game that helped them defeat Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on this four-city road trip.
In the finale, though, Buffalo only had six shots in the third period and allowed another power play goal to lose to the Kraken, 5-1. The Sabres head home with a 4-2 record, winning three out of four on the road. But their performance in Seattle wasn't the way they wanted it to end.
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"We just didn’t have our all-around game tonight," said Dylan Cozens, who had the Sabres' goal. "They came out and they wanted it more. They were faster, more efficient and we just made too many mistakes they capitalized on."
Without two of their top four defensemen, the Sabres didn't look ready for the Kraken's speed when the puck dropped in the first period.
They were using new pairings on the blue line and one of their defensemen was playing his first NHL game in more than two years. Up front, their forwards couldn't earn quality shot attempts and committed too many turnovers.
Seattle (3-3-2) scored twice in the first 5:39 of the game with Jamie Oleksiak having too much time to shoot from the slot and Morgan Geekie scoring on a breakaway. The Kraken earned six high danger scoring chances in the first period at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
“We couldn’t get into a rhythm tonight,” said Sabres coach Don Granato. “They had much better energy than us. We chased it. A lot of guys didn’t look like themselves and it was a tough night as a result. It just didn’t get any better. Comrie battled hard. I thought we didn’t support him well enough. It’s one of those nights.”
Early in the second period, Andre Burakovsky missed the net on a 2-on-1 for Seattle and Comrie stopped Jaden Schwartz’s breakaway. Minutes later, Daniel Sprong made it 3-0 when Buffalo’s Vinnie Hinostroza turned the puck over at Buffalo’s blue line, creating a partial breakaway the Seattle winger finished with a deke to get Comrie out of position.
The Sabres had a brief run of controlling play. They broke through when Rasmus Dahlin carried the puck along the left-wing boards and made a backhanded pass to Hinostroza, who then took a shot from the point to the net.
Cozens was at the front of net to score on the rebound, cutting the deficit to 3-1 at 12:25 into the second period. A few minutes later, Sabres captain Kyle Okposo was called for a tripping penalty in the offensive zone, which put the Kraken back on the power play.
McCann then scored his fourth goal of the season to make it 4-1 Seattle. The Sabres couldn't regain the momentum, finishing with only 16 shots on Kraken goalie Martin Jones.
"We didn’t play very well," said Okposo. "I just thought they had a lot better jump than we did and we just couldn’t find it. When we did, we made a push and I take a penalty in the offensive zone. Can’t do that. They score on the power play to kind of kill that momentum. We did not have any jump tonight and tough one to finish the trip off after three really solid games."
Here are other observations from the game:
1. Streak ends
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s record-setting five-game goal streak to start the season ended in Seattle. Dahlin was brilliant again, skating a team-high 26:07 and moving the puck well to try to help Buffalo generate offense.
Dahlin has a team-high nine points after recording a secondary assist on Cozens’ goal.
Owen Power also earned more responsibility, including 5-on-5 shifts next to Dahlin, with Samuelsson and Jokiharju out. Power, 19, skated 24:04 and made a few notable plays that could have led to goals, including his work down low on Jack Quinn’s power-play marker that was called back because of offside.
3. Over the line
Quinn almost cut the Sabres’ deficit to 4-2 with 15:03 remaining in the third period when the 21-year-old winger capitalized on a perfect cross-slot pass by Jeff Skinner during a power play. The goal would have been Quinn’s first of the season, but a replay review showed Buffalo was offside when entering the zone.
Casey Mittelstadt’s skate was barely over the blue line when the puck entered the offensive zone. He was slowly making his way to the bench. Matty Beniers scored a few minutes later to put the game away for Seattle. Otherwise, Mittelstadt played well again and won 56% of his faceoffs in 18:40 of ice time.
“That will be discussed at an appropriate time for the whole team,” Granato said of the offside. “Again, it’s a situation where, if you don’t have it, you don’t feel good – and I’m talking about the entire team, I’m not talking about anyone individually – you have to adjust. We have to find ways. If your energy isn’t good, it doesn’t mean your effort shouldn’t be good. You’ve got to compensate that way. … As a younger team, that’s your challenge. That’s the challenge of growth, how to play efficiently. How to play when you feel bad and not be vulnerable.”
4. Stepping in
Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut appeared in his first NHL regular-season game since March 5, 2020, drawing into the lineup with Samuelsson out. Pilut finished with 14:50 of ice time, including some work on the penalty kill, and a blocked shot. He signed a one-year contract with Buffalo in July to return following a two-year stint in Russia. At 26 years old, he’s trying to prove that he’s strong enough at both ends of the ice to stick in the league.
Pilut appeared in 46 games with the Sabres from 2018-20, totaling one goal and six points.
"I thought he had a great preseason and I think he fits in very well with the style we play and within our locker room,” Granato said of Pilut before the game. “The guys are excited to have him around."
5. What's next
The Sabres return home to play the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. Thursday at KeyBank Center. Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks will come to Buffalo on Saturday for a game against the Sabres at 7 p.m.
