Linus Ullmark’s routine during warmups Friday night in KeyBank Center was like the one he went through during his six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, albeit at a different end of the ice.
Ullmark, 28, led the Boston Bruins on the ice for warmups, took a shot on net, assumed his place between the posts and, upon taking a break, skated over to greet one of his fans. He tapped the glass with his stick in response to a sign that read, “I Ullmarked my calendar for your return.”
The Sabres are trying for their first 4-0 start since 2008 and will have to beat their former starting goalie to get there.
The gesture conjured some wide smiles, but the home fans weren’t happy for long. Ullmark and the Bruins proceeded to aggravate his former team, as he delivered 35 saves to help Boston secure a 4-1 win and spoil the Sabres’ undefeated record.
Buffalo (3-1-0) failed to start the season with four consecutive wins for the first time since 2008-09, but this wasn’t a flat performance by the Sabres, who had the edge in shots (36-26) and shot attempts (68-40) against Boston, which improved to 2-1.
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"We had a lot of chances," Sabres center Dylan Cozens said. "It comes from working them down, frustrating them and that's the game we want to play. We want to frustrate our opponent as much as we can. Get (the puck) behind them, tire them and keep working them."
Coach Don Granato’s Sabres controlled play for large stretches of the games, using their speed and pressure on the puck to earn extended time in the offensive zone. However, quality chances are a missing piece of the puzzle. When Sabres Victor Olofsson had room in the right circle at 14:35 into the third period, the winger beat Ullmark with a wrist shot.
Samuelsson, 21, missed the previous five weeks after suffering a lower-body injury on a blocked shot in the opening game of the Sabres’ Prospects Challenge.
While the Sabres were credited with more high-danger scoring chances, they didn’t get to the middle of the offensive zone enough and made the job too easy for Ullmark, who needed to make one outstanding save during the Bruins’ two-goal first period.
With the Sabres on the power play, Cozens cut across the slot and sent a backhanded shot five-hole, but Ullmark managed to stop the puck with the inside of his left leg pad. Entering Friday, the Sabres ranked 24th in the NHL in shot quality at 5-on-5, according to Evolving-Hockey.com They used outstanding defense to win their first three games, leading the league in limiting shot quality and save percentage during that span.
The Sabres' other chance came in the second period when defenseman Will Butcher hit the far post on a shot from the perimeter.
"I feel like we had a lot from the outside," Olofsson said. "We need to get close to net. Maybe fight for those rebounds a little bit more. But we also had a lot of those close to the net that we could have scored on."
More quality chances are needed against better teams and quality goalies. Ullmark, after all, is now playing for a legitimate Stanley Cup contender that typically contains opponents to the perimeter. When Ullmark and the Sabres didn’t see “eye to eye” in contract negotiations, he chose to join Boston on a four-year, $20 million contract. He was backed by goals from David Pastrnak, Tomas Nosek, Charlie Coyle and Taylor Hall.
The encouraging part is the Sabres have a clear identity. Granato’s preferred style of play, combined with their team speed, should have this team possessing the puck more than we’ve seen in recent years. But the offense at 5-on-5 will take time develop and there will be growing pains, particularly when it comes to finishing, no matter who is in net for the other team.
"The feeling for us, watching our guys, we played tight and we pressed," said Granato. "When you then fall behind, you press and play a little tighter. We did that the whole game."
Here are more observations from the game Friday night:
Coach Don Granato is confident, however, that the injury is short-term and Eakin will return to the lineup next week.
1. Rough night
This was Rasmus Dahlin’s worst game since last season. He had trouble handling the puck when under pressure and could use a defensive-minded partner. While Butcher has shown flashes of brilliance during his three games in the lineup, the Sabres miss Henri Jokiharju, who has the patience to sit back and allow Dahlin to use his brilliance in the offensive zone. No need to worry about Dahlin, though. He still skated a team-high 25:04 and the difficult moments will be an important lesson for him.
2. Slow starts
The Sabres allowed the first goal for a third consecutive game, as Brad Marchand cross checked Dahlin behind Buffalo’s net and the puck went to Patrice Bergeron, who got the primary assist on Pastrnak’s goal at 3:49 into the game. The Sabres responded in a way we did not see in previous seasons and controlled play for approximately 13 minutes until Nosek gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Shot attempts in the first period were 29-8 in favor of Buffalo, a clear sign that the home team had more time in the offensive zone. The Sabres also had the edge in scoring chances (17-5). The issue Friday was the quality of chances against, particularly Nosek's goal on an odd-man rush.
"I had a couple of lucky bounces, as well," Ullmark said. "Sometimes you have them with you and sometimes you don't. Today was one of those days where I had them with me and guys did a terrific job of putting the puck in the net on the other end."
Scoring first increases your odds of winning, but failing to do so doesn’t spell doom under Granato, whose system at 5-on-5 is constructed to create offense. That said, the Sabres can’t make a habit of facing early deficits.
In three games at center for the undefeated Sabres (3-0), Thompson has been among the club’s most impactful forwards.
3. Progress
This was Cozens’ best performance of the regular season or preseason. The 20-year-old center made more of an impact with the puck, using his speed to drive to the net and mixing in a backhanded shot to try to fool Ullmark. He finished with a team-high six shots on goal and won 50% of faceoffs. It was an important step for Cozens, who ascended to the top line with Casey Mittelstadt injured. The goals will come for Cozens. He’s using his speed to drive play in the offensive zone and looks like a difference-maker.
"For Dylan, we definitely see him doing more and more of the right things," Granato said. "It's part of the progression for him."
4. Next
The Sabres traveled to New Jersey following the game and will face the Devils inside Prudential Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. It will be televised by MSG in Western New York.
