With one shift Friday night, Casey Mittelstadt and Victor Olofsson provided a glimmer of hope that the Buffalo Sabres might have finally broken the relentless pressure that Lindy Ruff’s New Jersey Devils used to win 13 games in a row.
Olofsson’s goal, a shot from the slot after an impressive backhand centering pass by Mittelstadt, trimmed the Sabres’ deficit to one late in the second period. Finally, they found time and space to create offense against an opponent that’s been one of the NHL’s best through the first quarter of the season.
Black and Red is back for 12 games this season. No offense, Blue and Gold. Just a nod to history. And people were stoked about it.
The Sabres stopped committing turnovers in the face of the Devils’ pressure. The top line of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner awakened after a quiet start. A few minutes later, they encountered another harsh lesson in their quest to become a contender.
The Devils’ lead again ballooned to two goals with 2:05 left in the second period when Tomas Tatar slid the puck in on a 3-on-2, and they held on for a 3-1 win to defeat the Sabres in KeyBank Center.
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"First time we played them, so we kind of saw what they did and kind of adjusted," said Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. "We came out and sometimes we played in their end a lot. Overall, it’s a pretty good game, but we couldn’t score today."
There weren’t any egregious defensive mistakes by Buffalo (9-12), unlike those that occurred during the Sabres' eight-game losing streak that ended Tuesday in Montreal. This loss was all about struggling to handle the pressure New Jersey (17-4) applies all over the ice.
“He would always talk about how, growing up, he wanted to play for the Sabres,” said Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore, a former teammate who remains a close friend.
Olofsson’s 11th goal of the season represented the Sabres’ only offense, as they finished with 34 shots on goal, 27 over the final two periods, compared to the Devils’ 44. Buffalo didn’t have a shot until 5:53 into the first period, and didn’t earn a quality opportunity until Dahlin stickhandled around a defenseman on his way to the net a few minutes later. The Sabres earned only one power play and failed to convert.
Their top line couldn’t do much against the Devils, finishing with a combined zero points and eight shots on goal. Despite the slow start, the Sabres were still competitive because of strong goaltending by Craig Anderson. They also showed patience when trying to get back into the game.
Somehow, the game didn’t get away from the Sabres in the first period. They were stuck in their own zone for the first two minutes because of an inability to break the puck out. Forwards were drifting too far into the neutral zone. The Devils were overwhelming Buffalo by swarming whichever side of the ice the puck was on. The Sabres made bad decisions with the puck, including Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson.
"They’ve got a lot of swagger right now and their defense, I thought, was pretty dominant pretty early," Granato said of the Devils. "Denied our exits, denied our movement out of our end quick and that put a little bit of extra pressure on us where their forwards can take advantage of some of the forced mistakes. It’s a very, very good group of defensemen."
The Sabres eventually adjusted, but they were still committing too many turnovers. New Jersey didn’t break through until two minutes into the second period when a 3-on-2 rush ended with Jack Hughes scoring for a 1-0 Devils lead.
Another bad bounce cost Buffalo. Samuelsson lost an edge while carrying the puck behind the Sabres’ net. Devils winger Yegor Sharangovich took possession and made a centering pass to Jesper Boqvist, whose ensuing shot leaked through Anderson to make it 2-0 with 14:13 left in the second period.
And just like that, nearly three weeks of misery have been replaced with straight full-marks victories to get the Sabres' record to 9-11 through 20 games.
The Sabres started to earn some chances, particularly with a fourth line centered by Tyson Jost and Dylan Cozens’ line, which has an average age of just over 20 years old. Jost had a breakaway stopped by New Jersey goalie Akira Schmid, and JJ Peterka nearly connected with Cozens on a backdoor play.
Olofsson was the first to beat Schmid, when the Sabres winger made it 2-1 with 5:41 remaining in the second period. The Devils quickly answered with Tatar skating past defenseman Henri Jokiharju before scoring to give New Jersey another two-goal lead.
"They stayed on top of us pretty well," Olofsson said. "We didn’t have too much time with the puck. I thought we could have probably played more simple early and just get pucks deep like we did in the second. It would have made it easier for us."
The Sabres earned more chances in the third period. Kyle Okposo, who returned from a six-game injury absence, hit the post. Dahlin created a chance in front with some remarkable stickhandling, but he looked up to the rafters when Schmid made the save. Mittestadt's shot from in front was stopped with a little over two minutes to go and with Buffalo's net empty for an extra attacker.
Offense won’t always come easy for the Sabres, though they entered Friday averaging the third-most goals per game in the NHL. They lost to the same heavy puck pressure that Granato wants to become a staple of Buffalo’s game. But their response to a good team was far better than what they showed during the losing streak.
"I liked our fight to find our game and our fight through it," said Granato. "I think this is a game that will absolutely make us better as a result."
Here are other observations from the game:
Bolstered by the fast start to the game, and another dominant showing by its top line, Buffalo escaped with a 7-2 win in Montreal to climb out of an ugly stretch.
1. Leading the way
Cozens is only 21 years old and 141 games into his NHL career, yet he’s taken on a substantial leadership role in recent weeks by centering a line with rookie wingers Peterka and Jack Quinn. This isn’t leadership by speaking. Cozens is guiding them with his tenaciousness and attacking mentality in the offensive zone.
Entering Friday, the Sabres had 65.91% of the 5-on-5 shots attempted when the trio was on the ice, and they’re earning more quality chances than the opposition, as illustrated by a 72.81 expected goal percentage.
The line had another strong game Friday, but it couldn't capitalize on the time it earned in the offensive zone.
2. Calm, cool, collected
No one should be surprised that Anderson started this game instead of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. While the prospect played well Wednesday, the Sabres opted for experience in goal against the Devils. In addition to his strong play in the crease, Anderson brings leadership and guidance to the young players on this team.
When the Sabres were reeling early in the first period, Anderson skated over to the other side of the bench during a TV timeout to talk to the forwards who needed to start helping the defense on the breakout. Anderson’s teammates responded with a strong run that included three shots on goal during a power play.
3. Internal competition
Jost brought more to the Sabres than aptitude on the penalty skill and upside. He reintroduced some much-needed internal competition. Granato has spoken about wanting a challenging environment for young players, not a threatening one.
Adding someone such as Jost, who is only 24 years old, won’t allow a prospect such as Peyton Krebs to get too comfortable, and Granato doesn’t have to gift ice time to someone who hasn’t earned it. Krebs is going to be a solid center in the NHL. He’s not ready yet, though. And while another healthy scratch Friday isn’t ideal for Krebs, we saw in the past that Buffalo’s coaching staff knows how to work with young players through these situations.
Jost had four shots on goal Friday and won 50% of his faceoffs.
4. More changes
Jacob Bryson is the latest Sabres defenseman to be sidelined with an injury and is considered week to week, the team announced to reporters. Bryson didn’t skate in the third period Wednesday after suffering a lower-body injury. He finished with only 8:59 of ice time. Casey Fitzgerald drew into the lineup with Bryson out Friday night.
Additionally, winger Rasmus Asplund (upper body) missed a second consecutive game and remains day to day. In other roster news, the Sabres assigned prospect Matej Pekar from the Rochester Americans to the Cincinnati Cyclones. Pekar, a fourth-round draft pick in 2018, missed the final two months of the Amerks’ season and training camp this fall with a shoulder injury. He returned to the lineup for two games this month, but became a healthy scratch with the team healthy up front.
5. Next
The Sabres will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday at 7 p.m. Buffalo is 1-9-1 in its last 11 games against Tampa Bay, with the lone win occurring Oct. 25, 2021.
