A well-thought-out plan to carry three goalies on the Buffalo Sabres’ roster was delayed Tuesday morning because of an unexpected development.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen awoke feeling ill, preventing the Sabres from recalling the 23-year-old goalie from Rochester less than 24 hours after he was loaned to the Amerks to create room for Eric Comrie to be activated from injured reserve.
Comrie knew as soon as Luukkonen walked into the dressing room Tuesday morning that he was going to have to start against Seattle. Comrie didn’t have a real morning skate to prepare for his first NHL game since Nov. 16, and the Sabres haven’t held a practice since he returned from his three-game conditioning assignment with Rochester.
"It was a bit surprising," Comrie said with a chuckle. "I wasn't expecting it."
Sabres coach Don Granato boasted about Comrie’s work ethic before the game but acknowledged there was some mystery in how the 27-year-old would react to the change.
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Comrie didn’t need long to put the Sabres at ease. He was tested early by a Jared McCann shot from the right circle and again when Jaden Schwartz earned a scoring chance from in front. But the Kraken took its first lead of the game 1:06 into the third period and pulled away for a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Tuesday night in KeyBank Center.
The Sabres (20-17-2) have lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since their eight-game losing streak in November and have yet to beat the Kraken since Seattle entered the NHL last season. This was an improvement from Buffalo’s loss Monday night to Philadelphia.
Twice, the Sabres held a lead against the Kraken because of goals by Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin, but Seattle scored three straight on Comrie to earn a sixth consecutive win.
It wasn't a busy night for Comrie. He faced only 22 shots, but Seattle had 13 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. In the end, the Sabres lost because they couldn't capitalize on their chances and the Kraken did.
"I think anytime a first game back for guys that have been out that long is a challenge," said Granato. "I thought he handled it well. I feel we typically score more with the chances we generated and it wasn’t to be tonight. We couldn’t get separation, score wise, that I thought we had opportunity to and it caught up with us late."
This wasn’t an ideal time for Comrie to return to the lineup.
The Kraken (24-12-4) are a prolific offensive team and entered Tuesday third in the NHL with 3.67 goals per game. It had won seven of its previous 10 and scored four or more goals in five straight. The Sabres were playing the second game of a back-to-back after a brutal loss Monday to Philadelphia.
There was little action at the start, as the Sabres didn't have a shot on goal until Tuch scored 9:56 into the game.
A miscommunication gave McCann a one-timer from the right-wing circle, but Comrie tracked the play perfectly. He also was in position to stop Schwartz on an opportunity at the far post 9:50 into the first period. Six seconds later, Tuch gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead when he finished a superb pass from Tage Thompson.
The Kraken tied the score by taking advantage of a Sabres penalty. Jordan Eberle tipped Andre Burakovsky’s shot from the point past Comrie to make it 1-1 with 1:08 left in the first period. Buffalo took control again and narrowly scored on an early second-period power play when Dylan Cozens was left uncovered in front of the net, but Philipp Grubauer made the save.
"I think they capitalized, and we didn’t, honestly," said Tuch. "I thought we had some momentum for the majority of the game and when we kind of sat back a little bit, got a little frustrated, left some spots open in the D zone and that’s when they capitalized."
Vinnie Hinostroza was stopped on a breakaway moments before Dahlin scored a power-play goal for a 2-1 Sabres lead with 14:48 left in the second period. The Sabres’ attention to detail quickly began to slip. And Seattle tied it again on a play when two Kraken skaters got behind the Buffalo defense, leading to Yanni Gourde redirecting a pass into the net.
Comrie finished the second period strong with saves on Burakovsky and Daniel Sprong. The Sabres weren’t sharp around their goalie, though. Kraken rookie center Matty Beniers gave Seattle a 3-2 lead early in the third period when Vince Dunn’s wrist shot from the point went off Beniers' pant leg, hit Comrie, rang off the post and left the puck sitting idle in the crease.
"A little rusty, for sure," said Comrie. "Some weird bounces tonight, off body and things. ... (When you're rusty), it's just almost the confidence to play. You're a little jumpy instead of letting the game come to you more. That's all, really."
The lead was pushed to 4-2 with Schultz’s one-timer from the slot 5:17 into the third period. The Sabres cut the deficit to one goal with 21.4 seconds remaining when Tuch scored his second goal of the game, but it was too late. They finished with 35 shots on net and went 1 for 5 on the power play with Thompson hitting the corner of the post late in the third period.
It’s unclear who will be in goal Thursday night when the Sabres host the Winnipeg Jets. Craig Anderson might not be ready so soon after playing Monday. Luukkonen has won six consecutive starts to earn an extended stay in Buffalo, but his illness threw a wrench in Buffalo’s plan.
The Sabres want to see what they have in Comrie, who joined the club on a two-year contract in July. It’s difficult to evaluate his play early this season because the defense corps was injury-ridden. Then, Comrie suffered a lower-body injury on a collision in Ottawa. And though his return ended with another loss, he worked through the inevitable rust of a first game after a long absence.
"I mean, it’s gonna take time," said Comrie. "This is my first game in a long time in the NHL. You’re not just stepping into the easiest environment in the world. You're stepping into the best league in the world. Yeah, I felt fine, but there’s still a feeling I wasn’t quite all there, if you know what I mean.”
Here are other observations:
1. Putting in work
Dahlin’s shot was a weakness when he first arrived in the NHL, but he worked relentlessly to turn it into a strength. He’s always on the ice before and after practice, collecting pass after pass from a teammate or coach to simulate how to receive the puck under pressure and where to shoot when there’s an open lane to the net. Dahlin works on different angles and different release points. And it’s turned his shot into a strength.
His goal in the second period Thursday night was his 13th of the season, matching the career-high he set in 80 games last season.
2. Human highlight reel
Thompson makes the improbable look routine. The 25-year-old center collected a pass from Jeff Skinner at the high slot, stick handled past center Alex Wennberg and skated around defenseman Adam Larsson before he sent a backhanded pass across the crease to Tuch.
Schwartz dove to try to break up the pass but Tuch beat him to the net and scored his 19th goal of the season. Tuch added his 20th late in regulation, matching the career-high he set with Vegas in 2018-19. He has 13 goals and 34 points in his last 24 games, and five goals in his last six games.
It was another impressive night for the Sabres' top line. They had 76.19 percent of the shot attempts (16-5) when Skinner, Thompson and Tuch were on the ice in 5-on-5 situations.
3. Sitting out
In a surprising move, the Sabres scratched rookie wingers Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka in favor of Hinostroza and Rasmus Asplund. Granato explained that Asplund and Hinostroza needed to play after sitting for so long – both were out of the lineup for seven straight games – while Quinn and Peterka would benefit from a night off.
Quinn, 21, showed some promising signs Monday in the 4-0 loss to Philadelphia but has zero goals and three assists in his last 13 games. Peterka has one goal and two assists in his last 13 games. The 20-year-old has eight shots on goal in his last five games.
“They’re two energy guys and then the two young guys in Quinn and Peterka have had a lot of hockey,” said Granato. “It’s always a benefit to be able to step back, as I’ve mentioned many times. We’ve seen it help guys, so the hope is we’ll get those guys to the next plateau here or off this plateau.”
4. Making room
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald was placed on waivers Tuesday to make room on the roster for Henri Jokiharju, who returned to the lineup after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. Jokiharju was on the ice for 21:08 on Tuesday night.
Fitzgerald, 25, had been a healthy scratch in six consecutive games because he was surpassed on the depth chart by Kale Clague.
A third-round draft pick of the Sabres in 2016, Fitzgerald has appeared in 59 games with the club since making his NHL debut in December 2021. He was averaging 13:03 of ice time per game this season.
5. Next
The Sabres are scheduled to host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by a game in Nashville against the Predators on Saturday.
