Observations: Sabres are too passive in getting schooled by Sharks

The Sabres pulled out an overtime win in Anaheim in their opener, even though Kyle Okposo called their 3-0 lead a "mirage" here on Monday. They blew a 2-1 lead in the third period Sunday at Los Angeles and and then completely got schooled Tuesday night in the Shark Tank.

Playing a team missing seven players due to Covid protocol, the Sabres were passive and never grabbed the game in SAP Center. Tomas Hertl had two goals and an assist to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 5-3 win over Buffalo, which has dropped two straight in regulation for the first time this season to fall to 5-3-1.

The shot counts (28-27 for Buffalo and 45-45 in attempts) didn't remotely tell the story. San Jose's 33-19 advantage in faceoffs was a bigger tale. The Sharks had the puck and the Sabres were chasing a lot of the time. Buffalo's passing was poor, too many offensive rushes were one-and-done specials and the Sabres gave up their blue line far too easily to the Sharks' forwards.

"It's kind of awful, frankly," said defenseman Robert Hagg. "And I think the whole road trip has hasn't been as good as we want it to. And especially tonight, we're getting outworked, it's simple as that.

"We did good at home. We outworked teams and we got result with it. But now it seems like we think we're better than what we are right now. And we just have to go back to the basics and work for each other and work harder and outwork teams, simple as that."

The Sabres never led in the game and were only even at 1-1 after the first of two goals by Jeff Skinner at 8:48 of the first period.

"We did not play to our identity," said coach Don Granato. "And that's really disappointing in a game that had we done that, I thought the outcome would have been much different."

Granato said playing on the road is a learning experience for a young team, and for a club like his that is also meshing some new veterans as well. Counting their road opener at New Jersey, the Sabres are 1-2-1 away from home but 4-1 in the 716.

"We have to acclimate and adjust to that. It's different," Granato said. "You give something easy to the other team, it's more than giving it to the team, you're giving it to 18,000 people to get excited, get adrenaline in the building. The first couple goals tonight were just too easy."

Here are more observations from the game:

1. Skinner skates

Jeff Skinner had easily his most active outing of the season, scoring two goals while notching game highs of six shots on goal and nine attempts. He got the Sabres even at 1-1 with his second goal of the season at 8:48 of the first period on a quick wrist shot that came 83 seconds after San Jose's Jonathan Dahlen opened the scoring. Skinner then got Buffalo within two goals by taking a puck out of the air with 1:47 left.

"He was one of the few guys that was really competitive through the whole game," Granato said. "So I was going to get him out there obviously as much as I could late."

2. Rough nights

Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin are penciled in as core players on this club but have struggled mightily on this trip. Cozens got stripped at his blue line, leading to Hertl's goal at 6:13 of the second period, and Hertl than danced through Dahlin for a highlight-reel tally at 11:46 of the third.

Hertl works some magic around Dahlin, 5-2 #LetsGoBuffalo #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/M6KNaDJnJy

— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) November 3, 2021

"This isn't an easy league and no one comes into it and dominates from the first game to their last," Skinner said. "You're going to go through ups and downs as a team and personally and we're going to work together to get out of it."

3. Dahlin doldrums

Dahlin played a team-high 25:12 in the game with an even rating and some decent analytics when he was on the ice (58% Corsi at 5-on-5, 56% shot differential and a 50-50 split in scoring chances). But he only had one shot on goal and continues to struggle in the defensive zone, capped by the toasting he took from Hertl.

"All you need is patience there. Let him take the outside ice," Granato said. "In the end, it's certainly not a pretty error. All you have to do is be patient and I think he knows that. I don't think he's been poor. He's a guy that battles  frustration. We see him make mistakes and now he's not as assertive as he needs to be. He can't be tentative and hesitant."

4. By the numbers

Craig Anderson made 22 saves on 27 shots but several had a good deal of difficulty and kept the Sabres in the game. In the second period, Anderson made a save on a 4-on-2 rush and then stoned Rudolfs Balcers on a breakaway to keep the Sabres in striking range. San Jose's James Reimer made 25 saves on 28 shots. He entered the game as the NHL leader in goals-against average and save percentage at 1.13/.964.

San Jose defenseman Mario Ferraro played a game-high 28:48, scoring the Sharks' fourth goal on a screened shot at 6:02 of the third period. He had three shots on goal, four hits and five blocks.

5. Plenty of good seats available

The Sharks announced 10,059 tickets sold for the game – the smallest crowd ever in the 17,562-seat facility that dates to 1994. 

Buffalo's attendance woes have been well-documented over the season's first month but the Sabres aren't alone in post-pandemic woes. Crowds in the three California cities have been weak during this trip, and long sellout streaks ended in October in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Nashville.

6. Next: A first-time trip

The Sabres headed for Seattle after the game and will have a CBA-mandated off day in the Emerald City on Wednesday. They play their first game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night in Climate Pledge Arena.

"I'm the first guy to say I was terrible today. It's not acceptable," Hagg said. "But we've got to learn from it and move on. And we have a new game here in two days. If we get four points out of this road trip,  it's great."

Granato said his sister, Hockey Hall of Famer and current Kraken scout Cammi Granato, has family commitments and will not be able to attend.

The next home game is Saturday night in KeyBank Center against Detroit.