Skinner scores lone goal for Sabres in loss to Canadiens

Don Granato pointed to the opposing net-front as the area of focus for the Buffalo Sabres following a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens inside KeyBank Center on Monday.

The Sabres outshot the Canadiens 37-27 and finished with a 69-51 edge in shot attempts, byproducts of a game that was played largely in the Montreal zone.

“I thought their goaltender played real well tonight,” Granato said. “I would say that we didn’t get to the net with enough conviction, enough conviction and determination.”

The Sabres fell behind 2:56 into the contest when a blocked shot caromed to Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron, who buried a quick attempt from the right faceoff circle. It took less than five minutes before Buffalo responded in the form of a power-play goal from Jeff Skinner.

The shot from Skinner – sent to the near-side corner and in off the crossbar – was Buffalo’s third of the night. It was the only one that beat Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen, whose 36-save outing included 11 shots faced on the power play.

Instead, it was the Canadiens who pulled ahead when Brendan Gallagher crashed the Buffalo net and poked the puck in from underneath the glove of Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie early in the third period. Tanner Pearson added an insurance goal for Montreal on the power play with 3:07 remaining.

“You always try to get traffic, the other team’s always trying to not let you get traffic,” Skinner said. “So, they did a good job obviously, but we can do better.

“We can do better at creating chances inside, whether it’s slashing through and trying to find timing plays or whether it’s going to stand there and not moving. But yeah, we definitely need to get inside more. I think it’s too many shots from outside. But obviously [Allen] saved them, so credit to him.”

The loss concluded a four-game homestand for the Sabres. They opened the run with a strong defensive win over Tampa Bay but followed that game with a close loss to Calgary. Granato felt their most recent game, a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders, was the strongest example of their identity to date.

The Sabres coupled their commitment to defense with a net-front presence that resulted in an offensive breakthrough against the Islanders.  

“This team and this group will score,” Granato said. “Yeah, it’s frustrating tonight. You had numerous chances that they didn’t convert on. But I do think, as I said, when you’re struggling to score, go to the net more. Be willing to score maybe the ugly one, the grittier one. And that’s how you resolve it.

“I think that we will. We know we have goal scorers in here and guys that will make plays. I just think that’ll come as we get to the net with more conviction.”

Here are more notes from Monday’s game.

1. Comrie started for the second straight game and made 24 saves.

“He was very good again,” Granato said.

2. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen backed up Comrie and is expected to make his season debut in goal for the Sabres on Tuesday in Ottawa, Granato confirmed postgame.

Devon Levi is nursing a lower-body injury and did not participate in the Sabres’ morning skate on Monday. Granato said the team is being careful to let the injury fully resolve.

“We don’t expect it to be much longer and certainly not long-term,” Granato said. “But because it’s nagging, you don’t want to aggravate it. You want him to have enough rest so it heals completely.”

3. Pearson’s goal – which came with four seconds remaining on Montreal’s third power play of the night – snapped a run of 20 consecutive penalties killed by the Sabres, dating back to their season opener against the New York Rangers.

4. Rasmus Dahlin earned an assist on Skinner’s power-play goal to extend his point streak to five games. His six points lead the Sabres.

Up next

The Sabres visit the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 6:45 on MSG and WGR 550.