Jets open home stand with loss to Buffalo

WINNIPEG - It was another frustrating night of the Winnipeg Jets holding edge in a number of spots on the score sheet - except for one, the final score.
The Jets opened a three-game home stand with a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, who snapped a seven-game winless skid with the victory.
The five-on-five high-danger chances (14-9) and expected goals (2.82-1.91) were heavily in the Jets favour (according to Natural Stat Trick), but despite that, it was Buffalo that left Canada Life Centre victorious.
It all came down to one thing, according to Paul Maurice.
"We got to the right pace. We just didn't maintain it or stay in it," said the Jets head coach. "We didn't do enough hard things well."

Pierre-Luc Dubois had his seventh multi-point game of the season thanks to a goal and an assist, as the Jets fell to 13-10-5 on the season. Nikolaj Ehlers had the other goal for the home side.

Both teams were rested, as the Jets hadn't played since a shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, while the Sabres last played on Saturday.
"They have young players who are good and can make plays," said Nate Schmidt. "It's the National Hockey League, every team can beat every team. Whether we're coming off a road trip or not, we have to come back home and be better than we were tonight. Myself included."
Rasmus Dahlin opened the scoring for Buffalo on the first power play of the game, as he narrowly avoided a Kyle Connor stick check at the offensive blue line then cut to the middle and wired home his fourth of the season. After the Jets penalty kill was a perfect seven-for-seven on the two-game road trip, they gave up the first goal of the contest 7:14 into the hockey game.
The Jets tied it under three minutes later, as Josh Morrissey intercepted a breakout pass and quickly sent the puck to Pierre-Luc Dubois in front of the Buffalo net. Dubois went skate-to-stick and smacked his 14th of the season into the back of the net, low blocker on Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen.
"We were making some plays early and we were doing a pretty good job getting through the neutral zone," said Schmidt. "Our speed slowed down a lot in the second period and they came with a lot more."
The Sabres took a 2-1 lead in the second when Anders Bjork found some space behind the Jets defence and capitalized on a pass from Vinnie Hinostroza with 8:30 left in the middle frame.
"Just attention to detail," said Maurice. "We were straight-legged, waiting to get the puck back. That's all."

Once again, the Jets responded quickly. Dubois was a factor again, as he held off a check from a Sabres defender along with left wing boards before finding Nikolaj Ehlers in the circle for a one-timer. The puck squeaked through Luukkonen and in for Ehlers' 11th of the season and a 2-2 tie. The equalizer came 66 seconds after Buffalo took the lead.
Despite Winnipeg holding an 11-2 edge in high-danger chances at five-on-five, it would be the Sabres with a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes thanks to Dahlin's second of the game, a slap shot from the point, with 38 seconds left. The goal also gave the 2018 first overall pick his first multi-goal game in his NHL career.
Jeff Skinner made it 4-2 in the third period with his ninth of the season as he finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Victor Olofsson to round out the scoring.
Winnipeg outshot the Sabres 9-8 in the final period, but couldn't capitalize on an early power play (and finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage overall), and weren't able to beat Luukkonen to build some momentum.
"We were trying to make plays that sometimes weren't there. We were getting antsy to make a play, try to do something, help somebody else out," said Schmidt. "We were close a lot of times, chances to get the third and fourth ones - especially in the third. You give up the fourth one, you start chasing."
This loss will sit with the Jets the rest of the night, but Schmidt knows the best way out of it.
"A huge win on a Friday night against a really good team, I think that usually pulls guys out and, thankfully, we have one of those," said Schmidt. "(We have) a Friday night game at home against a really good team coming up, and I think that's what gets guys amped up and ready to rock and get things moving in the right direction."