WINNIPEG – Alex Tuch was still catching his breath postgame inside the visiting dressing room at Canada Life Centre. The Buffalo Sabres’ tenacious attempt at a comeback had fallen short in a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but it offered a blueprint of how to move forward.
“I think tonight we had a lot more conviction than we had in past games this year,” Tuch said.
The Sabres outshot the Jets 12-6 during the third period and cut their deficit in half on a breakaway goal from JJ Peterka. They pushed until the final minute, when Jets goaltender Conner Hellebuyck put the finishing touches on a 26-save performance amid a desperate net-front scramble.
Buffalo finished with a 28-18 advantage in shots but was outscored 3-1 by Winnipeg during the second period, beginning with a pair of goals scored 2:11 apart by Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton.
Tuch responded for the Sabres just 33 seconds after Appleton’s goal, but the Jets restored their lead when Nikolaj Ehlers – seconds after a Winnipeg power play had expired – kept the puck in at the offensive blue line and lofted a quick shot that saw its way into the far-side corner.
Trailing by two entering the second intermission, coach Don Granato emphasized the need to compete.
“The third period I will say was, for me, the culmination of everything to this point of the year,” Granato said. “Our guys finally decided to wake up and compete harder instead of waiting. And they turned it.
“Obviously, I had a message for them that was unlike the normal message you would get after a period. I like the way they responded. But it’s not what I say. They know. There’s guys in that room that know they need more, they can do more. It is all about elevate and compete.”
