Thompson said the Sabres entered the game Sunday with the mindset to play a hard, direct game and focus on putting the puck low in the offensive zone to wear down the Red Wings defense. They did so on the opening shift, resulting in a scoring chance for Tuch from the slot.
It only took a couple of deviations from that game plan for the Red Wings to build their lead. Lucas Raymond intercepted a crossing pass in the neutral zone and buried a wrist shot to put the Red Wings on the board 53 second into the contest. A second neutral-zone turnover – this time a pass sent in Zach Benson’s direction while Benson was heading to the bench to change – paved the way for a Patrick Kane goal less than four minutes later.
Raymond later delivered a one-touch pass to set up a Dylan Larkin one-timer on Detroit’s first power play, and suddenly the Sabres were in a 3-0 hole.
“Just trying to make too many cute plays,” Thompson said. “We came in, we talked about (how) we wanted to play a direct, hard game, make their D turn around and go get the puck. I thought when we did that, that’s when we had our O-zone (time).
“I thought when they got their offense it was us trying to force stuff through the middle in the neutral zone and them turning around the other way, going in on an odd-man rush. So, self-inflicted wounds killed us tonight.”
Thompson scored a power-play goal to put the Sabres on the board before the end of the first period. They controlled much of the play from there, finishing with lopsided advantages in shots (38-24) and shot attempts (82-49). The line of Thompson, Tuch, and JJ Peterka alone combined for 12 shots and 28 attempts.
“You see games like that where pucks just bounce in for you,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “We put the pucks to the net, obviously. There were lots of pucks that I don’t think the goaltender saw that hit him. You’ve got to just keep putting pucks to the net like we did. (We) had some good chances.”
Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon made 37 saves, including a pad stop on a rebound attempt by Tuch with 1:16 to go while the Sabres had goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen pulled for an extra attacker.
“I really just think we were missing those second-chance opportunities,” Tuch said. “At the end there, 6-on-5, I buried one into his pad with some room there on the far side. Just things like that. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”
Here’s more from the game in Detroit.
1. Sabres defensemen Jacob Bryson and Owen Power both left the game with injuries. Bryson was hit in the face with a stick late in the second period and did not return. Power was hit in the face by a David Perron shot and missed the final 6:08 of the contest.
“Both will be evaluated and both in OK shape, I guess, right now,” Granato said. “But as far as the extent of things, we’ll know more tomorrow."
