Sabres unable to capitalize on chances in shutout loss

For one period on Friday night, the Buffalo Sabres delivered exactly the type of response that Phil Housley was looking for. Coming off a loss to Arizona in which their effort was deemed unacceptable by the coach and his players alike, the Sabres came out and dominated the Montreal Canadiens for most of the first period.
The one thing the Sabres were unable to do in that period - in which they outshot the Canadiens, 11-6 - was score. Then the second came, and things changed. Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Canadiens off a defensive-zone draw early in the period, which would stand as the deciding goal in a 3-0 loss for the Sabres.

"We had the start we wanted," Housley said. "That's the response we were looking for. We came out and we played a really solid first period and just stuck with the game plan and got pucks to the net. … But then in the second period, we get away from it.
"That's the thing I've talked about in the past about handling success. We have good success, realize, recognize what we get, and then we totally get away from it, and then we're forcing pucks and turning pucks over. We have a little bit of cheat in our game, we're on the wrong side, and that's what happens."

The Sabres finished the night with a 35-24 advantage in the shot column. Antti Niemi earned the shutout for the Canadiens despite various grade-A chances for the Sabres, many of which ended up going wide of the net. Scott Wilson had Buffalo's first great chance, which rung off the post in the first period.
In the second, Wilson fed Sam Reinhart for a shot from point-blank range the hit Niemi's pad. On that same shift, Ryan O'Reilly deked his way behind the goaltender and had an open net, only to send the puck through the crease.
"I've done that move in practice hundreds of times," O'Reilly said. "I get in the game and when it matters, I don't do it. Just letting the guys down. It's an easy play. It's an open net, tap it in. Again, I get in my head and don't bury it. It's frustrating."
Buffalo's best chance of the night came in the third period, when they held a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:06. They managed just two shots on goal in that span.
"That was a perfect time for us," Housley said. "Lack of execution, lack of sticking with the game plan as far as what we're looking for five-on-three. Some guys like to pull things in their own hands and think that's going to work. Well, it hasn't."
The Sabres did have one great look during the two-man advantage, when O'Reilly once again found himself staring down an open net from point-blank range. Kyle Okposo hit him with a pass from the slot, but O'Reilly was unable to connect on his one-time attempt.
"We definitely beat ourselves tonight," O'Reilly said. "They didn't do anything special. We missed the chances, didn't handle the puck as good as we wanted to tonight. I think all the guys felt the same, it's almost embarrassing. We could've at lease made a game of it."
Linus Ullmark made 21 saves in the loss. Paul Bryon and Brendan Gallagher capped the scoring with empty-net goals for the Canadiens.
The Sabres have lost three-straight games, with just one goal to show for them. In spite of all the scoring chances and the strong start, Housley was left disappointed with the consistency from his team once again.
"It wasn't anything that Montreal did," Housley said. "It was what we didn't do once again. I think it's about time our leadership group stood up now. I challenged them yesterday. It definitely wasn't the response I was looking for."

Sabres recognize McDermott, Page

The Sabres honored Paralympic gold medalists Adam Page and Luke McDermott during a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game. Afterward, the two Western New York natives caught up with Dan Dunleavy to share their stories.

Up next

The Sabres begin a two-game road trip against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Pregame coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m., or you can listen to the game live on WGR 550. Puck drop is scheduled for 7.
The team returns home for another Atlantic Division matchup when they host the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center next Thursday.