ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Buffalo Sabres are right back it on Saturday as they face the Minnesota Wild at 8 p.m. EST at Grand Casino Arena.
It’s a quick turnaround after Friday evening’s 5-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils, which saw Buffalo accumulate 42 shots but fail to beat goaltender Jake Allen. That was the second-most shots in a shutout defeat in franchise history, the record being 45 in February 2024.
Beyond shots, the Sabres’ offensive pressure included 17 high-danger scoring chances and 4.13 expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick.
“That first 40 minutes, we had opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net, and we missed those opportunities,” coach Lindy Ruff said postgame. “The opportunities we gave them on a couple of our poor plays, they took advantage of it.”
“You’re going to run into hot goalies sometimes,” added Tage Thompson, “but you’ve just got to find ways to get it in the net.”
Buffalo doesn’t have to wait long for another crack at a hot goalie, as the Wild, winners of seven straight, have two of them. Jesper Wallstedt is 6-0-0 with a .967 save percentage, a 1.14 goals-against average and three shutouts in November, while Filip Gustavsson is 5-1-1 with a .920, 2.09 and one shutout.
Wallstedt beat Colorado in a shootout Friday – it’s a back-to-back for Minnesota, too – so the Sabres will likely face Gustavsson as they look to get back in the win column.
“Fortunately for us,” Thompson said, “we’ve got another opportunity tomorrow to get another crack at a game here and put this one behind us.”
