Even coming off an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks, it has been nothing but good vibes for the Buffalo Sabres. Heading home for a nice little home stand, especially with two days off, had to feel good for the team.
That may have also been a contributing factor in the team looking a bit off for much of Wednesday’s game. The Sabres fought back a few times but ultimately fell short yet again in overtime, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Boston Bruins.
A Game of Weird Bounces
The Sabres were far from their best in this one. Several costly turnovers, particularly by Alex Tuch, wound up being their undoing. That being said, there were several very weird bounces that went against the Sabres and benefited the Bruins.
On the first goal, the puck squirted out of the corner directly to Fraser Minten, who found David Pastrnak open at the bottom of the circle. A fantastic poke check by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went right to Viktor Arvidsson, who put it past the sprawling netminder. And Casey Mittelstadt’s game-tying goal in the third came on a funky bounce on a missed shot.
It just felt like one of those games where all of the bounces were going Boston’s way. The Sabres certainly could have helped themselves in a number of ways, but some nights just don’t feel like they are meant to go your way.
Not Luukkonen’s Best Game
Luukkonen has had worse games but that felt like a series of goals that he could have had back. The first two could be blamed on other things but the final two Bruins goals feel like they fall on his shoulders.
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Sure, the Mittelstadt goal came from a missed shot that ricocheted behind the net and back out front, but Luukkonen took himself almost entirely out of the net in the process. If he holds his spot, the degree of difficulty is much higher for Mittelstadt.
On the overtime winner, Luukkonen had a second or two to square up as Pavel Zacha fired at him. The shot beat him five-hole and the game was over. That was a shot Luukkonen should have had, especially with where it went in. Just an off night in what has otherwise been a very good season.
Tage Thompson’s Emergence as a Playmaker
Make no mistake about it: Tage Thompson is a goalscorer. He has 36 of them and has a very real shot to tally 40 for the third time in his career. What has really stood out of late has been his ability to facilitate rather than finish.
Jason Zucker had a pair of goals, both assisted by nifty passes from Thompson. He has used the attention coming to him to make better use of his teammates as evidenced by his 38 assists, the second-most of his career.
Being able to facilitate and make better use of his teammates will only serve to make Thompson more dangerous. It will also make the Sabres more difficult to defend when he is on the ice, especially in the playoffs.
A Point is a Point
While it would have been nice to take sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, a point is still nice. The Sabres have not been playing their best hockey of late despite some above-board contributions and still manage to grab a point in the process.
Above all else, they have shown the consistent ability to fight from underneath this season. While it would be nice to dominate from bell to bell, the Sabres are finding ways to get back into games and earn points that previous versions of the team would have failed to capture.
