The Buffalo Sabres took to the road and went up against the Florida Panthers Thursday night, October 15. Going into the game, hope is always present in the hearts of Buffalonians.
With the preseason firmly in the past and the regular season underway, there is still time for the Sabres to improve; although, their performance this evening left much to be desired.
The only other thing that had more issues than their skating and puck handling in the first period was the boards.
The first period was more than difficult to watch at times, and it could not come to an end soon enough. Ironically, the period ended earlier than anticipated after a hard check into the boards. The remaining 2:53 was continued after fixing the problem, not that the extra time fixed the Sabres’ overall performance in period one.
The first few minutes of the period, the Sabres appeared to be doing alright. There were plenty of times that the Buffalo Sabres were able to get a few shots on goal.
Evander Kane showed promise and was close to giving Buffalo its first goal, attempting to wrap around the back of the Panthers’ net. Tyler Ennis could have had a potential goal, but could not hold onto the pass. Sabres goalie, Chad Johnson, made a great save when the puck went behind him. He thought quickly and laid back on the puck to keep any Panthers from taking a wack at it.
However, within a few short minutes, the tables turned and the Sabres were playing catch-up with the puck. Any sense of teamwork and flow evaporated off the ice. The Panthers were able to knock the puck away and out of their zone time after time. Buffalo’s Weber and Gorges were sent to the penalty box within 25 seconds of one another, resulting in the Panthers’ two-man advantage. And they took advantage.
A goalie is only as good as his offense and, more often than not, Johnson was left out to dry. Panther and NHL veteran Jaromir Jagr gave Florida its first goal with practiced finesse.
The Sabres, unfortunately, did not take full advantage of the power play. There were plenty of times Ennis appeared to be playing all by himself. Time and time again, Ennis made multiple shots on goal from several different angles to no avail. The Panthers battled their way boldly up the center, breaking through with ease. Jagr scored for the second time that evening and proved to be a formidable opponent, even at the ripe age of 43.
Period two was a slight improvement from period one. Their feet finally started to move, and the team seemed more alive and aware. The period started with a Sabres power play, but once again the Panthers snuffed out out any and all opportunities.
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Luckily for Buffalo, the Panthers continued to receive penalties which allowed for the Sabres to seek out more opportunities from their power plays. Finally, almost eight minutes into the period during a one-man advantage, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe scored his first professional goal and Buffalo’s first goal of the evening. It appeared that Buffalo’s offense finally found its legs.
The final period had its fair share of power plays for both teams; however, the third period was by far the most physical.
Plenty of penalties were called, some of which were debatable or completely uncalled for. After such a call, which gave Florida a power play, Aleksander Barkov scored the third goal for the Panthers. What made Barkov’s goal aggravating was that it very well could have been avoided. All of the Sabres on the ice had their backs to the puck and did not bother to look over their shoulders.
A dangerous hit by Panther Vincent Trocheck on Ennis brought the physicality of the game to a new high.
The Buffalo Sabres were definitely not happy with the dirty hit; however, the Sabres had a one-man advantage. Unfortunately, a penalty against Jamie McGinn made an even power play with four on four. Another penalty against Florida provided the Sabres with a much needed opportunity.
With less than eight minutes left in the game and in the midst of a power play, Ennis scores his first of the season and Buffalo’s second goal of the night.
In a last-ditch attempt to score another goal, and with about two minutes remaining in the period, head coach Dan Bylsma pulled Johnson from the net. The Sabres fought tooth and claw through the final seconds of the game, finally syncing up to one another. The buzzer sounded and the 3-2 score remained in favor of the Panthers.
The only constant throughout each period was the Sabres’ ability to let power play opportunities pass by. If the Sabres fall into a rhythm with one another, then advantages can be taken, especially during power plays. It is more than evident after Thursday’s game that it is an area that needs some serious attention. Hopefully, the Sabres will learn from Thursday night’s loss and implement and execute proper strategies to avoid repetitions of the same problems.
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