Sabres get shutout by the Flyers on back-to-back days
Another day, another disappointing performance from the Buffalo Sabres. For the second day in a row, they were shutout by the Philadelphia Flyers by the score of 3-0. After these two losses in as many days, I think it is safe to say that the panic button has undoubtedly been pushed in Buffalo.
Jack Eichel returned to the lineup after missing two games due to a lower-body injury. Eichel’s return provided some hope that the Sabres may muster up some more offense than what we saw on Saturday. But that hope was all for not, as Buffalo could not get anything going offensively.
Buffalo got outshot 38 to 28 yesterday. Only having 28 shots on Carter Hart is hugely underwhelming. Hart was allowing 3.68 goals per game and had a save percentage of .891 going into this game. But like so many times before, the Sabres made this backup goalie look like an all-star.
Jonas Johansson started his first game of the season yesterday and did not look too bad as Buffalo’s starting goaltender. He stopped 35 of 38 shots, which amounts to a .921 save percentage. Compared to what the Sabres have been getting from Carter Hutton, this was a decent performance from Johansson. I hope that he will get plenty of more opportunities to start in net while Linus Ullmark is out.
Buffalo is currently last in the East Division with 15 points and a record of 6-10-3. They are also tied for the least amount of points in the league with the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres sit 10 points behind the fourth seed in the east, which is where they have to be to get a playoff birth this season.
Barring a massive turnaround, we are quickly watching the Sabres fall out of the playoff race once again. It is a sight that Buffalo fans know all too well. The next chance the Sabres have to right the ship a little is on Tuesday night in New York against the Rangers.