If you did not know by now, yesterday was all you needed to see. The Buffalo Sabres find new ways to kick us while we are down, and last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers was just confirming that the Sabres are cursed.
For the longest time last night, it looked like Buffalo was going to end their 17-game winless streak. The Sabres played their best first two periods in over a month, jumping out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the second period. Goals from Henri Jokiharju, Cody Eakin, and Brandon Montour gave Buffalo a lead that looked good enough for a win.
But then the third period started. It only took until the 1:50 mark of the third for the Flyers to get on the board. Philly continued to push the pace and keep the pressure at a maximum throughout the third period. At the 10:51 mark of the third, the Flyers cut the Sabres lead to just one goal.
At this point, everyone’s palms were getting sweaty, and the bad thoughts started to circulate in everyone’s mind. It seemed like a 3-0 lead going into the third was impossible to give away, especially for a team that is as desperate as this one. Well, that’s where we were all wrong.
Once the Flyers pulled their goalie and the Sabres missed a golden opportunity to net an empty-net goal to secure the win, it was obvious what would happen next. On their next trip down the ice, Sean Couturier netted the Flyers’ game-tying goal with just 1:29 left in the game, and any hope at a regulation win was gone.
Entering overtime, the Flyers had all the momentum. I am sure that every single Sabres fan watching the game knew exactly how it would end, and it did not take long for us to be proven right. Just 42 seconds into overtime, Philadelphia netted the game-winning goal, coming all the way back from being down 3-0 at the beginning of the third period.
It is impressive that a team could reach a new low given they have been dreadful all season. But at the same time, this result yesterday should not come as much of a surprise to anyone. The winless streak is now up to 18, the NHL record for a winless streak is 30. Will the Sabres break that record? I honestly cannot confidently say no.