Loss shows the Buffalo Sabres are a different team than last year
By Sion Fawkes
Sometimes, you can find good news in a loss. And for the Buffalo Sabres, they kept it close against the Florida Panthers all afternoon.
On Saturday afternoon, the Buffalo Sabres, at times, looked like the same dreadful Sabres of the past. They weren’t taking shots early, they weren’t hitting, they were stuck in their defensive zone for an eternity, it felt, and at times, they skated around as though they were a team with no direction.
Last season, it cost them every time they played the Florida Panthers, and the Sabres barely made the affairs memorable. Today, when down 4-2 in the second, Rasmus Dahlin came up big for his second goal of the season, putting the Sabres within one point.
While a defensive struggle kept the Sabres from tying the game in the third, the 4-3 loss indicates, once more, that this is a different team than last year. I wasn’t expecting the Sabres to win this one, but I also wasn’t expecting them to lose by three-plus goals, either.
The Buffalo Sabres held their own against one of the NHL’s best
While the Sabres initially showed little physicality, it wasn’t long before their antics rivaled those of Florida’s newest star player, Matthew Tkachuk. The more Tkachuk tried to use intimidation tactics, the more aggressive the Sabres got, both in their play and in attacking the net.
And after the final horn, the Sabres may have lost on the scoreboard, but the drama wasn’t over just yet. Not for them, not for anyone. Most notably, new alternate captain Rasmus Dahlin found himself in and around just about every scrum when he saw ice time.
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This is a new Buffalo Sabres team, and it showed in Saturday’s loss versus the Panthers. A different team than the one that the Panthers outscored 22-11 in four meetings last season. I won’t get so bold and say they’ll steal one from Florida this year. But I can guarantee you that they you will see a group of young days (and a few seasoned vets) keeping things close.
Article Source: Postgame Report | Granato lauds Sabres’ response in loss to Panthers by Jourdon LaBarber