Buffalo Sabres won in nearly everything except the most important stat
The Buffalo Sabres played in almost as good of a game as their fans could have asked for. Except they couldn’t find the back of the net.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more frustrating than losing a hockey game, knowing your team did just about everything right. The Buffalo Sabres logged 33 hots on goal, won 60.3% of their faceoffs, converted a power play goal (1 for 3 on the night), and seemed to hold onto the puck in the offensive zone for an eternity.
Overall, they outplayed the Arizona Coyotes tonight, except when it came to the game’s most important statistic: Scoring goals. The Sabres got way too reactive tonight, thinking they could shoot and score from the outside, even if Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka saved everything Buffalo threw at him.
The Buffalo Sabres failed to be proactive in this one
Instead of making adjustments and attacking the net, the Sabres kept trying to shoot from the outside. And while I’ll concede the Coyotes gave them little room in the slot and near the crease, the Sabres also didn’t bother to make room for themselves in most of the contest.
Lack of physicality has plagued the Sabres all season, and it showed in tonight’s loss to the Coyotes. Had their scorers played a more physical game and forced themselves deep into the slot and near the net, this contest may have had a different outcome.
And if Buffalo thinks they can get away with playing this kind of game with Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights coming to town, they need to think again. Vegas, currently riding an eight-game winning streak, will make quick work of the Sabres unless something changes within the next 48 hours.
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Overall, it wasn’t necessarily a bad performance for Buffalo. But their inability to adjust in the offensive zone cost them this contest. Hopefully, they look back at this 3-1 meltdown as a learning experience, get more physical, and convert more shots into goals.
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