3 serious issues plaguing the Buffalo Sabres after fifth-straight loss

After their loss to the Bruins on Saturday night, the Buffalo Sabres have some serious issues to work out before their next game. 

The Buffalo Sabres played yet another three periods of uninspiring hockey. Well, unless you count Tage Thompson’s shorthanded goal in which he stole the puck, faced a one-on-three, and somehow snuck it behind the net to find twine.

It was the highlight of yet another long night and a complete meltdown, as the Sabres were busy pitching a shutout over one of the NHL’s best teams, the Boston Bruins. But in all honesty, any rational fan of the Sabres should have seen this coming, given the issues we’re about to discuss below.

1 – Lack of puck control

I live about 45 minutes from an ECHL team’s home arena. And the Buffalo Sabres, for the greater part of the game, looked like that ECHL team.

How many passes went behind the blue line, forcing the Sabres to regroup? How many would-be one-timers did the Sabres have, only for forwards like Casey Mittelstadt to lose control of the puck?

And how many times did the Sabres log a takeaway, only to lose control of the puck seconds later? Until the Sabres revert back to Hockey 101 and figure out how to control the puck, this losing streak is not going to end.

2 – Lack of physicality

The Buffalo Sabres logged nine total hits tonight, and while the Bruins didn’t fare much better in the category, the lack of physicality has plagued the Blue and Gold all season. They did match the Tampa Bay Lightning well last weekend, but next to that, the Sabres have been stale.

Someone, preferably Ilya Lyubushkin or Rasmus Dahlin, needs to step up, get physical, and strike fear in an opponent. Make them think twice about driving the puck into the slot. Right now, it just isn’t happening.

3 – Poor shot selection

While I will give the Sabres some credit, as they did drive the puck toward the net more often tonight, they are still taking questionable shots when there are better options available closer to the pipes. Worse yet, when those shots are taken, few are even bothering to set up a screen.

There are still way too many shots coming from the blue line, which are translating into easy saves from opposing goaltenders. The Sabres still aren’t taking advantage of rebounds because they simply don’t have enough skaters crashing the net consistently.

Overall, it was yet another poor showing. And if you go back and read my most recent articles regarding crucial issues for the Sabres, you will notice a few common denominators throughout them. Another common denominator? The Sabres are still stuck in the L column.

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