Loss to Tampa shows the Buffalo Sabres must learn how to hold onto leads
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres took the Tampa Bay Lightning into overtime, so that alone is an improvement, as they walked away with a point.
The Buffalo Sabres lost an absolute heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5 in overtime. The good news is that they picked up a point, and that is a big improvement as to this point (no pun intended), all 12 of their losses came in regulation.
Suppose just three of those 12 regulation losses were instead overtime losses. Instead of having 19 points on the season, the Sabres would have 22, and would also find themselves in the 20-plus point conversation.
But all young teams need to start somewhere. Now, they just need to figure out how to hold onto leads against elite teams.
Buffalo Sabres need to play smarter late in games
First off, the Sabres got the sticks going in this one, and they crashed the net often, which overwhelmed goaltender Brian Elliott. They also fought admirably after falling into a 2-0 hole early.
But when the Jeff Skinner scored at the 14:19 mark of the third period, they made the critical error of allowing a quick score just 16 seconds later. Instead of exercising that virtue of patience, the Sabres once again got reckless with the puck, falling into the trap of trying to rush things.
The Lightning took advantage by setting up a play late in the game that led to a Brandon Hagel goal, tying the contest at five. It seemed as though the Sabres, once they saw Tampa’s net was empty, were too eager to seal the deal, trying to steal the puck instead of defending the Lightning’s attack. And it cost them.
It was just a young team getting overly-anxious, and you can expect this group to learn from that mistake going forward. Had they focused more on their positioning during that final regulation goal, this game may have had a better outcome.
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Either way, it was still nice to see them snag a point, and at least walk away with more than they’ve walked away with in their first 12 losses of the season. Now, it’s time to focus on the Yzerman-built Detroit Red Wings, then the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
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