The Buffalo Sabres are a resilient hockey team, and despite yet another loss to the Seattle Kraken, they didn’t quit tonight.
The Buffalo Sabres allowed two quick goals in the third period against a tough Seattle Kraken team, but during the final minute, two major things happened that show that the Blue and Gold just doesn’t give up: Dahlin’s hit on Tanev, and Alex Tuch’s goal with 21.4 seconds remaining.
When a team loses a game, we’re often met with the cliché, “Well, they fought hard.” It’s a phrase that has no meaning whatsoever, and really, if anything, another way to say, “They lost.” But tonight, the Sabres legitimately fought hard.
Their first two periods were a 180 from the previous night, where they looked as though they had cinderblocks in their skates. Especially during the first 20 minutes. Tonight, Tage Thompson ripped off an incredible assist and the ensuing goal from Alex Tuch put the Sabres up 1-0.
Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last, but this game was a deadlock heading into the third period. While the Sabres floundered during the first five minutes of the final frame, they got it together and created more than a few chances for themselves.
Buffalo Sabres literally fought hard in loss to Kraken
The approach I take is a realistic one. So if the Sabres ever get booed off the ice, I’m often the first to say they deserved it. But I’ll also give them credit when they play to win for an entire 60 minutes.
There is no such thing as “losing valiantly,” or “being a good loser,” but when you play with a sense of urgency well into the game’s final minute, that says a lot about the team’s character. The Sabres did that, and had just one more of their many chances found twine, we’d be in overtime at the moment.
Last night, my dejected self wrote a rant of an article given the team’s awful performance. Tonight, I can at least end things on a positive note, knowing that the Blue and Gold played a better game against a tougher opponent. They showed, once again, they can hang with the league’s more talented teams.
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