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Buffalo Sabres again no-show in the third period in loss to Devils

By Sion Fawkes

Oct 27, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (72) plays the puck during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 27, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (72) plays the puck during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buffalo Sabres came to New Jersey, they saw for 40 minutes, and they no-showed for the final 20 minutes in a 5-4 loss to the Devils. 

The Buffalo Sabres played a solid 40 minutes of hockey before they once again no-showed in the third period. Sure, you can argue all you want on how badly the officials missed what should have been a delay of game call on the New Jersey Devils before they called one on the Sabres shortly after, but it still doesn’t justify 20 poor minutes of hockey in the third frame.

The Blue and Gold’s offense, which looked as though it found its footing in a win over the Ottawa Senators, tanked in the third period. And at the time of this writing, they were credited with just four shots on goal in the final 20. They allowed too many rushes in the third, displayed poor puck control, and overall, were lucky to have only lost by one goal, as Jersey had several good looks.

Buffalo Sabres need to figure out how to play 60 minutes of hockey by Sunday

The Sabres (3-5-0) get to face one of the NHL’s best teams in the Colorado Avalanche this Sunday, and they won’t beat the Avs by playing between 20 and 40 minutes of solid hockey. If that occurs, don’t expect the Blue and Gold to lose by one measly goal – they will get embarrassed on their home ice.

They also won’t have 48 hours to figure out how to play a full 60-minute game since Sunday’s contest is their first weekend matinee of the season. And to make matters worse, Buffalo could be down two of their three goaltenders, meaning Devin Cooley and his cool new “Buffaslug” helmet may be making an appearance on the Sabres bench.

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But given the way Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen reverted back into his February-to-April 2023 version, Cooley may get a chance to play a game or two if Devon Levi and Eric Comrie end up missing the ensuing games next week. Let’s hope the Buffalo Sabres learn from their persistent mistake of failing to play a full 60 minutes within the next 39 hours, or they will drop to three games below 0.500.

(Statistics provided by NHL.com)

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