Buffalo Sabres offense rediscovering its groove as defense stagnates

The Buffalo Sabres are coming off a frustrating loss in which they played well with the puck, but the defense couldn’t cut it.

What a deal-breaker for the Buffalo Sabres, who went down 3-0 within the game’s first 11 minutes, only to mount an epic comeback when Rasmus Dahlin answered at the 13:32 mark. Dahlin, who appeared to be injured earlier in the contest, showed off his toughness, first scoring a goal before snagging the helper on Peyton Krebs’ goal at the 10:53 mark of the second period to tie the game at three.

Earlier in the second, Zach Benson pulled off yet another unforgettable play when he scored off of a faceoff courtesy of Dylan Cozens. It was Benson’s second of the season, and if you have yet to see his latest highlight-reel moment, check it out below:

You can expect plenty more from Benson this season throughout his rookie year. And who knows what kind of player he will be come April 2024? Hey, we’ll find out in about four-and-a-half months.

Buffalo Sabres looked great offensively, struggled without the puck

You can’t feel worse for anyone other than Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who allowed six goals tonight on just 20 shots. Luukkonen, who ultimately won the starting goaltender job after the Blue and Gold sent Devon Levi to Rochester this week, didn’t have a lot of help defensively, but there were also a few he would have wanted back.

Overall, the Buffalo Sabres have got to get their act together consistently, instead of every other game or every few games. One night, it seems like they are good defensively, and bad with the puck.

Then, they may be bad in all facets of the game before they have an outing like the one they just lost. Next thing you know, they’re beating another elite team, and you’re left to wonder, “Where has this sensational group been?” 

(Statistics provided by NHL.com)