The Buffalo Sabres returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in exciting fashion with four goals in the third period of Game 1 to win by a final score of 4-3. They were looking to keep that momentum going on Tuesday night at home and build a 2-0 lead in the series over the Boston Bruins.
However, that would not end up being the case as the Bruins would cruise to a 4-2 win in Game 2. The series is now tied at one and will head to Boston for Game 3 and Game 4.
The final score ended up being 4-2 but it was one that the Bruins really controlled from the second period on after a scoreless first period. In the second period, the Bruins would score first, and then a fluky goal about halfway through the period seemed to swing all momentum in Boston's favor, and the Sabres couldn't recover.
These are some initial takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres performance in Game 2 against the Bruins.
Bruins score first for the second straight game
One of the things the Buffalo Sabres have done pretty well this season has been getting that first goal. In their home games during the regular season, the Sabres would score first in 22 of them and had a 20-2-0 record.
As good as they are when they score first, it is a completely different story when the opposing team scores first. There were 19 home games where the opponents would open the scoring, and in those games, the Sabres are 6-8-5.
In this series, the Bruins have scored first in both games, and this is one of the reasons this series is tied at one. On Sunday night in Game 1, the Sabres were able to bounce back and steal the win, but couldn't regain the momentum in this one.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen crumbles after allowing inexcusable goal
For the first 30 minutes of this game, it seemed to follow a similar script to Game 1 as the Bruins would get the lead, but the Sabres never really seemed out of it. That all changed about midway through the second period on what should have been a routine play.
On the play, Morgan Geekie chipped the puck into the Sabres' zone from the red line as the Bruins were looking to make a change. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen seemed to misjudge the puck in the air and tried to glove it, but instead it bounced right in front of him and rolled past him for a goal.
From that point on, Luukkonen looked uncomfortable in the net and didn't seem confident as he allowed a power play goal about four minutes later. The Sabres stuck with him in the third period, but he allowed another goal about 30 seconds into the period, and that was the end of his night.
Luukkonen finished the game, stopping only 15 of 19 shots, and Lindy Ruff is going to have a decision of who to start in Game 3.
Buffalo Sabres power play continues to be abysmal
Through the first two games of this series, the Buffalo Sabres' power play has been nonexistent and is a big reason they find themselves in the position they do. After going 0-for-4 in Game 1, the Sabres followed it up with a 0-for-5 performance in Game 2.
The power play issues haven't been just in this series, though, and they have now gone nine straight games without a power play goal. During that stretch, they have had 31 power play opportunities but have not been able to generate much with the man advantage.
This is nothing new, and the Sabres should have made a change prior to Game 2 by getting Noah Ostlund back in the lineup. They may have been hesitant not to make changes after a win, but they have no excuse now and need to do something to try to fix this power play unit.
Buffalo Sabres continue to shoot from the perimeter without much threat in front of the net
Jeremy Swayman is a great goalie, but the Buffalo Sabres have made it a little too easy for him in this series. In both Game 1 and Game 2, the Sabres have taken way too many shots on the perimeter to begin these games.
It isn't until late in the third period that they are able to swing things in their favor and get some pucks past Swayman. The reason has been the Sabres have made sure to get bodies in front and push some of these rebounds past the Bruins' goalie.
On Tuesday night, Swayman faced 32 shots, and only seven of them were high-danger shots, a majority of those occurring in the third period. The Sabres need to make it a point in this series to get more high-danger chances early and not let Swayman settle in if they hope to get control of this series.
The Sabres have a day off on Wednesday before they play Game 3 on Thursday night in Boston.
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