Chicago Blackhawks center Anton Frondell set an obvious, illegal pick on Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power in overtime, which created a vast pasture of open ice for Ryan Donato to score the winning goal and deepen the Sabres' recent woes.
Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff delivered a blunt response about the referees' decision to ignore what should have been an easy interference call.
"It's a penalty in any league. It's a call you've got to get. It's a call that has to be made," Ruff told reporters after Thursday's 3-2 loss. "Guy turns and sticks his ass out and dumps our guy. Make the call."
Although Ruff and the Sabres have a legitimate gripe, it doesn't eliminate the fact three lackluster periods put them in a position where losing to one of the NHL's worst teams was even possible.
Buffalo generated just 2.1 expected goals (via HockeyStats.com) against a Chicago squad that ranks 31st in goals allowed per game this season (4.11). It was another unacceptable offensive performance, a growing trend during the club's underwhelming 8-7-4 start.
"Getting the point is okay, but we've got to start winning games," Ruff said.
It's still early — the Sabres didn't find their groove until mid-December last year before going on one of the best runs in NHL history — but they simply haven't shown the type of consistently strong two-way play that made last season's success possible.
Buffalo, which has played better away from the KeyBank Center, was hoping a six-game road trip would help provide a spark. Thursday's stop in Chicago wasn't a promising start to the journey.
Pressure is starting to build on Ruff and his staff to figure out some solutions because there's little chance of the Blue and Gold keeping pace in the highly competitive Eastern Conference if they perform at their current level for the next five months.
As the coaches go back to the drawing board, let's dive into a fresh edition of our Sabres player grades series after another mediocre showing.
Buffalo Sabres let a point slip away against the Chicago Blackhawks
Sabres Player Grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Owen Power | 8.5 |
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Josh Norris | 7.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 7 |
Jack Quinn | 7 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 7 |
Ryan McLeod | 6.5 |
Alex Lyon | 6.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 6 |
Conor Timmins | 6 |
Josh Doan | 5.5 |
Jiri Kulich | 5.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 5 |
Zach Benson | 5 |
Olen Zellweger | 5 |
Tyson Kozak | 4.5 |
Louis Crevier | 4.5 |
Jason Zucker | 4 |
Noah Ostlund | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Owen Power
Power had cooled off a bit after his red-hot start to the campaign, including no points and a minus-five rating over the previous two games. So, it was a good sign for the Sabres to see him bounce back with a strong performance against the Hawks.
It came as Ruff juggled the defense pairs, with Conor Timmins moving up to play alongside Power and Olen Zellweger sliding down to the third pairing with Louis Crevier. It provided a little more puck-moving balance throughout the group.
Power has always been more effective offensively when playing with a defensive-minded partner like Timmins compared to a puck-mover like Zellweger or Bowen Byram, who remains sidelined for Chicago after the blockbuster offseason trade.
The Sabres will hope it's an outing the 6-foot-6 blueliner can build on for the rest of the trip.
Sabres Quick Hits
- Alex Lyon played pretty well in his first start of the season, highlighted by some key saves in the third period to ensure Buffalo salvaged at least one point. It'll be interesting to see if Ruff sticks with him for a bit to see if the veteran goaltender can provide a spark.
- Josh Norris has played better over the past few games.
- Rasmus Dahlin still isn't performing at anywhere near a Norris Trophy level.
- Two more points for Jack Quinn, who's now on a point-per-game pace (19 in 19).
- A rare off night for Noah Ostlund.
- The Sabres are back in action Saturday night (8 p.m. ET) when they visit the American Airlines Center for a clash with the Dallas Stars (10-6-2).
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