Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff doesn't believe his team received a fair shake from the referees, Garrett Rank and Jake Brenk, in Monday night's 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Specifically, Ruff wasn't happy the officials made calls to give the homestanding Flames a two-man advantage in the first period, which they capitalized on courtesy of a Rasmus Andersson goal, but then passed on a similar opportunity for the Sabres later in the contest.
"I thought there was some terrible crap out there," Ruff told reporters. "Non-calls. They got the calls to go 5-on-3, and [the officials] could've made calls on them the same way and didn't get them. We just claw our way back into the game, and they hook our player down behind the net, and there's no call — on a pivotal play when we were carrying momentum. That can't dictate a game."
Buffalo actually finished with more power-play opportunities (six) than Calgary (five) in the high-scoring contest, but the Sabres coach was clearly more displeased with the sequencing of the calls than the total number. Both sides scored two PP goals.
Buffalo Sabres penalty kill has a rare off night in latest setback vs. Calgary Flames
The Sabres' penalty kill has been one of the few consistent bright spots during the team's roller-coaster start to the 2025-26 season. Buffalo entered the night ranked first in the NHL on the PK, but it dipped to third at 85.5% after Calgary converted two of its five chances.
Most of the unit's success can be traced to the unexpected resurgence of Mattias Samuelsson, whose two-way production has been another bright spot for the Blue and Gold, and fellow defensemen Conor Timmins, who's been a clear upgrade over Connor Clifton in the penalty-killing role.
The Flames flipped the script, however, as their struggling power play (29th in the NHL at 15%) came to life to provide a massive boost.
Along with Andersson's tally in the opening period, Jonathan Huberdeau lit the lamp with the man advantage in the second frame.
The penalty kill's ineffectiveness on Monday marked the latest frustrating turn for a Sabres group that can't seem to bring its entire game together at the same time.
Early in the campaign, Alex Lyon gave Buffalo some terrific play between the pipes but the offense went dormant amid a stretch of key injuries.
Then, just as the Sabres began to find some offensive rhythm, the goaltending started to falter as Ruff attempted to juggle a three-goalie rotation.
Buffalo just hasn't been able to put all of the elements together at the same time, which is why they sit in the Eastern Conference basement. It's going to take a sustained stretch of vastly improved play to climb the standings as they sit eight points out of a playoff spot.
While it's not impossible since the Sabres' roster is more talented now that most of the injured players have returned, it's still an extreme long shot based on what the club has shown so far this season.
Ultimately, Buffalo's defensive issues against the Flames meant they probably deserved to lose the game, regardless of the officiating. It's hard to blame Ruff for venting his frustration as the team's season spirals out of control., though.
The Sabres are running out of time to turn things around as they prepare to battle the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in the fourth stop on their six-game road trip.