The previously red-hot Buffalo Sabres, who skyrocketed up the NHL standings by winning 20 out of 24 games, suddenly cooled off right before the Olympic break. Their loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night marked their third defeat in the past four contests.
One significant problem has emerged: defensive depth. Michael Kesselring was on the ice for three of the Penguins' four even-strength goals. Jacob Bryson was out there for two before getting essentially stapled to the bench (4:19 in total ice time).
"That pair had a tough night. That was part of it," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. "We didn't make [Pittsburgh] pay for some of their mistakes, but they made us pay on the big mistakes we made."
Ruff also delivered a postgame warning to the Buffalo locker room.
"I talked to the team after the game about this how incredibly tight it's gonna be," he said. "You really can't have games like we had. We weren't sharp."
The Sabres have mostly received strong production from their stars, which continued against the Pens with a goal by Tage Thompson, but the bottom of the lineup has struggled mightily in recent weeks.
We previously discussed the borderline unplayable numbers being put up by the club's fourth forward line, but the third defensive pair has been a worrisome issue, too.
Kesselring has battled injuries dating all the way back to training camp and he's never looked like the potential breakout star he emerged as last season with the Utah Mammoth. Conor Timmins, who really boosted Buffalo's penalty kill early in the campaign, is also sidelined by injury.
It's led to significant roles for Zach Metsa and Jacob Bryson, neither of whom who've been overly impressive in their minutes. That's caused Ruff to become heavily dependent on the top-four group of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram.
Although that quartet has mostly taken care of business, which helped lead the Sabres' surge, they showed signs of fatigue as the Olympic break drew closer. That's almost unavoidable when they're all being asked to play around 25 minutes per game or more.
So, there will be pressure on Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to find more effective depth before the trade deadline on March 6. He rightfully hasn't wanted to tinker with success since taking over in mid-December, but it's now clear the roster has some holes.
The Sabres have their first playoff appearance since 2011 within reach. They can't allow it to slip away because of inaction by the front office. Kekalainen needs to get aggressive after the NHL's roster freeze is lifted at day's end on Feb. 22.
For now, let's dive into the final pre-Olympics edition of our Sabres player grades series following a lackluster loss to the Pittsburgh.
NHL's three-week break comes at a perfect time for the Buffalo Sabres based on their Feb. 5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Ryan McLeod | 7.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 7.5 |
Jack Quinn | 7 |
Jason Zucker | 7 |
Bowen Byram | 6.5 |
Alex Tuch | 6 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 5.5 |
Noah Ostlund | 5 |
Owen Power | 4.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 4.5 |
Josh Doan | 4 |
Konsta Helenius | 3.5 |
Alex Lyon | 3 |
Tyson Kozak | 2.5 |
Isak Rosen | 2.5 |
Michael Kesselring | 2 |
Jacob Bryson | 1 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson
It was far from a perfect performance from Thompson, who finished the night with a minus-three rating, but he was the only Sabres player able to consistently generate scoring chances against a Penguins team that successfully clogged the neutral zone.
The 28-year-old Arizona native was able to score an impressive sharp-angle goal early in the third period, which brought Buffalo back within one at 3-2, but the Blue and Gold were couldn't find an equalizer before Pittsburgh pulled away late.
Thompson lighting the lamp allows him to head for Italy, where he'll play from Team USA in the 2026 Winter Games, on a high note. He's recorded 59 points (30 goals and 29 assists) across 57 appearances, which puts him on pace for a 43-goal campaign.
Sabres quick hits
- Jack Quinn is riding a three-game point streak and has 15 points in his last 15 outings.
- Buffalo's trio of standout rookies — Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius and Isak Rosen — have gone quiet during the club's recent downturn.
- Bryson's play on the Penguins first goal, which saw him react at a snail's pace after the puck was chipped past him in the neutral zone, was about as poor as you'll see from an NHL defenseman.
- Alex Lyon has stolen numerous points for the Sabres this season, but he wasn't able to do that against a Pittsburgh squad playing great hockey right now.
- Buffalo (32-19-6) is now off until Feb. 25 when it'll visit the Prudential Center for a battle with the New Jersey Devils (28-27-2).