The Buffalo Sabres' effort in the third period of Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to the lowly Calgary Flames is why it's hard to believe this roster can break the team's 14-year playoff drought. The complete level goes missing far too often.
Calgary scored four unanswered goals in the final frame to pull away from a Buffalo squad that looked like it may be turning a corner after winning its previous two games. Instead, the Blue and Gold laid an egg against the team sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings.
"We had the opportunity in that first 10 minutes really to just try to outwork the other team; we got outworked, it's as simple as that," head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. "I think our guys, some of the guys, wanted it easy. It wasn't going to be easy tonight."
Ruff added: "I don't think we respected them enough."
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson pointed to the hardworking nature of the Flames' goals to illustrate the difference in the contest.
"They had a breakaway, but the other goals were gritty ones around the net," Samuelsson said. "I think that's a pretty good indication of our game versus their game."
Until Buffalo can eliminate those type of completely noncompetitive performances, trying to climb the Eastern Conference back into the playoff picture will likely prove impossible.
Let's hop into the latest installment of our Sabres player grades series.
Mattias Samuelsson continues strong season as Buffalo Sabres teammates falter in Nov. 19 loss to the Calgary Flames
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Mattias Samuelsson | 8 |
Tage Thompson | 7 |
Beck Malenstyn | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 6 |
Noah Ostlund | 5.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 5.5 |
Josh Dunne | 5 |
Alex Tuch | 5 |
Josh Doan | 4.5 |
Owen Power | 4.5 |
Conor Timmins | 4 |
Jack Quinn | 3 |
Bowen Byram | 3 |
Jacob Bryson | 2.5 |
Jordan Greenway | 2.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 2 |
Colten Ellis | 2 |
Isak Rosen | 1.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Mattias Samuelsson
Samuelsson has been a pleasant surprise for the Sabres. He entered the season facing a lot of criticism after last season's struggles, but he's bounced back in a major way to re-establish himself as a highly dependable defender in his own zone.
His offensive contributions were totally unexpected, though. He scored his fourth goal of the campaign in Wednesday's clash with the Flames, which already matches his career-high total for an entire season, and his 10 points rank fifth on the team.
Samuelsson being that high on Buffalo's scoring list as the season nears the quarter mark is a troublesome sign for the club's offense. It should be receiving some reinforcements as players return from injury in the near future, but there's a lot of work to do in the attacking zone.
Meanwhile, the veteran defenseman is proving general manager Kevyn Adams was right to push aside talk of a potential buyout during the offseason with his consistently strong play.
Sabres quick hits
- It's fair to say Tage Thompson is back in form after another strong play-driving performance, but the lack of offensive talent around him has been an issue.
- Colten Ellis had his first poor outing with the Sabres, often finding himself out of position as the Flames crowded the net front.
- Josh Doan has slowed down a bit after a red-hot start to the campaign.
- Giving Jordan Greenway a two-year, $8 million contract extension before the end of last season remains a perplexing decision by Adams.
- The Sabres (7-9-4) will attempt to bounce back Friday night when they welcome the Chicago Blackhawks (10-5-4) to the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.