In what was easily their most important game of the season, the Buffalo Sabres had very little to show against the Detroit Red Wings as they were defeated by a score of 3-1. The first period was an absolute disaster as they collapsed in every sense of the word, the second period was mostly just a bit of a back-and-forth between the two teams, and the third was just a further display of disappointment. Despite an attempted comeback late in the third, the only goal they could muster was from the first period, and things never got better from there.
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Sabres’ First-Period Woes Continue
It’s not a first period if the Sabres aren’t losing by at least two goals. They were lax defensively, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looked fairly average as they were down 3-0 in the first ten minutes of the game. It took multiple power-play opportunities, and a great play from Zach Benson to feed Tage Thompson for their only goal of the period, but that was the only real good offensive chance they could muster. The fire in this team was not completely dead despite the score, as there was some physical pushback from Bowen Byram and Dylan Cozens. Both ended up with fighting majors, but both fights were also fairly uneventful.
All in all, the Sabres had very little to show in regards to effort and general hockey awareness. They allowed Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, and Lucas Raymond to run all over them as the top three Red Wings players scored their goals in absolutely spectacular fashion. Larkin was left alone in the slot on a power-play, Kane split the defense for a highlight reel goal, and Raymond had an absolute snipe to beat Luukkonen. By the end of the first, things were not looking good.
Second Period Chances Were Not Enough
The Sabres came out swinging in the second period as they were throwing shots on net and pressuring the Red Wings goalie fairly well. They played pretty well defensively in the first half of the second as they did not allow Detroit a single shot attempt for the first nine minutes. Once the second half of the period came around, the Red Wings turned it on and started getting even better chances than the Sabres were. Despite trading chances back and forth, neither team was able to muster up another goal, and they progressed into the third period.
As a whole, the Sabres looked a little better in the second, but it wasn’t enough to bring them back to where they needed to be. If they really wanted to push back and make a difference in this game, the time to tie it up was in the second. They failed to do so, and they weren’t able to properly recover. On top of that, there was an injury to Jacob Bryson that handicapped them by a man going into the third period.
Sabres Third Period Push Falls Flat… As Always
The Sabres made a decent attempt to create some sort of offense at the start of the third period, but they were unable to break through the Red Wings’ defense, and the apparent stone wall that was Alex Lyon. Once again, the Sabres made a point to make an opposing goaltender look spectacular by having only menial chances, and average effort throughout. Poor passing and clustered players made for a frustrating sight, and it made defending for the Red Wings fairly simple.
The Red Wings continued their push late in the third, and they locked down their win definitively. They pressured the Sabres well in their own end, and made the most of their chances. If it weren’t for Luukkonen playing as well as he did, the Sabres would have lost by a score of 7-1 easily. Nights like this one are likely the reason that the Sabres recently made Luukkonen their Bill Masterton Trophy nominee. Unlike their fighting spirit in 2022-23, the 2023-24 Sabres had nothing left in the tank to make a comeback despite their season being on the line.
Bad Systems Lose the Sabres Their Season
Sabres coach Don Granato had no response, and no adaptation to throw at the opposition, and it made his team look exceedingly flat. Despite having only a 1.7% chance to make the playoffs before this game started, losing to the Red Wings today essentially seals their fate of missing them for the 13th straight season. Poor coaching decisions, a predictable power-play strategy, and some questionable lineup choices have defined the Sabres season, and they were all on display once again.
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The Sabres do still have a few games left to play, but they will not end up meaning much at all. Even if they win out the rest of the season (which is unlikely considering how strong some of their opponents are) they have a near zero chance of sneaking into the postseason. All they can do now is look to use the rest of the season to improve on the systems that clearly do not work. If they do not make a coaching change and do not change any core mechanics of how this team plays next season, they will be doomed to miss again in 2024-25. It has been a tough road all season long, and watching them fail in yet another huge game is even tougher. Sadly, there is not much more to expect from this underachieving team.