Sabres Hatch Ugly Duckling

It was almost a fairy tale ending, but the Buffalo Sabres drop an ugly 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

After finding themselves down 1-0 in a fairly uneventful first period, the Sabres were outshot 19-6 and outscored 2-0 in the second. Down three, Buffalo was able to add two goals with the goalie pulled. Eventually, they gave up the game-clinching empty net goal late in the third period.

Jakob Silfverberg scored two of the first three goals for the Ducks, with Sam Carrick adding the other on the powerplay. As the extra attacker, Jordan Greenway tipped a Rasmus Dahlin shot past John Gibson on the powerplay. Not long after, Tage Thompson set up Kyle Okposo for the Sabres’ second goal of the night.

Adam Henrique sealed it with the empty net goal to make it two straight losses for the Sabres.

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Impact Players

Silfverberg scored two goals and was very noticeable for the Ducks. John Gibson was strong in net even through the late Sabres push.

The Sabres side was very different, although JJ Peterka had some legs on a night where most of his teammates looked like they were in quicksand. Peterka had some flash plays on the rush, creating shots and drawing a penalty for the club.

The Difference

The second period was the major turning point in the game, as the Ducks wielded the puck around the offensive zone with ease. The Sabres were caught flat-footed for most of the period, as Anaheim danced around and dazzled the home crowd.

Buffalo really only had one line going for most of the game, which happened to be the team’s fourth line. Zemgus Girgensons, Peyton Krebs, and Kyle Okposo were the only ones consistently playing on the plus-side of the ice and getting quality chances.

Needless to say, that can’t happen on a regular basis if you want to improve the offensive woes of late.

What’s Next

It’s a quick turnaround for the Sabres as they head about 30 miles north to face the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday. night. The Kings have struggled recently, going 2-4-4 in their last 10. It will be a good test to see how Buffalo responds to Tuesday’s disappointment.