RALEIGH, N.C. – When Henri Jokiharju was in danger of losing the puck in front of his own net Saturday night, he flailed his stick to try to jar it away to fellow Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson.
Bryson missed the puck and Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck was there in the slot to fire a shot over the glove hand of goalie Malcolm Subban. It was the Hurricanes’ second goal in 24 seconds and the latest error by a young Sabres team that’s taking plenty of punches in coach Don Granato’s plan to teach them how to win in the National Hockey League.
Granato has pushed patience in his first full season as head coach, emphasizing the positive moments in difficult losses rather than focusing on all the mistakes committed by his young players.
There weren’t many positives to take from the Sabres’ 6-2 loss to the Hurricanes in PNC Arena. Any chance of a comeback ended in the third period with Teuvo Teravainen’s short-handed goal off a turnover at Buffalo’s offensive-zone blue line.
"We've got to look at ourselves in the mirror," said Sabres winger Victor Olofsson. "I think everyone in that locker room can do better. I know I can do better."
The Sabres (8-13-3) are winless in eight of their last nine games and have allowed five or more goals in eight of their last 11. They were outscored, 13-6, during this two-game road trip and have 20 goals against in the last three games. This loss occurred after Buffalo blew a three-goal lead Thursday in Florida and gave up five unanswered goals in a 7-4 defeat.
While fans expected this to be a developmental, transition season for a club that’s pushing core players into prominent roles, patience is a difficult sell with the 10-year playoff drought, and the Sabres have shown enough encouraging signs for some to wonder why they can’t become a surprise contender.
The club’s latest loss to Carolina (16-6-1) – the Sabres are winless in 11 straight against the Hurricanes, a streak of futility dating back to March 22, 2016 – is a reminder to temper expectations and that goaltending isn’t this club’s only issue.
Subban struggled in his Sabres debut, allowing six goals on 25 shots, before leaving with an injury in the third period. But his teammates mostly played poor around him. A league-worst 3.65 goals against per game entering Saturday was also the result of small mistakes that are debilitating against top teams.
The Hurricanes’ first strike was the latest defensive miscue for the Sabres, although some credit is due to center Sebastian Aho for a highlight-reel play. Defenseman Mark Pysyk pinned Aho against the end boards to dislodge the puck, only for Aho to make a perfect back-handed pass to the slot. With Rasmus Dahlin behind the goal line to support Pysyk and Cody Eakin late to the slot, Teravainen was open to make it 1-0.
Hurricanes winger Martin Necas collected a pass from Seth Jarvis near the blue line and had plenty of room to beat Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to the net. When Subban dropped to a butterfly to cover the short-side post, Necas circled around the net and tucked the puck past the outstretched paddle of Subban’s stick for a 2-0 Carolina lead at 13:59 into the game.
"There's no quit in the room," said Zemgus Girgensons. "We talked in the locker room, times like this, your mind can start blaming other teammates or something for not having success, but we're not going there. We're sticking with it. We believe in each other. ... This road trip was definitely a low."
Jokiharju cut the deficit to one goal with his shot off the left arm of Carolina defenseman Ian Cole only 32 seconds before the first intermission, but the Sabres played poorly for most of the next 20 minutes. Cole beat Subban with a slap shot off a faceoff win, Trocheck capitalized on the misplayed puck in the Sabres’ zone and Nino Niederreiter made it 5-1 when he got behind the defense before beating Subban five-hole.
These Sabres never relent, though. It’s one of the reasons why, despite the absence of proven superstar talent, this group inspires hope now and in the future. When Trocheck was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit to the head on Tage Thompson, Girgensons tipped a Bryson shot in to cut the deficit to 5-2 with 26 seconds left in the second period.
Then another familiar mistake occurred. Olofsson misfired a pass to Dahlin at the blue line on the power play, giving Sebastian Aho a breakaway that Subban stopped, but Teravainen was there to seal the Sabres’ fate. The issue isn't defensive-zone coverage. It's often managing the puck, as the forwards commit turnovers that feed the opposition's transition game. Talented teams capitalize, especially against Buffalo's struggling goaltenders.
"It’s much easier for me to push guys right now and demand of guys right now," said Granato. "I believe our guys have more confidence than they’ve had results. ... I think over the next little bit here is a big growing period for us, and I think we’ll see us better and better quicker here. We’ve got some really good components. It’s the consistency of the 60 minutes."
Here are other observations from the game Saturday night:
1. Bad injury news
The Sabres received a dose of good news when Thompson returned the game for the third period after his head hit the boards on a hit by Trocheck, but the club might have another predicament in goal after Subban left the game with what looked like a right leg injury with 10:03 remaining. Granato didn't have an update on Subban's status.
Dustin Tokarski is in Covid-19 protocol and Craig Anderson is out long-term with an injury. If Subban misses time, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would get the call to Buffalo.
2. No goal
It appeared that Olofsson tied the score 1-1 at 4:16 into the first period when Colin Miller’s pass to the slot went off Olofsson’s skate and in, but the call was overturned when video review showed the puck was kicked past goalie Antti Raanta.
3. Lineup changes
In addition to Subban’s debut, the Sabres scratched defenseman Robert Hagg, and forwards John Hayden and Mark Jankowski. Hagg, who entered Saturday tied for fourth in the NHL in blocked shots (52), is dealing with a nagging injury, said Granato. Anders Bjork drew into the lineup in place of Jankowski.
4. By the numbers
Dahlin skated a team-high 22:49 and finished with a minus-3 rating. ... Casey Mittelstadt had the most ice time of any Sabres forward (19:14) but lost 11 of 14 faceoffs. ... The Sabres finished with more shots (34-29) and shot attempts (59-47).
5. Next
The Sabres host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., followed by the New York Rangers on Friday and Washington Capitals on Saturday.
