It seems like there's always weirdness in the air when the San Jose Sharks are in town. Thursday was no exception.
There was a snowstorm outside, thus meaning there were only about 3,000 fans inside – even fewer than normal. There were too many guys missing from the lineup due to Covid-19. The result was a 3-2 defeat that saw Buffalo nearly rally the distance from a 3-0 hole after one period.
Observations: Sabres can't overcome slow start without key players, fall to Sharks
The first period was a disappointing effort from this club, short roster or not. Bad puck decisions all over the place and no offensive jam against a San Jose team that had given up 14 goals in its previous two games. A 22-shot third period and a near-miss on a tying goal in the final seconds by Tage Thompson was obviously better, but it was borne out of desperation and the deficit, and the Sharks settling in to protect their lead.
In the end, the Sabres had a 39-21 advantage in shots on goal -- including 31-10 over the final 40 minutes.
"Everyone's gonna feel it. When when you play like we did in the first, it doesn't feel good," said Jeff Skinner. "And then you start to dictate the play and get on your toes and spend more time in the offensive end and get more chances. It feels a lot better."
Coach Don Granato bemoaned some of his team's decisions in the first period, and some of its hesitation. Hard to argue with the third and a good chunk of the second.
"You're given the other team confidence, just with a couple (bad decisions)," Granato said. "And it's tough to take confidence back when you give it out."
The Sabres seem to be heading in the right direction with this rebuild, but it would still be nice to see a modicum of positive results here. Remember, they started the season 5-1-1 in their first seven games – which means they are 5-17-5 in their last 27. That's not going to engender a lot of confidence.
The Sabres entered Thursday's game 19-2-1 at home all-time against the Sharks – far and away their best record against any team in the NHL. And keep in mind, this is against a franchise that has been pretty successful for much of its existence.
Until not qualifying for the playoffs the last two years, the Sharks had been in the postseason in 14 of 15 years and had won at least one round in 10 of them. There were trips to five Western Conference finals in that span and the run to the 2016 Stanley Cup final, where San Jose lost in six games to Pittsburgh.
Unlike the NFL, whose teams benefit from lucrative television contracts, the majority of NHL revenues come from ticket sales and getting fans in the seats.
But no matter how good the Sharks have been or how awful the Sabres have been, weird things happen when the teams get together in Buffalo. Coming out of a 3-0 hole would have been another addition to the list. Maybe it's the curse of Eric Lindros.
The Sharks, remember, made their first draft choice in Memorial Auditorium before they ever played a game. They had the No. 2 pick in the 1991 draft, and Pat Falloon got a thunderous ovation when he pulled that teal sweater over his head on the stage – because Lindros had refused to come up and put on the Quebec Nordiques sweater he had told the hockey world for weeks he was not donning in Buffalo.
The Sabres won the teams' first 11 meetings in Buffalo, going 5-0 in the Aud and 6-0 in the multi-named new arena at the foot of Washington Street. The streak ended with a 5-0 San Jose win on Dec. 2, 2005, which is one of the seminal days in Sharks history because it was the debut of Joe Thornton after he was acquired in a trade from Boston.
The 10th anniversary of the crash brought back vivid memories of a horrible night in Clarence and a cathartic shootout win over San Jose the next day.
Look at what else has happened with the Sharks in Buffalo:
• Feb. 13, 2009 – The Sabres' 6-5 shootout victory was one of the most emotional games ever played in franchise history. It came the day after Continental Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence no more than a mile or two from where many of the Sabres lived. Jason Pominville tipped in Craig Rivet's shot with 3.9 seconds left to force OT and Derek Roy and Ryan Miller combined to win the game in the shootout.
You'll never forget the red-eyed emotion of Lindy Ruff talking after the morning skate. And I'll always remember talking to Roy alone in the locker room that night, asking cursory questions and getting cursory answers. When I asked about the way the game ended, he stopped and looked up at me and said simply, "You're from here. You know. There was no way we were not going to tie this game and win it for these people. No way."
• Feb. 13, 2010 – Amazingly, the schedule had the Sharks in Buffalo again the next year with the somber remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the crash. The Sabres won 3-1 to snap a six-game winless streak in the final game before Ryan Miller went to Vancouver and became an Olympic hero.
• Feb. 28, 2014 – The Sabres' 4-2 win was completely inconsequential. I was one of several reporters who saw almost none of this game. When Ryan Miller was absent from warmups, we knew. In the first period, a trade was announced to St. Louis. In the first intermission, Miller and captain Steve Ott said their goodbyes in an emotional news conference in the arena press room. The trade of Miller really marked the end of one era of the franchise and the start of a rebuild they've yet to escape.
The weight has returned. So have Quinn’s skating stride and elite right-handed shot, clearing the way for the 2020 first-round draft choice to return to the Amerks’ lineup Wednesday against Syracuse.
• Nov. 18, 2014 – It was "Snovember" Night. There were 7 feet of snow – 7 feet! – just a couple miles away. Only a few inches at the arena, where you could look south and see the dark "Wall of Snow" clouds in the sky. The Sabres gave the fans that braved things to get to the arena a 4-1 win.
• Feb. 7, 2017 – The Sabres overcame a 4-1 deficit in the third period with three goals in 3 1/2 minutes and beat the defending Western Conference finalist Sharks 5-4 on an overtime goal by future Shark Evander Kane, who crashed into the end boards after potting a pass from Jack Eichel.
• Nov. 27, 2018 – For one night, it felt a lot like 2006 and 2007. Rasmus Dahlin pressured the puck and Skinner potted a backhand in overtime to give Buffalo a 3-2 victory and tie the franchise record with its 10th straight victory. The Sabres were 17-6-2 through 25 games. It was fool's gold. Buffalo went 16-33-8 the rest of the way, becoming just the second team to miss the playoffs after having a 10-game winning streak.
The Sabres haven't won much since that victory that had a full house roaring. Not even having the Sharks in town for the night got them feeling good Thursday.
