They flew back from Colorado, getting to Buffalo at 5 a.m.
They had a cobbled together lineup as they upped their man-games lost total to 215 for the year, second most in the NHL, as Gorges and Reinhart joined Girgensons, Deslauriers, Ennis and McCormick on the sidelines.
If they sound like excuses, it’s because they are. And Dan Bylsma would have nothing to do with them either. “I don’t want to attribute this game to any of that (travel) at all. It’s all on us, nothing to do with travel or whatever,” he said in his post game press conference.
The only Sabre that really showed up Friday night was Robin Lehner. He was clearly the Sabres best player, giving them a chance in the game they really had no right being in. He did all he could do, making 42 saves, many of them from point blank shots. He had no chance on the two goals that did get past him.
“Lehner was outstanding, he’s played strong, played well, been effective. … The frustrating part is he’s played well and doesn’t have a win for us yet. I know the process for him is not maybe about the wins and losses, but it is something that he wanted to get in the net and come up with a win for us.” – Coach Dan Byslma
The Sabres laid a turd in this one. They had no execution, often getting hemmed in their own zone for long stretches. They looked slow and lethargic. Just as bad as last year’s team. And a quick look at the standings shows they’re roughly in the same place.
Aside from Lehner’s strong play, the only other positive to take away in this one was the Sabres penalty killers. They successfully killed off four penalties, including a four-minute high sticking penalty to Foligno in the third period. Buffalo’s PK has killed nineteen straight man advantages–a bright spot amid a dark, murky mess.
Petr Mrazek had an easy night, stopping 19 shots to earn his third shutout of the year.
As the game went on, Detroit seemingly got stronger. In fact, in the third period, they outshot Buffalo 18-2. To make matters worse, Buffalo took the first two shots early, meaning the Red Wings took the next 18. No, that’s not a typo. Detroit had eighteen straight shots and Buffalo had no more to finish the game.
Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, a strong rookie of the year candidate, broke a scoreless tie with 7:59 to play in the third. His 15th of the year bounced off Lehner’s leg and into the net. Only Chicago’s Artemi Panarin has more goals (16).
Detroit’s second goal was a classic example of what happens when you let a world class player like Henrik Zetterberg skate on his own. With three Sabres watching Larkin, Zetterberg snuck behind them and took a sweet pass from Larkin, putting an easy one by Lehner. With just under three minutes to go, it was a crushing goal that put the game away. An empty netter by Glendening was salt in the wound.
Buffalo fans get a breather as the next game at First Niagara Center is February 4, the first of a home-and-home with the Bruins. The Sabres face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Monday night, then the Senators Tuesday in Ottawa, their final game before the All-Star break.