On the heels of a 4-2 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, the Sabres traveled to Raleigh, N.C. to face the Carolina Hurricanes. Searching for their 10 win, the team also looked for their first victory of the year against the Hurricanes in the final meeting between these teams. Ryan O’Reilly, who scored his ninth goal of the season in Friday’s victory, was a healthy scratch and his offensive presence was missed all night, especially in the faceoff circles, where the Sabres were a dismal 25% against the Hurricanes. After a strong outing from Robin Lehner vs. Philadelphia, Chad Johnson got the nod in goal. Entering tonight’s start with one win in 12 games, his struggles continued. After allowing a goal during the game’s opening minute, it helped set the tone going forward on both sides. Although the team struggled, Jack Eichel, a night after scoring two empty-net goals, earned assists on Sabres goals from Nathan Beaulieu and Zemgus Girgensons and continues to improve his game and be a bright spot on a nightly basis. “You want the team results, I think my game is coming along, I’m moving my feet better, but we have a long way to go, including myself” – Eichel After scoring only once leading up to this game, Justin Faulk scored consecutive goals for the Hurricanes and helped give his team a 4-1 lead in the second period. Teuvo Teravainen was also a crucial player for his team, earning three assists on their first three goals of the night. The Hurricanes were better in every facet of the game, which included a massive 38-22 edge in shots on goals and this advantage was benefitted by three goals in under 10 minutes of play during the second period. “It was another tough night, it’s been a tough year all year for me, I don’t know what to say to be honest” – Johnson The Sabres spent most of the game trying to respond to Carolina’s strong play. Despite each team bringing the physicality and equaling their respective hit totals at 24, it looked as if the Hurricanes had the edge from the opening puck drop and seemed to never let it go. Following a back-to-back series that saw a strong home win and a letdown in Raleigh, the Sabres are limping into the Christmas break before traveling to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Wednesday night against the Islanders. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. as the Sabres would look to rebound from tonight’s loss.
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