The Buffalo Sabres started their six-game road trip with a loss in Philadelphia thanks to one calamitous minute of hockey.
Things started fine for the Sabres against the Flyers. They got an early power play and scored when Jason Zucker finished off a smooth pass from Josh Doan. But that 1-0 lead vanished quickly midway through the first period. The Sabres had a power play with a chance to go up 2-0. Instead, Tage Thompson took a hooking penalty late in the power play. Then, toward the end of that penalty, Conor Timmins took a cross-checking penalty.
The Sabres almost managed to kill that penalty, too. Alex Tuch had the puck on his stick and sent a clearing attempt right to Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim, who kept the play alive. Seconds later, Travis Konecny scored on a shot that found its way through a screen.
Lindy Ruff and the Sabres’ video staff elected to challenge the play for goaltender interference because Owen Tippett was in the vicinity of the crease. They thought Tippett’s stick interfered with Ellis’ blocker. Ruff told reporters after the game, “If you don’t challenge, you’re never going to know.”
But the challenge was unsuccessful, as Tippett’s skates were outside the crease and he didn’t make significant contact with Ellis.
As a result of the failed challenge, the Sabres’ penalty kill got put to work again. Just 38 seconds into that man advantage, Trevor Zegras scored off a shot that ricocheted off a Sabres player.
At that point, the Sabres needed to collect themselves and start working their way back into the game. Instead, the Flyers scored again 21 seconds later. Zach Benson was skating out of the defensive zone when he passed a puck behind Thompson. Thompson wasn’t nearly urgent enough in tracking back as the Flyers took the puck the other way, and Bobby Brink capitalized on the turnover with a goal.
In the span of 59 seconds, the Flyers scored the three goals that ended up making the difference in the Sabres’ 5-2 loss.
“A couple of unlucky bounces there,” Thompson told reporters after the game. “One on the PK there and then leaving the zone, hits off me. Obviously could have done something better to try to stop them. But we got frustrated tonight. We were chasing the game early. We let those plays affect us.”
That frustration was most evident late in the second period when Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin hit Zegras from behind into the boards. He got a five-minute major for boarding and was ejected from the game. Between Dahlin’s hit, Tuch’s failed clear and Thompson’s struggles early, Buffalo’s top players didn’t do enough to keep the Sabres in this game.
“The top guys failed a test,” Ruff said.
Tage Thompson was partially at fault for one of the Flyers’ goals after a rough backcheck. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
This isn’t the start the Sabres needed on a six-game road trip. This game is the only one of the six against another Eastern Conference team. The Flyers came into the night in the second wild-card spot and five points ahead of the Sabres in the standings. That gap is now seven points.
Once again, the Sabres failed to get their first three-game winning streak of the season. They also failed to get their points percentage above .500. They’ve spent a total of five days with a points percentage above .500 this season after spending just seven days with a points percentage above .500 last season. Last season, 23 of the 32 teams in the league were .500 or better. That’s not a high bar, but it’s one the Sabres are failing to meet.
“If we want to stay in the race, we’re going to have to string something together,” Bowen Byram said.
1. Doan had another solid game for the Sabres. He led the team with eight shot attempts, five shots on net and five individual high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. He also set up the Sabres’ first goal of the game with a beautiful pass from behind the net through traffic. He has already set a career high with eight goals, and he has now matched his career high with 19 points just 27 games into the season.
2. So far, the Sabres’ blue line hasn’t been steady enough. Byram had a great goal in this game, but he also had a 31 percent on-ice expected goal share and was on the ice for a five-on-five goal against. He has been on the ice for a team-high 29 goals against. Timmins, whose bad breakout pass led to a Flyers goal late in this game, has been on the ice for 28 goals against.
At times, the Sabres’ blue line looks like the strength of the team. But the results have been uneven. Mattias Samuelsson is the only Sabres defenseman who has been on the ice for more goals for than against at five-on-five this season. It’s tough to know what the group will bring each night. Part of that is because the forward group still hasn’t ironed out all its issues defensively. Goaltending has been inconsistent, too. But the Sabres have allowed the second-most five-on-five goals in the NHL. If they are going to be a more consistent team, it starts there.
3. The Sabres were without Tyson Kozak for a second straight game. Ruff mentioned he is dealing with an injury that happened during the Minnesota Wild game on Saturday. It’s something he could play through if he absolutely needed to, but Ruff would rather he get healthy since the Sabres have enough healthy forwards to withstand his absence.
4. Ruff said the Sabres will be calling up a defenseman at some point, with only six healthy defenseman on the roster and five games coming up outside of the Eastern time zone. That need could become more urgent if the department of player safety decides to suspend Dahlin for his hit on Zegras.
5. Michael Kesselring did not join the Sabres on this road trip. He’s continuing his rehab skates back in Buffalo. He won’t return to the lineup until Dec. 18 at the earliest.