The Buffalo Sabres have a critical stretch of games before them. Coming off a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Sabres were riding high having swept their three-game road trip to the West Coast. The first task upon returning home came in the form of the very tough Minnesota Wild.
The good news is that forward Tage Thompson returned to the lineup. The bad news is that the team couldn’t find a way to crack Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. That said, there are some positive takeaways from the team’s 1-0 loss at home to the Wild.
The Sabres Were the Better Team
Those who watched the game will know that the Sabres were the better team. Though it may be a bit tougher to get up for a team you don’t play often as opposed to a hated rival, the Sabres had jump to their game and largely controlled the pace of play, save for select stretches here and there.
Minnesota was more physical and Marcus Foligno gave Sabres fans glimpses of what he brought to the table when he played in Buffalo, but everything else went in favor of the Sabres. They outshot the Wild 39-29, won the faceoff battle, and even stayed out of the box.
Other than Gustavsson, who stopped all 39 shots, the key difference was in blocked shots. The Wild dominated there, blocking 32 shots to the Sabres 14. The one major criticism could be that the Sabres didn’t generate many high-danger chances, but a team committed defensively like the Wild make those rarities.
Luukkonen Is Rolling
It was yet another fantastic start for goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The 25-year-old turned aside 28 of 29 shots, the lone goal coming on a slick passing play that resulted in Kirill Kaprizov scoring his 14th goal of the season.
This marks the fourth time in his last eight starts that Luukkonen has allowed one goal or fewer. As a matter of fact, in 10 of his 15 games so far this season, he has allowed no more than two goals. He has become exactly what the Sabres hoped for when they signed him to an extension.
Luukkonen is also slowly starting to climb the league leaders. Among goalies with at least 10 starts, he is 10th in save percentage (SV%) with a .914. Using the same criteria, he is ninth in goals-against average (GAA) with a 2.45, and he is ninth in the NHL in goals saved above expected at 7.1 (Gustavsson is fourth at 10.5). UPL is really beginning to gain momentum and the Sabres should benefit more often than not if he continues playing this way.
Jack Quinn Showed Signs of Life
Without a doubt, one of the biggest disappointments of the season has to be Jack Quinn. A player many expected to break out, he has just one goal and five points through 21 games so far this season. To call that a disappointment would be a massive understatement.
That said, Quinn looked a bit like his old self against the Wild. While he didn’t find the back of the net, he did put six shots on net for the night, tying Thompson for the team lead. He even got involved on the defensive end, blocking a shot as well.
The moral victories like this are going to be few and far between for Quinn, but it was at least nice to see him show flashes of the talent that made him such an enticing player coming into the season. Whether he can translate that into more offense soon remains to be seen.
Running Into a Hot Goalie Isn’t Fun
Though there is no doubt some fans will be infinitely disappointed with the loss, it’s hard to be mad about it. The Sabres were better in nearly every area of the game and simply ran into a hot goaltender who happens to be statistically one of the best in the league right now.
Related: Next 5 Games Could Define Sabres’ Season
The schedule over the next half-dozen games is still important. They’ll have matchups against potential playoff competitors in the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, plus matchups with very good teams like the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets. The moral victories are done. The Sabres need to keep stringing wins together if they want to break the drought.
