The Buffalo Sabres left Montreal with a point on Saturday night, but not the two they were chasing. After battling back again to force overtime, Buffalo fell 4-3 when Cole Caufield slipped one past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the extra period.
That result dropped the Sabres to 4-3-2, but there was still plenty to unpack from a game that once again showed how close this team is to turning solid road work into a full payoff. Buffalo had already come through Toronto on Thursday and was back in Montreal for the third straight road game on the trip, after opening the swing there on Tuesday and then visiting the Maple Leafs.
One of the stranger storylines was the way Buffalo opened up its forward groups. Ryan McLeod skated on the top line with Tage Thompson and Josh Doan, while Thompson was moved to the wing after spending most of the season at center.
The idea did not really click. That trio spent a little more than eight minutes together at 5-on-5 and posted an expected goals percentage of just 2.68%.
By the third period, the Sabres adjusted again, moving Jiri Kulich into that spot in place of McLeod. The change showed up fast.
Doan set up Thompson for the tying goal to make it 3-3, and that version of the line finished with an expected goals percentage of 85.55%. It was an odd starting combination, and one Buffalo probably won’t be leaning on again soon.
Jack Quinn kept rolling, even if his biggest contribution won’t show up in the scoring summary. He added a goal after putting up four points against Toronto, giving him five goals and nine points in nine games to open the season.
But his sharpest play came earlier, when Montreal had a 2-on-1 rush in the first period. Quinn somehow got back into the play and made a diving stop to break up the pass and keep the Canadiens from getting a shot on net.
Special teams were again a problem. Zack Bolduc tied the game at one with a power-play goal that came on Montreal’s first shot on goal, arriving at 11:45 of the first period. Buffalo’s penalty kill has spent most of the season near the bottom of the league after ranking among the best last year, and while the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram have mattered, the Sabres can’t keep hiding behind that explanation.
The power play didn’t do its part either. Buffalo went scoreless on four chances, including a late opportunity in the final two minutes of the third period when it had a real chance to finish the game before overtime. Instead, the Sabres couldn’t generate enough quality looks, and that inability to cash in helped cost them a point.
Even with the loss, there was real value in the way this road trip played out. Buffalo picked up four of six possible points over three straight overtime games, including three of four against Montreal and Toronto combined.
Doing that without Rasmus Dahlin makes it even more notable. Before this stretch, the Sabres had won only once in 15 games without Dahlin, going 1-10-4 dating back to the 2014-15 season.
It wasn’t clean, and there’s still work to do. But with Dahlin hopefully back Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres at least have something tangible to build on.
In Other News...
Sabres Scoring Surge Cant Hide Buffalos Biggest Early Problem
Buffalos recent offensive uptick has given the Sabres some much-needed life, but it has not been enough to cover up the bigger issue sitting behind it. Even as the goals have started to come more regularly, the overall shape of the team still looks fragile, with the defense struggling to hold up its end and too many chances turning into problems the other way.
The absence of captain Rasmus Dahlin has only sharpened the concern, because Buffalo has looked even less stable without its top defenseman on the ice. Add in the uneven play from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis in net, and the Sabres are left with a familiar early-season dilemma: the scoring can keep them in games, but unless the defensive side improves, it will be hard to make the surge matter in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have A Goalie Market Twist Worth Watching
A few goaltending ripples around the league suddenly matter to the Sabres, even if the biggest names involved are wearing other sweaters. Connor Hellebuyck is set to become eligible to rejoin Winnipeg after his suspension ends on Oct. 23, and the situation around his return is drawing plenty of attention because the reception has not been universally smooth. For Buffalo, it is the kind of development that can shift the market quickly, especially when clubs are trying to sort out their crease early in the season.
There is also movement elsewhere that could change the way the Sabres shop for help. Dylan Larkin has reportedly asked the Red Wings for a trade, with a deal said to be close, while the Maple Leafs are looking hard for a major defense upgrade and appear willing to pay premium assets to get one. When teams at different points on the contention ladder start making aggressive moves, it tends to create dominoes, and Buffalo has to keep an eye on whether the goalie market becomes more crowded or more expensive in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Face A Narrow Window In Connor Hellebuyck Pursuit
Trade talks around Connor Hellebuyck have moved back onto the radar in Buffalo, and the timing makes this one worth watching. The Sabres have re-engaged the Winnipeg Jets on the veteran goalie, with the kind of late-offseason tension that usually comes when a team is trying to solve a long-term problem in net and another club is weighing whether to move a high-end player at all.
The wrinkle is that the market is anything but simple. Hellebuycks no-movement clause gives him a say in where this goes, draft-pick negotiations have already been a sticking point, and there are other teams watching the situation too. Buffalo is clearly still in the conversation, but for now the window remains narrow and the path to a deal is still far from clear. [Read more 🡒]