4 check: Sabres blow another lead in blowout loss
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Infuriated Sabres fans bellowed their frustrations within earshot of owner Terry Pegula's press box seat on Saturday at KeyBank Center.
Fire Adams! ... Sell the team! ... Do something!
Having seemed to turn the corner in the two weeks since ending their 13-game winless skid, the Sabres tumbled back into playoff drought condition, losing 6-2 against a struggling Seattle Kraken club after building a 2-0 lead in the first period.
'Embarrassing' letdown
Buffalo's 15th blown lead of the season keeps pace with the last-place Chicago Blackhawks for most in the league. It was the sixth time the Sabres have surrendered a multi-goal lead.
While still up 2-0 more than halfway through the game, the Sabres were getting outplayed in the second before Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans' shot deflected off Jason Zucker and past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 12:48 into period. Andre Burakovsky backhanded a rebound in for the tying goal with 48 seconds remaining.
“I thought the second period was embarrassing the way we played,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We had O-zone time. Didn’t get pucks to the inside. Didn’t get pucks to the net. Pass the puck around the perimeter, look for the pretty play and eventually it caught up to us. And then to give up a goal in the last couple minutes on that play, unacceptable. Just embarrassing, actually.”
And it only got worse
The Sabres lost the lead on an own goal 3:08 into the third period. Oliver Bjorkstrand's rebound shot from the slot ricocheted off Luukkonen's leg pad and defenseman Jacob Bryson mishandled the puck with his glove and put it in the net.
Kaapo Kakko scored on a rush 38 seconds later and got another goal on a power play shortly after that. Seattle got an empty-netter from Jacob Tanev, it's sixth unanswered goal, and claimed its sixth multigoal comeback win of the season, the most in the NHL.
Second periods had been Buffalo's worst this season, with a minus-14 goal differential, but after Saturday, the Sabres have now been outscored by 15 in third periods. They are 2-5-2 in games that were tied at the second intermission.
“Mental, all mental,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “It’s that simple.”
Strong first
Scoring first for the 26th time in 43 games, the Sabres have lost more often than they've won on those occasions (12-9-5).
Sam Lafferty slipped a deflected shot past Joey Daccord (33 saves) at 2:37 into the game, and Jack Quinn scored his third goal in two games on a power play at 17:17.
Buffalo had a 15-7 advantage in shots on goal in the first, and a 24-2 edge in shot attempts through the opening 10 minutes.
Up next
The Sabres have three days off before hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night in a game that will be broadcast nationally on TNT.