Breaking Apart the Bruins Loss to the Sabres

BUFFALO, NY – A second period collapse ultimately held the Bruins back in this contest, as they allowed three goals in just over six minutes. The Bruins (20-18-1) added another loss to their losing streak at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres (19-14-4). The Bruins are only in the early stages of a five-game road trip, and losing streaks are not new for this team; the mentality immediately shifted to Monday night’s game.

Saturday’s game was the Bruins’ first back from the holiday break – they were not on the ice from Wednesday until Saturday. The flight to Buffalo was delayed, which canceled the Bruins’ scheduled morning skate. That was not an excuse. Head coach Marco Sturm was still pleased with the Bruins’ level of fight in the game, especially with all things considered.

“Yes, it was not the perfect day, but you know, guys battled though,” Sturm said after the game. “I thought we looked better than I thought we would because [for] almost four days we didn’t touch the ice.”

David Pastrnak opened the game for Boston with a laser, which came with just over eight minutes to play in the first. However, Buffalo dictated the offense in the first 20 minutes; they started the game with the first four shots on goal, and ended the first period up 13-9 in shots, and up 4-2 in high-danger chances (per NaturalStatTrick). 

Then the second period got underway. Mental breakdowns on the Bruins’ end got us through the first ten minutes of the second frame. Breakdowns have been a common problem that has affected the Bruins throughout their current skid.

Buffalo took full advantage of the Bruins breakdowns, and got on the scoreboard thrice in 6:15. Ryan McLeod tied the game, Peyton Krebs gave the Sabres a lead, and Mattias Samuelsson expanded on the lead.

“I think those six minutes it was… just those mental breakdowns,” Marco Sturm said after the game. “It’s just those breakdowns, unfortunately, seems like they end up in our net. But that’s what happens when you lose a couple.”

The Sabres caught the Bruins in transition for their first goal of the night. Mattias Samuelsson knocked Morgan Geekie down after he missed a pass from Hampus Lindholm. Then, the Sabres took off up the ice, and Ryan McLeod fired a shot right by Joonas Korpisalo.

Buffalo kept the pressure on after Alex Steeves failed to clear the defensive zone. It did not go to plan, and the puck stayed with the Sabres. Buffalo would maintain possession and circle the puck to Tage Thompson. The Thompson shot was redirected by Peyton Krebs, giving him his second goal of the season.

Mattias Samuelsson would notch his third point of the night on a goal from the top of the circle.

The second period was all blue and gold; the Sabres poured three goals into the back of the Bruins’ net. On the other end, the Bruins only steered two shots to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s net. Two shots are not going to get any team too much offensive production, especially when the other side finds the back of the net three times in the same 20 minutes.

“We have periods where we play really well, and we have periods we’re not.” Hampus Lindholm said. “We just have to stick a 60-minute game together. We’ve shown each game that we can be successful and push teams back. We just have to be doing it more consistently.”

In the third period, the Bruins would steer 11 shots on Luukkonen, but none of them got through. Josh Norris would pot the empty net goal to give Buffalo a 4-1 lead with 13.8 on the clock.

The Bruins’ penalty kill went three-for-three, but it did not matter as they could not generate offense after some timely penalty kills. The Bruins took one shot on goal during their only power play attempt.

“Today, it was just from the start to probably finish was just not a good day, not what we wanted,” Sturm said. “But it’s over. I think we all have to analyze this one today, and we have to move forward because it’s not going to get easier. It’s definitely more on us now, just to get back to our foundation, back to our game, and it starts with a good practice tomorrow and hopefully a good game in Calgary.”

The Sabres have now won eight straight games, and the Bruins have lost their last five. The Sabres have jumped the Bruins in the Atlantic Division standings. Boston (20-18-1) sits in seventh in the Atlantic Division, only ahead of Toronto (17-15-5). However, the Bruins (.526) have played two more games than the Maple Leafs (.527), and therefore, the Bruins rank last in points percentage.

The Atlantic Division is tight; only eight points separate the first-place Red Wings from the Maple Leafs. Each team within the division has an above .500 record. Win streaks can launch a team to the top of the rankings; the opposite can happen, and it is with the Bruins.

“I think that works both ways,” Sean Kuraly said about the standings. “I guess you’re looking back and you’re like, geez, you win two more games, you’re in an amazing spot.”

Unfortunately, this five-game losing streak is not the only time the Bruins have faced adversity this season. Boston had a six-game losing streak in October and rattled off a seven-game win streak shortly after that. The Bruins have gotten out of this type of rut before.

“I think the coaching staff is doing a good job of reiterating that message,” Kuraly said. “We want to play with energy, we want to play with passion, and I think the best way to do that is from a place of feeling good and having fun, and for whatever reason, it’s a little harder for us right now, but we’ve got to get back to that, and we’ll find a way to.”

The Bruins held their practice on Sunday morning at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The team will fly out to Calgary after practice, ahead of their game on Monday at 9:00 PM. Boston will be looking to snap its five-game losing streak. Their next opponent is one of the six teams in the league with a sub-.500 points percentage.