If the Buffalo Sabres end up in a wild-card spot, there’s a strong chance that the Carolina Hurricanes would be the team’s first-round matchup.
And if the Sabres’ 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Monday is any indication, Buffalo would be in for a grueling series. For starters, the Sabres have now lost 13 straight games in Carolina, which is not conducive to holding up in a playoff series. But the experience and suffocating style with which the Hurricanes play makes them a legitimate threat to go to the Stanley Cup Final year after year.
Even so, Buffalo matched Carolina’s intensity and attention to detail in this game. One iffy penalty call against Owen Power early in the third period gave the Hurricanes a power play. Seth Jarvis took advantage with what would be the eventual game-winner, and the Hurricanes locked the game down after that.
But the Sabres might have come out on top if not for the goaltending Carolina got. Brandon Bussi was sensational for the Hurricanes. He robbed Tage Thompson on a point-blank, two-on-zero chance. He then stopped Rasmus Dahlin on a one-timer, shut the door on Power on a shot from the slot and later sprawled to make a desperate save on another Thompson chance at the net-front.
“You have to give credit to the goalie,” Dahlin said. “That’s why they won the game today.”
Bussi only faced 18 shots from the Sabres, but six of those were high-danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick. He stopped all of those. The Sabres could have done a better job generating shots and getting rebound opportunities, but Bussi was clearly the difference in an otherwise closely contested game.
The Sabres are getting small tastes of what these late-season games are going to feel like. The Eastern Conference playoff race is going to come down to the wire, and the Sabres continue to look like a team capable of staying in the mix right until the end.
Here’s what else we saw in Buffalo’s loss.
1. Power’s late penalty was a ticky-tack call and one that made the difference for Buffalo in this game. It was doubly unfortunate for the Sabres because Power had been one of the team’s most effective defensemen. Buffalo had a 7-2 advantage in high-danger chances during his five-on-five minutes.
Power’s defensive game has taken a big step in the last month. He’s ending plays at the blue line quicker by playing with tighter gaps and is one of Buffalo’s best defensemen when it comes to getting the puck out of the defensive zone efficiently. He’s even been a bit better at using his size to make plays in the defensive zone. While his offensive production is behind his typical pace, Power is becoming a more complete defenseman.
2. The Sabres needed more from Alex Tuch. He had zero shot attempts despite nearly 20 minutes of ice time. He also had two giveaways, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s been one of the Sabres’ best forwards this season with 40 points and a 52 percent on-ice expected goal share. But these are the games when the Sabres need their best players to match the intensity and talent level of the opponent. Tuch is one of the few Sabres with playoff experience, so he should be the one leading the way in these types of games.
3. On Sunday, Ruff said Josh Norris is week-to-week. The team placed him on injured reserve Monday to activate goalie Alex Lyon, who will return to the crease this week. Meanwhile, Ruff said Norris has a chance to join the Sabres later in the week if his injury starts to feel better. Norris has been out of the lineup since he took a cross-check to the ribs against the Flyers last Wednesday. His placement on injured reserve means the earliest he could return is Thursday against the Canadiens.
It’s encouraging that Norris’ injury is not major enough to immediately fall into the category of a multi-week injury. But if it is a rib issue, that might be a tough one to play through while it heals.
4. The Sabres were also without Michael Kesselring in this game. Coach Lindy Ruff said Kesselring tweaked his ankle injury when he returned to the lineup for the Sabres’ 5-4 overtime loss against the Wild on Saturday, but he could play on Tuesday when the Sabres visit Nashville. Kesselring acknowledged last week that he will likely be managing this ankle injury until the Olympic break, when the additional rest should help it get back to 100 percent.
5. Konsta Helenius made his NHL debut and played 10:47. He started on a line with Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan before Ruff swapped Doan and Zach Benson. Helenius ended up taking three faceoffs, while Ostlund took one. This certainly wasn’t the easiest matchup for Helenius in his NHL debut, but Ruff thinks he has the skill set to fit this type of game.
“He’s got some bite to his game,” Ruff said this week. “He’s not your prototypical talented guy. He gets into people and has some physicality to him.”
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