BUFFALO – The final outcome, a 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild that ended their three-game winning streak, did not discourage the Sabres.
Why should it? They outplayed the Wild from the get-go Wednesday, outshooting them 16-4 in the first period and 39-29 overall. They attempted a whopping 87 shots, 32 more than their opponent.
As Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson stymied every scoring chance, the Sabres plowed forward, refusing to deviate from their game plan and cheat for offense.
The oft-penalized Sabres even stayed out of the box the entire night.
Other than one early breakdown – Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov completed a nifty four-on-one 6:55 into the game – the Sabres played a clean game before a crowd 17,326 fans in KeyBank Center.
“Honestly, we play that type of way we’re going to win nine out of 10 games,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch said.
Sabres center Tage Thompson said: “I think we played a really good game tonight. I don’t think we can let that discourage us.
So chalk up the just the Sabres’ third loss in their last 10 outings to Gustavsson’s splendid effort. With Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen pulled for an extra attacker late, the Swede was at his best, making a slew of huge stops.
“We did a lot of good stuff inside the game,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We had one big mistake in the first period but I thought the first period might have been one of the best first periods we’ve played against a real tough team. A lot of real good looks on the power play to score.
“We bumped into a goalie that’s really seeing it. You look at some of the point-blank opportunities, and he was just getting a piece of a few.”
To Ruff, the maturity the Sabres showcased as Gustavsson turned away shot after shot illustrates growth.
“I think we understand that you really don’t need to change the way you’re playing,” said Ruff, whose Sabres just won three straight games in California. “You’ve just got to stay with it. We did it on the road trip. … We’ve been able to play a pretty consistent style.”
Center Tage Thompson said the Sabres “had to learn the hard way over the past few years” they can’t play frustrated.
“I thought we stuck with the game plan the entire night, didn’t cheat for offense, just kept making the game tough on them,” said Thompson, who returned from a lower-body injury Wednesday. “And we got our fair share of looks. Can’t say we didn’t.”
The Sabres generated more offense because they played a penalty-free game. Ruff has stressed they must stop taking penalties – they began the night 30th in the NHL – and they finally responded.
“That was big coming into tonight,” Thompson said. “… We did a great job, played physical, played hard, but nothing careless with the sticks. I think minors are always an indication of moving your feet, and I thought we were tracking well tonight. And usually when you’re doing that you’re not taking stick penalties.”
Following a five-game absence, Thompson, whose 11 goals top the Sabres, picked up where he left off as the offensive catalyst. He pumped a game-high six shots on goal and attempted 11 shots.
“Felt great,” he said. “Obviously, you miss that much time, lungs are burning a little bit, legs are a little heavy first few, and then you get into a rhythm and start to feel good. I felt I got better as the game wore on.”
