Bowen Byram tossed what was left of his stick to the ice in KeyBank Center as the Winnipeg Jets celebrated around the Sabres' net Thursday night.
He snapped it over the left post after Adam Lowry managed to push the puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 1:01 remaining in overtime to send the Sabres to a 3-2 loss.
They had chances to score before the Jets collected Alex Tuch's rebound. Josh Morrissey raced with the puck towards Luukkonen with Lowry to his left. As Morrissey approached the left circle, he shoveled the puck back to Lowry, who quickly snapped a shot on net.
Luukkonen dropped to the ice to make his 28th save of the night. The puck sat a few feet in front of him, between Byram and Morrissey. The two whacked at the puck until the Jets defenseman sent it over to Lowry to set up the game-winner.
Sabres right winger Alex Tuch reacts to the Jets winning in overtime Thursday at KeyBank Center.
The loss was the Sabres' fifth in a row. It's their longest skid since their eight consecutive regulation losses in November 2022. They haven't won since sweeping the three-game trip in California. At 11-12-3, Buffalo is fifth in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference.
This loss was different than the one two nights earlier and last Saturday night when they were shut out by the Islanders.
Head coach Lindy Ruff wasn't disappointed with his players. He was after they blew a 4-0 lead and lost 5-4 to the Colorado Avalanche. This was different.
“I thought we played a solid game,” Ruff said.
Two goalie interference calls went against the Sabres. Ruff disagreed with both. His challenge on the Jets' first goal wasn't successful. Theirs wiped away Tyson Kozak's that would have put Buffalo ahead 3-2 with 2:24 left in the second period. He'd already congratulated Kozak.
They learned a few minutes later that it didn't count. It was overturned after a long review because the league's Situation Room ruled Beck Malenstyn prevented Connor Hellebuyck from stopping the puck.
Kozak, a rookie center making his NHL debut, scored what could have been the game-winning goal late in the second period, but a controversial coaches’ challenge for goalie interference wiped it off the scoreboard.
"I feel like that was kind of two similar plays and two different calls," said Luukkonen. "In the end, they make the calls, we play and that’s how it went today.”
There were stretches throughout the game when the Sabres looked like they did before the losing streak began. Tage Thompson snapped the Sabres' 0-for-16 drought on the power play only 3:27 into the game. His wrist shot from the right circle went off the far post and in.
Gabriel Vilardi's goal happened 47 seconds later, but the Sabres didn't fall apart like they did against Colorado. Dylan Cozens scored with 8:31 left in the first period to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. There were other chances for them to pull ahead after Kyle Connor scored the tying goal for the Jets during a 5-on-3 power play only 3:06 into the second period.
The Sabres had more high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. Finishing has been the issue.
Jiri Kulich deferred to Peyton Krebs during a 3-on-1 in the first period and forced another pass while leading a 2-on-1 in overtime. The puck rolled over Ryan McLeod’s stick before he could score while Hellebuyck was out of position. Finishing has been an issue for the Sabres. They're 18th in the NHL in goals per game played.
"I think we showed our NHL youth," said Ruff.
The Sabres defended well throughout the game. They weren't forcing careless passes in the neutral zone. Their forwards were helping defensemen break the puck out with ease. They didn't have Rasmus Dahlin, either. The team's top defenseman missed the game because of back spasms. His teammates held the Jets to only three shots on goal in the third period.
Ruff canceled the Sabres' practice Wednesday. He sensed that off-ice workouts and meetings would be a more effective approach to addressing all that went wrong against Colorado. His message to his players was meant to galvanize and refocus. They were reminded of their speed and physicality while beating good teams earlier this season.
The Sabres put his plan into action Thursday against a team that started the season 15-1 and improved to 19-8 with the win. His players weren't satisfied afterward, though. They were frustrated.
"That’s why it kind of stings so much," said Luukkonen. "Defensively, we were really solid tonight. We didn’t give them much. We created enough chances to win the game, and I feel like we didn’t get what we wanted, but it was a good turnaround from last game.”
Here are other takeaways from the game:
1. Impression
Dennis Gilbert sent a message to the Jets by fighting their 6-foot-7 defenseman, Logan Stanley, in the first period.
And, at the same time, Gilbert reminded Ruff and management that he’s willing to fight and provide a different skill set than the Sabres’ other defensemen. Gilbert needed to impress against the Jets to convince Ruff not to use Ryan Johnson on Saturday against Utah. Gilbert blocked a shot in the slot shortly after his penalties ended but played only 7:21.
2. Debuting
It was a special night for Kozak.
The relentless forward took the rookie lap ahead of his NHL debut. His parents, Trevor and Michelle, and sister, Paige, were in the building to witness the milestone. He encountered them in the hotel lobby Tuesday morning. He didn’t know why they were in Buffalo. After all, he didn’t know if he was even going to play, so why make the trip from Souris, Manitoba, a small town 2½ hours from Winnipeg? Someone from the Sabres gave them a heads up.
The 21-year-old was a seventh-round draft pick in 2021 – no other player selected after the fifth round has made their debut – and impressed during his first game with the Sabres. He won five of eight faceoffs and attempted five shots.
“Obviously, growing up in a small town, not a lot of hockey players play in the NHL from a small town,” said Kozak. “It’s a very cool moment for me, my family and everybody back home.”
3. Stepping up
The Sabres played without Dahlin for only the 18th time since he was drafted first overall in 2018.
Ruff had to lean on other defensemen against Winnipeg.
Byram was a minus-2 in 26:38 of ice time. Owen Power played a team-high 29:21. Connor Clifton was on the ice for a season-high 21:19, 6:14 of which were during the Sabres’ five penalty kills. Henri Jokiharju played 20:23, his highest total since Oct. 16.
4. Overturned
Goalie interference challenges are impossible to predict.
There's no consistency with the rulings. The NHL tried to bring clarity by remind players that it's going to be interference if they skate through the crease on their own and make contact with the goalie.
Vilardi glided through the blue paint before making contact with Luukkonen. Malenstyn was pushed by Brad Lambert as Kozak scored.
“I didn't like the call,” Ruff said. “Didn't like it either way. We had it go the other way on us, and then went the right way for them.”
5. Next
The Sabres’ homestand continues Saturday with the Utah Hockey Club in Buffalo for a game at 1 p.m.
