Sabres survive late scare from Senators, earn 6-4 win to break out of skid

KANATA, Ontario – Casey Mittelstadt shook his head and cackled at his dressing-room stall in Canadian Tire Centre.

Twenty-four hours had passed since the Sabres’ bizarre loss to the Montreal Canadiens on home ice, yet Mittelstadt still couldn’t comprehend how they scored only one goal on 37 shots. Fans were frustrated by the offense’s continued struggles, but he and his teammates saw no reason to worry. They sensed a breakthrough was near. One of the top offensive teams in the NHL doesn’t suddenly forget how to score.

Facing an Atlantic Division foe on the road in the second game of a back-to-back Tuesday night, the Sabres’ breakthrough finally arrived. Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner scored two goals apiece, Alex Tuch added his first of the season, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 34 saves in a 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.

“Some of it was a bit unlucky, right?” said Mittelstadt. “Thommer has 10 shots, Thommer’s gonna score. That’s just one example, too. We had so many chances … and chances we usually score on.”

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The Sabres scored five goals on 18 shots through two periods against the Senators after earning only one goal on 37 shots in the 3-1 loss to the Canadiens. Buffalo was ahead 2-0 only 11:20 into the game when its sixth shot, a redirect by Zemgus Girgensons, went past goalie Anton Forsberg. It led 5-1 with 4:26 left in the third period until Ottawa scored three goals in under four minutes. Thompson’s empty-net goal with 23 seconds remaining helped the Sabres survive the scare and improve to 3-4.

The loss to the Canadiens wasn’t a talking point for Sabres coach Don Granato before the game Tuesday. He didn’t see a need to mention it. The looks on his players’ faces Monday night showed Granato they understood what needed to change. He wanted them to focus on the Senators (3-3), who, along with the Sabres and Red Wings, are viewed as an up-and-coming team in the Atlantic Division.

The Sabres needed more traffic in front of Forsberg if they were going to get back to scoring at the rate they did last season, when they ranked third in the NHL in goals. They also needed to play disciplined defense. Doing so would create turnovers that could lead to scoring chances. The Senators tend to play loose defensively when they fall behind in games, so the first goal was also important for Buffalo, which entered Tuesday 0-4 when allowing the first goal.

Skinner’s first of the game at 8:06 into the first period, a shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1 rush, helped the Sabres take over early. Mittelstadt created a turnover before both Skinner goals and ranks second on the team in points dating to Feb. 1. Four of their six goals were scored with traffic in front of the net, which they were lacking in the loss to Montreal.

“I thought we played simple,” said Tuch. “I thought we frustrated them through the whole game. I thought we capitalized on some opportunities, but I thought we played really hard. … I mean, you can draw the X’s and O’s you want, but if you don’t come in and capitalize and perform with it, you’re not gonna go anywhere.”

The Sabres forced the Senators’ goalies to make only 24 saves Tuesday night, but there was no need to press for more offense because they were ahead 3-0 early in the second period and it was 5-1 at the second intermission after Thompson scored with 1:12 left in the middle frame.

It’s no secret how the Sabres need to play to have success. They’re a dynamic offensive team when they’re making smart decisions with the puck and defending well. Consistency will be key for them to reverse some troubling early-season statistics.

Entering Tuesday, the Sabres were 24th in goals scored (13) through six games and their power play was 2-for-21. They ranked 11th in high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, but they had converted only 6.8 percent of their shots, a mark that was fifth worst in the league. Thompson had 29 shots on goal and 52 shot attempts, but his only goal was on the power play. Against the Senators, he was one of the best players on the ice and capped a three-point night with an empty-net goal.

“I thought the commitment today was a lot better and it’s a little back with a little travel,” said Tuch. “It’s not easy. It’s a bit of a grind. But when you stick to the game plan and when you just come in and try to outwork your opponent, you can have a lot of success in this league.”

Here are other observations from the game:

The Senators were frustrated. Their captain, Brady Tkachuk, took a bad penalty early in the game with an unnecessary hit on Dylan Cozens. Defenseman Travis Hamonic’s hold on Skinner gave the Sabres a power play that led to Tuch’s goal that made it 4-1, Buffalo. Tkachuk’s repeated hits on Tuch led to the two fighting. Cozens was given two minor penalties and a 10-minute misconduct when he was quick to defend Kyle Okposo. Granato loved the emotional response, even though the Senators got back into the game with three goals late in regulation.

“I thought the effort was outstanding by us and the determination for a win was there, and I love the emotional charge toward the end,” said Granato.

The Sabres’ penalty kill has become an unexpected strength because of a healthy Jordan Greenway, an experienced Mattias Samuelsson and the addition of defenseman Erik Johnson. The group is fast and aggressive. Players like Greenway, Samuelsson, Tuch and Thompson use their long reach to create turnovers.

A 37-second 5-on-3 like the one the Senators had early in the second period would have spelled doom for Buffalo last season when it ranked 28th on the penalty kill. Greenway intercepted the puck, Samuelsson blocked a shot and Girgensons cleared it down the ice. Skinner scored less than a minute after the Sabres killed both penalties to put them ahead 4-1.

“The penalty big has been a big progression for us, especially early and especially on the 5-on-3,” said Granato.

The power play also showed signs of improvement with Tuch deflecting Rasmus Dahlin’s shot past Forsberg. Buffalo is 3-for-23 through seven games, and the top unit is using more movement to try to prevent teams from taking passing lanes away from Dahlin and Thompson.

Luukkonen had played only two of the Sabres’ previous 18 regular-season games dating to March, and he hadn’t received a start since a preseason game in Columbus on Oct. 20. The 24-year-old was decisive in the crease and made multiple challenging saves early in the third period to maintain their 5-1 lead. He was the choice in goal Tuesday because Devon Levi remains out with a lower-body injury and Eric Comrie couldn’t play three games in four nights.

“It’s not even close to being the most optimal situation to have the first game of the season right now, but it’s not my decision when I play so I’ve just got to make the most out of it,” said Luukkonen. “In my short pro career I’ve had, I’ve seen quite a lot of things from [ECHL], to AHL, from Covid to being in the NHL. The team played really well, but I felt like I was comfortable today.”

Tuch hasn’t looked right the past few weeks.

He had four shots at 5-on-5 and only one point through six games entering Tuesday. There’s been no mention of an injury, but he hasn’t made the same impact. His play with the puck in the first period was his finest of the season, though. Mittelstadt created a turnover to send Tuch and Skinner on a 2-on-1. Tuch fooled Forsberg with a no-look pass to the left circle, where Skinner fired a shot that went in for a 1-0 lead and his fourth goal of the season.

Tuch finished with three shots on goal and seven shot attempts in 19:49 of ice time. His work defensively helped his line earn more time in the offensive zone, and he got into his second fight of the season.

“Working with the coaching staff, I’ve had some really good talks with them,” Tuch said with a bloodied gash above his left eye. “It’s just trying to get back to my game, trying to dominate each and every night and just have the mentality of being able to. I think I lost that for a few games, and I think I let my teammates down, let the Sabres organization down the last few games, but it’s still a long season. I’m gonna make up for it.”

The Sabres travel to New Jersey to play the Devils on Friday night at 7 p.m., then they host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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