How the Sabers reached a new low in a historic panic-filled collapse against the Avalanche

BUFFALO, NY — The Buffalo Sabers reached a new low against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

That’s not an easy thing to do for a franchise that has missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons. But not once in Sabers history has the team blown a four-goal lead only to lose in regulation at home. That’s exactly what they did on Tuesday, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first period and taking a 4-1 lead into the third period before collapsing to a 5-4 loss in regulation. The announced attendance was just under 15,000, and most of those who stayed to watch the collapse booed when the clock struck 00.

Alex Tuch, who arrived in Buffalo three years ago excited to play for his favorite childhood team, looked shocked as he answered questions in the locker room.

“Honestly, it sucks,” said Tuch, one of Buffalo’s four alternate captains. “We have to be better. Every guy has to be better. It’s honestly horse-t-t. Pardon my French, but it is.

“We left (goalkeeper Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) suspended. We left ourselves in suspense. We didn’t work for each other after the first period. We thought it was going to be easy, they were just going to go into a hole. But those are the former Stanley Cup champions over there. One of the best players in the world, one of the best defenders in the world. You cannot give them such opportunities. This is total bullshit. »

Buffalo’s other two alternate captains, Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, said they thought the players panicked once the Avalanche began to chip away at the Sabres’ lead. Sabers coach Lindy Ruff used the same word in his postgame press conference.

And that panic was evident on the ice. Through the first 12 minutes, the Sabers looked like a team ready to emerge from a slump. Thompson scored two quick goals, his first since returning from injury last week. Then JJ Peterka ended an eight-game drought, and Beck Malenstyn followed with his first goal in over a month and a half. The Sabers finished the first period with a 76 percent expected goals rating and a 7-0 advantage in high-danger chances. It looked like they were going to pull off a dominant home win.

But in the visitors’ locker room, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was relatively calm. He thought Colorado had enough time to get back into the game.

It’s easier to think that way when you have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

MacKinnon started to take over in the second period. In the first minute 23 of the period, the Avalanche had seven shot attempts and three shots on goal while buzzing around the Buffalo zone. When MacKinnon scored 2:24 into the period, that should have been the wake-up call for the Sabres. The Avalanche controlled the game decisively for the rest of the period, but the Sabers still had a 4-1 lead after two periods.

The Avalanche continued to press, scoring 1:19 into the third period. That’s when panic started to set in. At that point, Rasmus Dahlin had played his only shift of the third. He came away with back spasms, the injury that plagued him in the preseason. This did not help dispel the panic.

The Avalanche scored three minutes later and Ruff called a timeout to try to calm his players down. It didn’t work; the Avalanche scored again three minutes later to tie the score.

“I don’t think we were too negative on the bench,” Tuch said. “I don’t think we reacted quickly enough. We were talking. I just don’t think we were responsive enough to really get three guys together: “Your team is ready, let’s get the momentum back in our favor.” » This happened a few times, but not enough.

There’s a lot of blame to be had after a defeat like that. You can start with a group of players who openly admitted to panicking after the Avalanche started pushing back while down 4-0. Over the past two seasons, the Sabers would call a loss like this a learning experience. They remain the youngest team in the NHL in terms of age, but they have played plenty of games and suffered enough embarrassing losses. Whatever lesson you can learn from a game like this should be obvious to every player in this room.

“We’ve had enough red flags,” Thompson said. “It’s terrible. That’s all there is to it.

Cozens said: “We’ve all been in this league long enough. This is no longer an excuse. There is absolutely no excuse for what happened tonight. It’s embarrassing and it’s simply not enough.

The Sabers had a chance to end a three-game losing streak and get back above .500. Instead, they are below .500 and found themselves tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference wild-card standings. A week ago, they were in playoff contention after a three-game winning streak in California. They haven’t won since and don’t give the fans a reason to do anything other than boo.

“We’re not making KeyBank a tough enough place to play right now,” Tuch said. “That’s on me. That’s on every guy in this locker room. We will be better.

Tuch has to say they will be better, but that’s also far from a guarantee. This was not an early season hiccup. It was a historic collapse one game after the team lost to the New York Islanders. That’s 25 games, so the 11-12-2 record is starting to look representative of what this team is. When asked what made him think this group was capable of learning, Tuch was exasperated.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Where were we a few years ago?” I still think we are light years away from where we were. I still think we are light years ahead individually. I think we’ve added some things that really help us. For most of this year we played a very solid team game. These are the mental errors and slip-ups that we simply must correct. That’s how you win: you minimize your mistakes and maximize your opportunities.

The thing is, the Sabers are not light years from where they were two years ago. Two years ago, they finished with 91 points and missed the playoffs by one point. Several players, including Tuch, set career highs in goals and points. They have since reversed course. After the Sabers finished with 84 points last season, general manager Kevyn Adams fired Don Granato and replaced him with Ruff. He talked more about how the team was in “win now” mode, but then left over $7 million in salary cap space unspent while adding five forwards to the bottom six of the depth chart.

“For me, it was never about that,” Adams said when asked about cap space before the season. “It was about putting together a roster that we think can win.”

And when asked not to add another scorer, Adams replied: “For me, the talent is there. And now the question is, “How do we make sure we’re playing the right way and doing all those little things that help our team get better and the players get better individually?” » We are confident that they will.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Adams has once again relied too much on the internal growth of the Sabres’ young players. Jack Quinn hasn’t scored a goal against a goalie all season. The Avalanche had a 14-3 advantage in scoring chances when Cozens was on the ice at five-on-five. Owen Power was outplayed in front of the Sabers net on the winning goal and finished at minus-3.

Adams was reportedly active on the trade market early in the season, but that didn’t result in any moves to improve the roster. This team is exactly 2 points better than it was through 25 games last season. This is the responsibility of the person who put together the list. It’s also about owner Terry Pegula, who didn’t guide the Sabers to the playoffs in a full season under his watch.

Two days ago, Pegula received a game ball from Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott after clinching their fifth straight AFC East title in a jubilant, snowy atmosphere at Orchard Park. What is Pegula’s plan to host a similar celebration downtown?

(Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen top photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)