5 takeaways | Sabres' winless streak extends with loss to Bruins

Don Granato laid out simple terms for what he hopes to see from the Buffalo Sabres moving forward following a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in his first game as interim head coach on Thursday.
"More pace," Granato said. "More pace, simple. I felt today we established at least within our own game a decent pace and we didn't sustain it.
"… Now you look into that and say, 'OK, how can we sustain it?' It might be better puck management. Did we mismanage pucks tonight that cost us more energy in getting them back? When you mismanage the puck, you put yourself in a bad position and you expend more energy to recover. They all tie in."
Kyle Okposo scored the lone Sabres goal shorthanded, erasing a 1-0 deficit early in the second period, but the Bruins responded with unanswered goals from Jake DeBrusk, Craig Smith, and David Pastrnak. Shots were in the Bruins' favor, 37-24.
The loss extended Buffalo's winless streak to 13 games (0-11-2).
Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. The leadup

The circumstances were less than ideal for a team playing its first game under a new coach. The Sabres relieved Ralph Krueger of his duties Wednesday, a scheduled day off for the players. A member of the team's hockey staff tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, forcing the team to cancel its morning skate and temporarily putting the game in limbo.
Granato finally met with the players at 5 p.m., around two hours prior to puck drop.
"There was no time to really make changes," Okposo said. "We had a longer meeting before the game but we just tried to go out there and work and play with our instincts. … It was a tough one. Obviously, the circumstances were a bit unique today but the result was the same. It's not OK."

2. Bruins capitalize on turnovers, special teams

Boston spent long stretches in the Buffalo zone, particularly when its talented top line of Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand was on the ice. Shot attempts were 12-2 in Boston's favor with the trio on the ice at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"I don't think we executed very well tonight coming out of our zone," Okposo said. "Can't turn pucks over in your defensive zone against that team, especially against their top guys. I thought we just - we did too much of that tonight and it cost us."
An attempted breakout pass from Okposo was intercepted to set up Smith's goal, which extended the Boston lead to 3-1 late during the second period. Other long shifts in the Buffalo zone ended with penalties, paving the way for a 2-for-5 night on the power play for Boston.

3. Okposo nets goal No. 1

Granato said he was pleased to see Okposo earn his first goal of the season, a shorthanded shot from atop the right faceoff circle that glided in off a defender's stick.

"He's as hard a worker as there is off the ice and between games in all areas," Granato said. "So, when you see a guy compete and gives what he gives, yes, it is an added extra boost as a coach to know that he put the work in and now he was rewarded for it."

4. Fans return to KeyBank Center

The Sabres played in front of hometown crowd for the first time this season, with roughly 700 frontline workers and guests of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center invited to attend the team's annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
Watch the pregame ceremony, which spotlights the courageous story of local educator Mary Guevara, below.

5. The big picture

The Sabres will have their first practice under Granato on Friday before hosting the Bruins again on Saturday afternoon.
"The bottom line is we need to go forward," Granato said. "We need to demand more, obviously, push harder, all of us - coaches, players, everybody. And practice is another opportunity to do just those things."