'It doesn't need to be pretty' | 5 takeaways from Sunday's game

Rasmus Ristolainen pointed to the similarities between the Sabres and the two teams that came into KeyBank Center over the past six days.
In an East Division stocked with perennial contenders like Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington, teams like Buffalo, New Jersey, and the New York Rangers are trying to upset their way into the top four. The results of their head-to-head matchups could go a long way.
"They are in similar situations as us," Ristolainen said following a 5-3 loss to the Devils on Sunday. "They haven't had a lot of success lately, and we are the teams that are trying to sneak into the playoff battles.
"These are (such) important games. It doesn't need to be pretty. I just feel like we are (the) better team, we have more skill, but we just need to match the work ethic, and then we just need to win these games. These are important ones."
The Sabres opened the homestand with a convincing win over the Rangers, then found ways to earn points on off nights in their last two games. They nearly managed to do it again Sunday thanks in large part to a strong outing from Ristolainen, who factored in on all three Buffalo goals, but this time the tenacious Devils proved too much to overcome.
Here are five takeaways from the loss.

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Periods bookended by goals against

Michael McLeod jumped behind the Buffalo defense and beat Carter Hutton on a breakaway to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead just 20 seconds into the contest. It turned out to be a sign of things to come.
Four of the Devils' five goals were scored in the first or last minute of a period. Andreas Johnsson put the Devils ahead 2-0 with 16.1 seconds remaining in the first. The Sabres fought back on the strength of goals from Curtis Lazar and Rasmus Dahlin, but Miles Wood regained the lead for the Devils with less than a second remaining prior to the second intermission.
Buffalo managed to tie the game once more on a power-play goal from Ristolainen, but McLeod answered midway through the third period and New Jersey stifled a 6-on-5 attempt at a comeback until Wood eventually found the empty net with eight seconds to play.
"Disastrous," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "The early goal against, the late first period and then the ultra-late second period. Truly unacceptable in those phases of the game when you need to be tight and activate properly defensively and also understand where you are with the game management.
"… All three situations extremely disappointing and if that's the lesson that stops that from happening in future worlds, that's good. We're gonna need to take a look at it right in the eyes. It just adds to the pain of the loss today."

Work smarter, not harder

As Ristolainen alluded to, the speed and tenacity of the Devils stood out from the opening puck drop. Wood, a Buffalo native, forechecked relentlessly and combined with linemates McLeod and Nathan Bastian to carve out long shifts in the Sabres' zone. The trio of Johnsson, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt was equally effective, skating to a 15-6 advantage in shot attempts at 5-on-5.
Krueger credited the Devils for the way they hounded the Sabres but said the difference had more to do with puck management than work ethic.
"I wouldn't say we weren't working," Krueger said. "I don't think we were working smart within the framework we want to work in. Our puck management was really bad tonight. We were playing into their hustle; we were playing into their persistent checking."

Hutton returns after long layoff

Hutton made his first start since taking an elbow to the head from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on Jan. 19. He did not travel with the Sabres for their next road trip in Washington but has dressed as Linus Ullmark's backup for the past three games.
He finished the game with 31 saves on 36 shots, beginning with the breakaway by McLeod. The second goal, from Johnsson, came on a shot from the point that bounced off Hutton and in off the stick of Casey Mittelstadt. Hutton made the first save on Wood's goal, a partial breakaway, but Wood buried the rebound.
"I felt fine," Hutton said. "I think it tests you mentally obviously when the first one goes in right off the bat like that. The second one's frustrating, I still don't really know how that one went in. I kind of fight to find the first one, it's like a rebound and it's in everybody's hands and the next thing you know it went up and over, so that one's frustrating.
"I think, again, the third one, we're doing a good job up zone, he comes in, gets a shot, puts his rebound in. I just try to battle. There's lots of things I can't control. I'm just trying to stay positive and keep working here. I feel good but it's frustrating not winning."

Ristolainen continues to contribute

The Sabres put Ristolainen at the net front on the power play Saturday and saw it pay off with Victor Olofsson's go-ahead goal in the third period. They stuck to that look with Sam Reinhart - who typically plays the net front - out for a second straight game on Sunday.
Once again, it paid dividends. The big-bodied defenseman took away goaltender Eric Comrie's line of sight on Dahlin's power-play goal, which made it a 2-2 game during the second period.

Ristolainen capitalized again on the next power play, this time collecting a desperation pass from a diving Olofsson to the right of the net and roofing the puck for his second goal of the season.

"I know how hard it is to play when there's guys standing in front of the net screening (the) goalie all the time," Ristolainen said. "I can get in the battles a lot and just win those loose pucks and make chaos."
Ristolainen also lofted the shot from the point that Lazar deflected in for Buffalo's first goal during the second period. Buffalo owned a 51.5-percent share of shot attempts with the defenseman on the ice at 5-on-5.
"Risto's in outstanding form thus far this season and much deserved of the extra ice time that he's getting, especially in a role like that," Krueger said.

Lineup notes

In what was perhaps a bit of gamesmanship on the part of the Buffalo coaching staff, the Sabres opened with different lines than what they showed during pregame warmups. Taylor Hall moved back alongside Jack Eichel and Olofsson while Jeff Skinner played on a line with Eric Staal and Dylan Cozens.
Casey Mittelstadt replaced Tage Thompson in the lineup and skated on a line with Lazar and Riley Sheahan.
"I thought Mittelstadt came in and had a really good game," Krueger said. "The Lazar line in general with Sheahan, they really did their job tonight. We seemed to struggle creating the offense we wanted from the other groups.
"But throwing Taylor and Jack together here and there, you like to throw the opposition off balance. They had a lot of O-zone time, they had a lot of opportunities. They just haven't been able to connect for that final product, the goals."
Henri Jokiharju was scratched in favor of Matt Irwin, a move Krueger said was made strictly to avoid playing the defenseman on back-to-back days so soon after his recovery from an upper-body injury. Jokiharju had returned Saturday after missing the prior two games.
"He will be fully available after this day today," Krueger said. "We expect him back in the lineup Tuesday night."