5 takeaways | Special teams falter in shutout loss to Penguins

Carter Hutton stopped all but one of the 31 shots he faced, but the Buffalo Sabres offense was shut out in a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center on Saturday.
The loss extended Buffalo's winless streak to 10 games (0-8-2). Hutton, who has started five of those games, said afterward that it may be as difficult a team stretch as he has experienced in the NHL.
"It's hard to describe right now, truthfully," Hutton said.

Sabres coach Ralph Krueger echoed the goaltender's sentiment.
"I really enjoy challenges as a leader, but this is one of the toughest that I've seen," Krueger said.
"We feel like we have a group that's extremely engaged and we come into a game day like today with a good spirit in the morning, we set the game up and somehow we're just not able to push it over the line offensively."
Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. Penguins win on special teams

The Sabres were able to keep pace with the Penguins in what was a low-event contest at even strength. The Penguins held slight edges in shot attempts (44-41) and scoring chances (19-18) at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Special teams were the difference. Jake Guentzel put the Penguins on the board just 10 seconds into their first power play of the night, batting in his own rebound with 3:23 remaining in the second period. The other two Penguins goals were scored into an empty net during the final minute of regulation.
Buffalo went 0-for-2 on the power play, falling to 0-for-15 over the past nine games.
"The power play, I thought, needed to create a lot more and was very impatient," Krueger said. "They were pressuring us and we were hurrying it."

2. DeSmith shuts the door

When the Sabres did generate chances, Casey DeSmith was there to shut the door. DeSmith made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season, including a swiping glove save on a put-back attempt by Brandon Montour that could have tied the game during the third period.
"It sucks losing, everyone knows it," Montour said. "Obviously, it's tough here right now, but the only way to get out of it is the guys in the group right now and, I mean, no excuses. That's, what, 10 in a row now? Close or not, you know, they had two empty nets tonight, but we didn't score a goal. So, we're not going to win games not scoring goals."

3. Hutton steps up in return

The Sabres had given three straight starts to goaltender Jonas Johansson, a decision Krueger said was made deliberately to get a look at the 25-year-old in a condensed setting. Hutton said he supported his younger counterpart while remaining competitive and eager to get back in the net.
The results were positive Saturday. Hutton stopped Teddy Blueger on a shorthanded breakaway during the first period and was steady throughout the 30-save performance.
"I just try to chip away here," Hutton said. "I know that I haven't been good enough lately and it's something that weighs on me, right? I'm a pro, I take pride in competing and hopefully it can just keep rolling forward here and find a way to just be better as a whole."

4. Lineup notes

Tobias Rieder stepped back into the lineup after being scratched on Thursday. He joined a line with Victor Olofsson and Eric Staal and tallied a team-high four shots in 13:34. The Sabres held an 11-7 edge in shot attempts with the trio of Rieder, Staal, and Olofsson on the ice at 5-on-5.
Brandon Davidson also joined the lineup on defense in place of Henri Jokiharju, who was loaned to the taxi squad. Davison skated 15:31 and played primarily on a defense pair with Colin Miller.

5. The big picture

The Sabres get a breather on Sunday, then have another daunting week ahead. It begins with back-to-back games, at home against Washington on Monday and in New Jersey on Tuesday.
Coverage on Monday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. Puck drop is scheduled for 7.