Sabres hope to take lessons from Prospects Challenge loss to Bruins

Following a night in which they put on a show in front of a sellout crowd at Harborcenter, the Buffalo Sabres were unable to generate offense against an experienced Boston Bruins team in their second game of the Prospects Challenge on Saturday.
While the outcome was unfavorable - a 3-1 loss - the lesson was valuable. Rochester Americans coach Chris Taylor said afterward that the difference between this outing and the one 24 hours prior, when the Sabres put up six goals against New Jersey, came down to his players simply trying to do too much.
"That was a good team," Taylor said. "It was very valuable. A team like that, you can't turn pucks over at the blue line, they're going to come back at you. Like I said, a lot of individualized play for us. I didn't think we were as physical, especially in front of the net. We couldn't sustain to be there.
"We had a couple good shots there, a couple rebounds. We've got to fight a little bit harder to get to those areas and get those second and third opportunities."

The Sabres met a Bruins roster that features seven players with full seasons of AHL experience under their belt, a valuable experience for Buffalo's younger players. The Bruins were tenacious and physical, limiting the Sabres' time and space to create plays.
Frederic Trent and Kuhlman Karlson scored first-period goals for the Bruins, and Karlson added another with the Buffalo net empty in the game's last minute.
"This was a very quick game tonight," Taylor said. "It was quicker than last night. I thought there was more pace to it. Boston, they're a good team. I knew they were going to be good, but I didn't know they were going to be this good. They frustrated our guys. It was very evident that they were frustrating us."
Taylor felt his players gave into that frustration by trying to create plays on their own. The Sabres created offense by taking what was given to them in their victory over the Devils on Friday, shooting to create rebounds and finding the open man when necessary.
"I think a lot of players want to make the play that puts their team ahead," forward Tage Thompson said. "Sometimes if you try too hard and try to do things on your own, it can end up costing you. I think I was a factor in that today a couple times, had a few turnovers that put us in bad situations.
"But we're not in the season yet so it's all about learning, having fun and trying new things out there. I think that's where you learn what works and what doesn't."

The Sabres have a chance to rebound in their Prospects Challenge finale against Pittsburgh on Monday, and Taylor will be looking for his team to put Saturday's lessons to good use.
"The biggest thing for me is take away from tonight's game with the individual play and use each other," Taylor said. "You can't go down one-on-three on guys and expect good things to happen. You've got to use each other.
"… We're going to show that on video. It's good lessons. Because if you do that in the NHL, it's going to be back in your end and back in your net. It's a good learning process and I'm glad it's happening now."

Luukkonen impresses

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was impressive in his first start of the Prospects Challenge, stopping 28 of the 30 shots he faced. Taylor said he thought the second-round pick from 2017 looked calm while making the most of his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame.
"He's confident, you can tell that," Taylor said. "But again, he looked big. He looked in control of what he was doing. He didn't look sloppy, he didn't look like he was just going side-to-side. He looked like he was in much control."

Glotov's goal

Vasily Glotov has put his offensive skills on display at the Prospects Challenge before, and he managed to score Buffalo's only goal of the game in the first period after sitting out on Friday. Glotov deked his way between two defenders in the slot, then buried a shot from in-tight.

Glotov is entering his first pro season after signing a one-year AHL contract during the summer. The Prospects Challenge serves as his first chance to make an impression.
"It's a big opportunity for me," he said. "It's my first pro year. I need to impress coaches, I need to impress management doing my best and have a shot at main camp."

Up next

The Sabres conclude the Prospects Challenge against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Tickets are still available, or you can stream the game live in-market on Sabres.com.