PREVIEW: Blue Jackets end road swing with game at Buffalo

BLUE JACKETS (9-6-0) at SABRES (7-8-2)

But for one of the few times this year, head coach Brad Larsen was left flummoxed by what he saw out of his team two nights ago against Vegas. After dominating the first 20 minutes to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room, Columbus was outplayed on the way to dropping a 3-2 final against the Golden Knights.
Afterward, Larsen admitted he wasn't sure where that showing came from, as the Blue Jackets not only stacked mistakes upon mistakes but also saw the Golden Knights win the battles as well.
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"When you start turning pucks over and forcing things and then you're not competitive at the puck, you're chasing it," Larsen said. "And that's what happened. They took over, and we couldn't match the competitiveness. That's what's frustrating. Because we've done a good job in that area, and tonight we weren't there -- not even close."
Perhaps the biggest encapsulation of what went wrong came with the Jackets holding a 2-1 lead and going on the power play early in the third period. But instead of extending the lead, Columbus saw things quickly go downhill, as a cross-ice pass by veteran Jakub Voracek was intercepted by Reilly Smith and ended up in the back of the CBJ net on the ensuing breakaway. Moments later, Vegas had another breakaway when Gus Nyquist's pass couldn't find the intended target, but at least Elvis Merzlikins was able to stop that one.
Still, it was the forced plays and mental miscues that left Larsen wondering what happened after the game.
"This isn't from the kids, that's from our veteran guys," Larsen said. "We were forcing plays that weren't there. The stuff that we were doing, I don't know what happened. If I knew what happened, I would have stopped it. It's just a frustration. You're forcing plays that aren't there and just feeding into it.
"Give them credit. This isn't taking anything away from Vegas. They played hard, and we did not play the right way."
But if there's good news in hockey, it's that there's always a chance a day or two later to get right back at it. That will happen tonight in Buffalo, and if it's any consolation, the Blue Jackets know went wrong in Vegas and the way they have to play to get back on the right track against the Sabres.
"I think we're a team that has to get pucks in and get on the forecheck and create chances that way," defenseman Zach Werenski said. "Obviously if there's plays there we can make them, but it seemed like (against Vegas) we were forcing too many plays, not really playing our game, feeding into what they like to do. And they made us pay for it."

Know the Foe

As anyone who follows hockey knows, it's been a tough run of seasons for the Sabres, who haven't made the playoffs since 2010-11 and have gone through so many iterations of rebuilds and false hope that you can't blame fans in one of hockey's proudest markets for reaching their breaking point.
It appears that is what has happened so far, as the prolonged saga around franchise center Jack Eichel this summer was the final straw for many. That's at least true when it comes to attendance, as just 7,902 fans per game are attending contests in KeyBank Center, by far the lowest total in the NHL.
Yet you could also argue there's some hope on the horizon. The Sabres got two draft picks plus prospect Peyton Krebs (17th overall pick in 2019) and veteran Alex Tuch in the Eichel deal, while head coach Don Granato -- a former Columbus chill player and coach -- seems to be the right guy at the right time for the franchise.
The Sabres got off to a decent start amid all that is going on, posting a 5-1-1 mark out of the gate before reality has caught up with them a little bit. Since then, Buffalo is 2-7-1, including a last-second 5-4 loss to the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. That has left the team sixth in the Atlantic Division but still in contention should things turn around a bit.
In all, the team stats show a squad still making progress on the way to becoming a good team, as the squad is 17th in scoring (2.82 goals per game), 24th in team defense (3.18 goals allowed per game), 15th in power play (19.2 percent) and 21st in penalty kill (78.3 percent)
While not one player has taken over starring duties after the Eichel trade, there has been depth in scoring, with 10 different players scoring at least eight points but none with more than 11. Tage Thomspon (5-6-11) and Rasmus Asplund (5-6-11) are tied for the team lead in points, while Victor Olofsson came off injured reserve Sunday after missing eight games and has a 5-5-10 line.
Kyle Okposo (4-6-10) and 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin (3-7-10) are also in double digits in scoring, while Jeff Skinner and Colin Murray each have nine points and Zemgus Girgensons, rookie and 2019 first-round pick Dylan Cozens and Vinnie Hinostroza each have eight.
With top prospect Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen still gaining experience in AHL Rochester, three different goalies have started games. Dustin Tokarski leads the way with a 3-4-2 record, 3.07 GAA and .909 save percentage in nine starts, while 40-year-old veteran Craig Anderson is 4-2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .921 save percentage in six starts but is out with an upper-body injury. Aaron Dell (4.32/.861) has played in three games.