Postgame Report | Granato lauds Sabres' response in loss to Panthers

Don Granato paid close attention to the body language of the Buffalo Sabres as they fell behind against an aggressive, antagonistic, and highly skilled Florida Panthers team on Saturday.
What he saw - in his words - was a group of players that were "pissed off" and willing to do something about it.
"I loved that response," Granato said after Buffalo's 4-3 loss at KeyBank Center. "I thought this was an outstanding game two to have with a level this competitive. It showed a lot out of our guys. It's exactly what we needed and it's the best way to get better."
The Sabres' comeback effort ultimately fell short, but the response to adversity was reason for encouragement. Buffalo weathered a first-period push from Florida, answered quickly after falling behind 2-1 and 4-2, and answered when the Panthers engaged physically.

The anger spilled over into an 11-person scrum after the final horn sounded, with Rasmus Dahlin at the center of it.
"I can't wait to play that team again," Granato said. "There's a fire in our guys that burned hotter every moment in that game. Lots of great opportunity for us to look at that film and see what we left on the table."

Dahlin and Alex Tuch each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres. Zemgus Girgensons also scored. Eric Comrie made 33 saves in his Sabres debut.
Here's the breakdown of Game 2.

How it happened

PERIOD 1
The Sabres weathered an aggressive start from the Panthers, who generated the first seven shots on goal, thanks in large part to their goaltender.
Comrie's first save as a Sabre was a pad stop that robbed Sam Bennett less than two minutes into the contest. His 14-save period also included a post-to-post save to stop an Aaron Ekblad one-timer and a glove save against Sam Reinhart on a 2-on-1 rush.
Buffalo capitalized on Florida's aggression for its first goal, which saw Henri Jokiharju hit Tuch with an outlet pass and Tuch speed past the defense before scoring off his backhand.

"I was screaming and as soon as I screamed I saw his head pop right up so I knew just to take off," Tuch said of the feed from Jokiharju. "He feathered it up there nicely to me, put me right in stride so I didn't have to break stride and saw the defenseman go down,
The Panthers took the lead on goals from White and Tkachuk, but Girgensons wired a shot from the right faceoff circle to send the teams into intermission tied, 2-2.

PERIOD 2
The Panthers pulled ahead thanks to a pair of power-play goals and a highlight-reel save from Spencer Knight, who flashed the leather to rob Jeff Skinner early in the period.
Ekblad scored the go-ahead goal 2:31 into the period, finding open ice and delivering a shot through net-front traffic. Brandon Montour pounced on a rebound to make it 4-1.

Dahlin gave the Sabres life before the end of the period, collecting a pass from Tuch in the slot and sending a shot to the far-side corner with 59 seconds on the clock.
PERIOD 3
The penalties kept coming in the third - high-sticking against Peyton Krebs, followed by interference against Montour and tripping against Bennett all in a span of 38 seconds.
The Panthers killed off the Sabres' power play, which included 24 seconds at 5-on-3, to preserve the lead and finish 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. They limited the Sabres to five shots in the period, though it was not for a lack of effort.
"We responded, which is key, especially with where we're at being as young as we are, regaining an identity with the compete," Granato said. "I loved that response. I thought this was an outstanding game two to have with a level this competitive. It showed a lot out of our guys. It's exactly what we needed and it's the best way to get better."

What we learned

1. Girgensons credited Comrie with keeping the Sabres in the game early.
"I think he was outstanding today," Girgensons said. "He made huge saves for us. In the first period, I think it could've been way different if he didn't stand tall in the net."
2. With the secondary helper on Tuch's goal, Comrie became the first goaltender in Sabres history to record an assist in his team debut.
3. The Sabres were outscored 22-11 in four games against the Panthers - who led the NHL in goals and won the Presidents' Trophy - last season.
Tuch described how the first meeting between the Atlantic Division opponents felt different this time around.
"I thought we had a good pushback," he said. "I really thought we did. I thought we had a lot of effort from a lot of different guys. Just got away from us a little bit but, you know what, it's a good learning experience, especially for the young guys, play a team that good 4-3, I think it was a good step. I think last year we probably would have sat back a little bit. It's different. It definitely felt different."

4.Tuch played the third period on a line with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner, reuniting a trio that was together often last season.
"We have 14 forwards that are interchangeable on this team, can play all the way up and down the lineup," Tuch said. "I think we have a lot of guys with a lot of skill and a lot of grit and a lot of work ethic. Doesn't matter who you're playing with, you don't have to change the way you're playing."
5. JJ Peterka earned the primary assist on Girgensons' goal after scoring in the season opener on Thursday. He's the 10th rookie in franchise history to tally points in each of the first two games of a season and the first to do so since Victor Olofsson in 2019.

Up next

The Sabres hit the West Coast for a four-game road trip beginning in Edmonton on Tuesday. Coverage on MSG begins at 8:30 p.m. The puck drops at 9.