Sabres unable to overcome 2nd-period mistakes in Minnesota

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – JJ Peterka scored for the second straight game, but the Buffalo Sabres fell 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

The Sabres fell to 1-2-0 on their four-game road trip, which concludes Sunday in Winnipeg.

Following a tightly contested first period, Minnesota pulled ahead with three goals scored in a span of 7:15 during the second. Marco Rossi ignited the run just 56 seconds into the period with an open shot from the slot, set up from behind the goal line by Yakov Trenin.

“We got caught in a little bit of a long shift right off the start of the second,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Our D didn’t get off the ice and I think when you’re going back slow, we didn’t find coverage right away, didn’t get to the puck. That kind of set the tone for the period.”

Justin Brazeau scored the second Minnesota goal off a rebound that bounced in the crease, which Brazeau pushed over the goal line with his right skate. Mats Zuccarello scored the third goal as the third man in on a rush.

The three goals in quick succession proved to be enough for the Wild, who entered the afternoon with a 27-0-0 record when leading after two periods.

“It’s been a part that has killed us (this season) when all of a sudden we give up a couple quick ones,” Ruff said.

The Sabres had multiple chances to pull ahead in the first period but were held off the board by goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who entered the game as one of the NHL’s hottest goaltenders. Gustavsson was 5-2-1 with a .939 save percentage in March and had posted a 34-save shutout in his most recent start against Seattle. He previously posted a 39-save shut out in Buffalo on Nov. 27.

Tage Thompson deked his way to the slot but was turned away by Gustavsson’s skate on one of the Sabres’ first-period chances. Another saw Ryan McLeod, who carried a five-game point streak into the contest, miss wide on a power-play attempt from beside the net.

“I thought we played a model first period,” Ruff said. “The difference was their mistakes that they made. … We didn’t make them pay. We could’ve made them pay.”

Peterka finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to put the Sabres on the board in the third period. The goal was Peterka’s second in as many games since returning from a lower-body injury.

Frederik Gaudreau ended the Sabres’ comeback bid with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining.

Here’s more from the loss.

1. Sam Lafferty did not return for the third period due to a groin injury. Ruff said Lafferty is unlikely to play Sunday in Winnipeg.

2. Buffalo dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to the absence of Jack Quinn, who Ruff said missed a morning team meeting and did not play as a result.

“Over the years of coaching, I’ve seen it numerous times,” Ruff said. “So, it’s not alarming, but inexcusable.”

3. The 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup opened the door for Jacob Bernard-Docker to make his Sabres debut. The right-shot defenseman was acquired from Ottawa along with Josh Norris ahead of the trade deadline and had to settle visa issues before joining the team on the ice for practice March 14.

Bernard-Docker skated 11:29 and saw time alongside each of the Sabres’ five left-shot defensemen, with Bowen Byram (3:25) and Rasmus Dahlin (3:18) serving as his most frequent partners.

“For me, playing on the right side of any of those guys, it’s just trying to put the puck in their hands and kind of just be a safety net for them and hopefully be a good partner for one of them,” Bernard-Docker said. “That’s the goal.”

4. Buffalo went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, improving to 9-for-9 over the last four games.

Up next

The road trip concludes Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg. Coverage on MSG begins at 2:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 3.