Comrie, Girgensons exit loss to Senators early with injuries

OTTAWA - Eric Comrie sustained an injury during the second period of the Sabres' 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
Comrie was slow to get up following a collision with Ottawa forward Mathieu Joseph with 10:16 remaining in the middle period. He remained in the game for the next three minutes, during which time Senators forward Brady Tkachuk scored the go-ahead goal on a carom off the end boards.
Craig Anderson, returning to Ottawa for the first time as a member of the Sabres, entered in relief and made 14 saves on 15 shots.
"He's going to be out for a little bit but we obviously got to get a further look on him," Granato said afterward regarding Comrie, who has started 11 of Buffalo's 17 games this season.
Zemgus Girgensons also did not play in the third period due to an injury. Granato did not have an update on his status afterward.
Tage Thompson scored a power-play goal for the Sabres in the loss to extend his point streak to six games, matching his career high.
The Sabres and Senators combined to take 15 penalties. Buffalo went 1-for-8 on the power play, generating six shots on goal; Ottawa went 1-for-5. Buffalo has now lost seven games in a row, all in regulation.

#

How it happened

PERIOD 1
Girgensons set the tone for the period when he drew a double-minor penalty for high-sticking on an early forecheck, the first of five power plays the Sabres would earn in the first 20 minutes.
The Senators interrupted the Sabres' power play by drawing their own penalty, a hook against Joseph after the forward forced a turnover to create an odd-man rush. The Senators went on to kill all five Sabres power plays, the final two of which bled into the second period.
Ottawa took the lead at 9:45 of the period when Austin Watson had an initial shot attempt blocked from the high slot. Watson corralled the bounce and picked the corner.
PERIOD 2
Thompson put the Sabres ahead on their sixth power play of the night, burying a one-timer from the left faceoff circle.

The Sabres drew a penalty for their seventh power play shortly after, but it was negated 33 seconds in by a double-minor penalty against Jeff Skinner. (Travis Hamonic also received a minor penalty, the result of a scrum in the Ottawa zone.) Tkachuk put the Senators back in front on their ensuing power play.
Anderson entered the game in relief for Comrie with 6:52 remaining.
PERIOD 3
The Sabres killed two penalties in the period as they pushed for the tying goal.
JJ Peterka came the closest, sending a shot off the far-side post less than three minutes into the period.
Ottawa extended its lead to 3-1 with 5:39 remaining. Joseph was on the receiving end of a rebound in the high slot and made a quick pass to Alex DeBrincat, who buried a one-timer.
Tim Stutzle scored on an empty net with 40.2 seconds remaining.

What we learned

1. Rasmus Dahlin was asked about the lack of success on the power play, which had scored in eight straight games but is 1-for-13 over the last three contests.
"I think we're gripping the stick too much," he said. "We have our chances but we can't really execute right now. We need more swagger to our game. I don't know how many chances, but we had a ton today."
2. That the Sabres drew eight penalties was a testament to their compete, which Dahlin and Granato both felt improved significantly from their loss at home to Vancouver on Tuesday.
"Way better," Dahlin said. "But we couldn't put the puck in the net and that's what hockey's all about. But our compete and our effort was better today."
Dahlin kept his focus forward when asked about the Sabres' current stretch.
"We just have to go back to work," he said. "We have, whatever, 65 games left. It's a long season. When we get our swagger back I'm sure it's going to be great."
3. Thompson's 12th goal of the season moved him into a tie with Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov for third in the NHL, behind Edmonton's Connor McDavid (15) and Vancouver's Bo Horvat (14).
4. Anders Bjork made his season debut, stepping in at forward for Riley Sheahan. Bjork was recalled from Rochester on Tuesday after tallying six points (3+3) in 11 games with the Amerks.
5. The Senators aired a video tribute welcoming Anderson back to Ottawa during a stoppage in the first period. Anderson was back in Canadian Tire Centre for the first time as a visitor since ending his 10-season run with the Senators in 2020.
Anderson is Ottawa's all-time leaders in wins and games played by a goaltender.

"Just try not to be emotional," Anderson said when asked about the tribute. "I think I spent a lot of time here and seeing some of the memories was nice to kind of flash back on. But I think it's in the past. I definitely enjoyed it. It was a great part of my life, a great time in my life, so I'm thankful for that. So, like I said, it was great to kind of relive the moment and kind of be remembered. It was nice."

Up next

The Sabres meet the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time this season on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops on MSG and WGR 550 at 7.