Sabres unable to overcome slow start in loss to Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS – Lindy Ruff pointed to a slow start and poor puck decisions as the deciding factors in the Buffalo Sabres’ 6-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

The Sabres, playing the second game of a back-to-back set, fell behind 2-0 during the first period. They pulled within one during a second period that saw the two teams combine for five goals, but Zach Aston-Reese scored 15 seconds into the third to restore the Blue Jackets’ lead.

“They won more battles,” Ruff said when asked about the start of the game. “I talked to the team about that after the first period. They were quicker, they were stronger on pucks. So, it’s a will. The [50-50 battles are] a will, the will to hang onto it in the O-zone.

“I think when we got going in the second period, we saw what it looked like. But the start of the game like that, there’s no excuse for it.”

The Sabres were outshot 9-4 during the first period. Yegor Chinakov scored a one-timer on the power play to put the Blue Jackets on the board 5:12 into the game, then Kirill Marchenko doubled the lead with 31.2 seconds left in the period.

“They came out hungrier than us, simple as that,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “We’ve got to win our battles, we’ve got to play a little more desperate. I have to be better.”

Ruff’s battle-focused message took hold in the second period, which saw the Sabres receive goals from Ryan McLeod, Jiri Kulich, and Owen Power. But the Blue Jackets responded to two of those goals almost immediately – Adam Fantilli scored on a rebound less than three minutes after McLeod put the Sabres on the board, then Mathieu Olivier scored on the rush just 29 seconds after Kulich netted his first career goal.

Ruff attributed the goals against to puck decisions from the Sabres defense that were uncharacteristic in their two recent home games but started to appear for stretches in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, when they lost 6-5 in overtime.

“Plays that we didn’t make for a couple of games,” Ruff said. “Then all of a sudden, we’ve made some ill-advised plays. It creates momentum for the other team.”

Dahlin emphasized the need to stay patient when trailing.

“When we’re down a goal, we’ve just got to keep grinding,” Dahlin said. “We can’t force stuff, or, I can’t force stuff. You know we have 20 minutes to score one goal, we’ve just got to stay with it. We can’t get in our heads.”

Power’s goal, a one-timer off a shot from Dahlin, brought the Sabres back within one with 25 seconds left to play in the second period. The Blue Jackets answered again, however, when Aston-Reese scored on a deflection 15 seconds into the third. Damon Severson added to the lead less than eight minutes later.

The Blue Jackets finished with a 25-24 edge in shots. Devon Levi made 19 saves.

Here’s more from the loss to Columbus.

1. Jiri Kulich entered the lineup in place of Jack Quinn and scored his first NHL goal on a deflection of a shot taken from the point by Dylan Cozens.

Kulich, 20, made the roster out of training camp after leading Rochester in goals each of the past two seasons. He played his first game of the season – and his second game ever in the NHL – in his native Czechia during Buffalo’s second game of the NHL Global Series earlier this month.

Ruff said pregame on Thursday that he had seen Kulich progress through his first three games this season.

“I think he understands a little better what the NHL game is about, the speed you have to play at, the plays you have to make when you’re under pressure, where your options are,” Ruff said. “So, I think that’s his growth. We know he’s got a bomb for a shot, and I’ve said that his ceiling in this league is kind of unlimited with the tools he has.”

2. JJ Peterka scored late with the Sabres’ net empty, his third goal in two games since returning from a concussion. Peterka previously scored twice in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

3. The Sabres fell to 1-4-1 with the loss. Alex Tuch emphasized the need to keep their focus on the next game, the finale of their three-game road trip in Chicago on Saturday.

“It's game by game,” Tuch said. “Working on Chicago, working on getting ready for that game, starting with tonight, getting your rest tomorrow, getting ready to go mentally and physically. It's a different Chicago team than we've seen the last couple of years. They brought in a lot of vets. They're going to be a really good hockey team. It's gonna be really good challenge for us.

“Able to come away off of a three-game road trip with three out of six points isn't great, but it's not the worst thing in the world, so that's what our goal is right now. That's it.”

Up next

The road trip concludes on Saturday in Chicago. Pregame coverage on MSG begins at 7:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 8.