Although they had just stood toe-to-toe with one of the NHL's top teams for most of 60 minutes, the positives were of little consolation to the Buffalo Sabres following a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at KeyBank Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Sabres outshot the Jets, 36-29, and played the Central Division leaders to a 1-1 tie until late in the third period. Blake Wheeler buried a backdoor feed from Josh Morrissey with 3:55 remaining to give the Jets the lead, and Mark Scheifele added an empty-net goal in the game's dying seconds.
"It's a tough one," alternate captain Kyle Okposo said. "They made a play when it mattered. That's it. I thought we outplayed them for most of the game. They had their chances, but they made a play when it mattered."
Sabres come up short in tight contest with Jets
Eichel's scores Buffalo's lone goal in 3-1 loss
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