The Sabres have struggled to put the puck in the net during their current five-game winless streak. They're 0-3-2 over that stretch and have only scored five goals.
"We've got to find a way to create second and third opportunities. We've got to bear down on the opportunities we do get," captain Brian Gionta said. "But it's collective as a group. It's not on one guy. It's not on one line. We all need to be better and find ways to score more goals, for sure."
Over the last five games, the Sabres have been outscored 16-5.
"I don't think there's any real reason or answer as to why or what has happened. We're playing teams where we're in tight-matched games and we get ourselves in situations where we're making mental lapses," alternate captain Josh Gorges said. "We're not making clean play when we need to. We're not making the smart plays when we need to.
"Part of it is, the confidence to make the right plays and to do the things - we need to get back to believing in what we do, sticking together and playing the right way throughout the whole game."
Two of the games during the current winless streak ended 2-1 and the loss in St. Louis was a 1-1 game heading into the third period. Then, as Gorges referenced, the Sabres made some costly mistakes that St. Louis was able to capitalize on in the third period. Buffalo is 2-2-4 in one-goal games this season.
"I think all the games have felt pretty similar. The ones we've won 2-1 and the ones we've lost 2-1 - we're in the game, we're battling in the game, it's a tight game," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said.
"That's really where we need to play every game at this point in time with the team that we have. That's what they feel like. You feel the same thing again yesterday. We're 1-1 going into the third period and you've got to try to slug out a win with one or two goals. That's kind of how they've felt now for a couple weeks."
