3 Takeaways From the Sabres’ 4-0 Loss to the Stars

The Buffalo Sabres entered Thursday night riding high after a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. They are hitting a tough stretch in the schedule, including Thursday night’s matchup with one of the Western Conference’s premier contenders, the Dallas Stars.

Every team, no matter how good, has “one of those nights.” That was this game for the Sabres. Nothing seemed to go right, and the game was over by the latter stages of the second period. Let’s get into the takeaways from the Sabres’ 4-0 loss to the Stars.

Luukkonen Is Not the Answer

One thing should be made clear immediately right off the bat: this game was not 100% on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s shoulders. Having said that, he is clearly not the answer in net. The Sabres gave him his third start of the season, and it was the third time he was absolutely mediocre.

He only stopped 14 of 18 shots on the night, including a few that he should have had. He has been completely average, and it’s time to give Colten Ellis a prolonged shot. We’re still not sure when Alex Lyon is coming back, but Luukkonen has had numerous chances at this point.

Goaltending has been a clear weak spot, and the Sabres are bottom 10 in the NHL in goals against per game. Defensive lapses have made things tougher, but this isn’t working with Luukkonen. If the Connor Hellebuyck trade is still on the table, the Sabres need to pursue it aggressively.

The Third Line Needs to Wake Up

The Sabres’ third line of Ryan McLeod, Josh Norris, and Konsta Helenius has been shifted around a bit but has otherwise been invisible through the first four games of the season. McLeod and Norris have faced their share of criticism in the past, and this start hasn’t done anything to abate it.

The trio has a collective one goal and two assists in four games and a nasty minus-eight rating between them. It is still early in the season – there are 80 games to go – but it is a troubling start that limits Buffalo’s previously formidable depth.

Head coach Lindy Ruff hasn’t been shy about moving guys around, so they may not be long for this world as a trio. Josh Doan is working through an injury and is playing lower in the lineup as a result. When he gets healthy, he may push one of them down to the fourth line, which probably won’t do much for their production.

The Power Play Is an Albatross

While goaltending is clearly an issue, it can’t hold a candle to the issues facing the power play. The Sabres went 0-for-3 against the Stars, bringing their run up to 0-for-13 to begin the season. They are the only team in the NHL to not have a goal with the man advantage.

If the power play can’t get figured out, it may be time to apply more realistic expectations for this season. The team defense feels fixable, but we are going on several seasons of power play ineptitude. They’ve shifted personnel numerous times, and nothing works.

Getting Jason Zucker back from injury will help, but it may only be good enough to take this unit from completely inept to simply “bad.” They need to figure it out because it is going to cost them multiple games this season as it stands.

A Rebound on Saturday Is Critical

This is the kind of game that’s best forgotten immediately. The Sabres have a tough slate with the Utah Mammoth and Florida Panthers at home before playing the Montreal Canadiens (twice) and Toronto Maple Leafs on the road.

They need to come out with a fire underneath them against Utah, or things could start to slide quickly. It’s a long season, but it would be preferable if they didn’t have another slow start.