A 1:00 PM start, no Jordan Staal, and an adjusted 11/7 lineup were not a recipe for success Sunday afternoon.
The Carolina Hurricanes fell to Buffalo 4-1 to close out their road trip.
The Canes did not start on time and seemed to be chasing their game all afternoon. Defensive breakdowns and poor positioning were the themes of the loss. Buffalo’s speed, a key factor from the game preview, was on display. The Sabres forced the Hurricanes to chase, and turnovers in the defensive and neutral zone led to chances
on the rush.
Alex Tuch, one of the players to watch, scored a power play goal to give Buffalo the early lead.
It was almost a 2-0 game, but the Sabres were called for goaltender interference.
The good news from today’s game is that, for the second straight game, the Canes scored a power play goal.
The passing was excellent, and the Canes capitalized on a Sabres defenseman interfering with his own goalie. Shayne Gostisbehere’s unassisted tally would end up as the lone goal for Carolina.
The Hurricanes had just 18 shot attempts in the first period and went 10 minutes until their first shot on goal.
Buffalo’s transition game and passing led to their second period goal. The Sabres had great puck movement, and Sean Walker was slow to cover the slot.
The Canes had a couple of great chances on their second period power play, but could not convert.
The Sabres went ahead by two with just under two to play in the second, and did so off another rush. Once he was launched into the Carolina end from a great pinch and pass in the neutral zone, Beck Malenstyn made a great individual move, sidestepping Sebastian Aho to end up one-on-one with Frederik Andersen.
Carolina had better pressure in the third but was unable to capitalize on their chances.
With just under three minutes to go, Carolina pulled Andersen. The Canes had four good chances in the minute after pulling their goalie, but the bounces did not go Carolina’s way.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour called a timeout with 35 seconds left, but just 14 seconds later, Buffalo sealed it with an empty netter.
Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the best player in the third, turning away all 13 shots and 29 of 30 on the day.
The team flies home to Raleigh today and will host the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
First Period
Alex Tuch (8), PPG; R. McLeod (7), J. Doan (8)
Shayne Gostisbehere (2), PPG; Unassisted
Second Period
Jack Quinn (5); R. McLeod (8), J. Zucker (6)
Beck Malenstyn (2); T. Kozak (2), P. Krebs (6)
Third Period
Tage Thompson (12), EN; Z. Benson (9)
