Two teams looking to turn things around will face off in Buffalo on Wednesday night when the Sabres host the New York Rangers.
The Sabres are in the middle of a seven-game losing streak, which is the longest active streak in the NHL. They are tied with the Nashville Predators, who will play Calgary on Tuesday night, for the longest current drought. Both teams have also lost three games in overtime or a shootout during their losing streaks.
Buffalo’s streak has been frustrating for the youngest team in the NHL. In Monday’s 6-5 shootout loss to Detroit, the Sabres were ahead 3-2 after the first period and 5-3 after the second, with goals from Jason Zucker and team leader Tage Thompson. However, the Red Wings tied the game in the third period and forced overtime.
Buffalo has had the lead after the first period in five games during the losing streak and has led after two periods in two of those games. The losing streak has led to fans booing the Sabres loudly during their home games.
After practice on Tuesday, coach Lindy Ruff spoke to reporters and said the team didn’t make the right choices as the Red Wings applied pressure, which has been a problem throughout the streak.
“We were making some good plays,” the coach said. “We just didn’t get comfortable enough when they were trying to stress us out by pinching down the walls and coming at us.”
The losing streak has also coincided with a poor stretch from Buffalo’s power play. Since the game in Anaheim on Nov. 22, the Sabres have scored just one power-play goal in 24 opportunities. Before that, they had scored at least one power-play goal in 10 of their previous 11 games.
While Buffalo is tied for the longest current losing streak, the Rangers will come into Wednesday’s game with the worst record in their last 10 games (2-8-0).
This rough stretch has come during a difficult time for the Rangers. Last Friday, they traded defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba to Anaheim for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, who is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and a draft pick. The Rangers had been trying to trade Trouba since the offseason.
The Rangers lost at home on Monday for the second time in as many days. They only managed a short-handed goal from Will Cuylle in a 2-1 loss to Chicago, which is tied with Nashville at the bottom of the standings. The loss was met with boos from the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
After the game, Laviolette spoke to reporters and said he understood the fans’ frustration. Whatever is causing the team’s poor performance, he said, needs to be fixed in the locker room.
“There’s been some positive signs inside the room, (but) not (Monday),” he said. “… I thought the intention in the first was good. The execution was off, and both slipped in the second and third.”
Ruff said the Sabres might welcome Mattias Samuelsson back into the lineup on Wednesday. Samuelsson has been dealing with a lower-body injury and last played on Nov. 11.
Ruff also said that Rasmus Dahlin is “progressing” as he recovers from back spasms that have kept him out since Dec. 3, but he did not give a timeline for when the defenseman might return.
