Sam Reinhart scored to an establish an early lead and Linus Ullmark was steady in his return to the net, but a lopsided third period was the difference for the Buffalo Sabres in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday.
The Sabres entered the second intermission with a 2-1 lead on the strength of goals from Reinhart and Kyle Okposo. Nick Ritchie tied the game early in the third period and Craig Smith scored the winning goal with 3:50 remaining. The Bruins played to a 15-3 shot advantage over the final 20 minutes.
The loss extended Buffalo’s winless streak to 17 games (0-15-2).
Here are five takeaways.
Video: Condensed Game: Sabres @ Bruins
1. Bruins make a third-period push
The Sabres held an advantage in 5-on-5 shot attempts (27-25) and high-danger attempts (5-3) over the first 40 minutes, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. The Bruins finished the game on top in both categories thanks to a dominant third period.
“We were not as aggressive as we needed to be, collectively,” Sabres interim head coach Don Granato said. “We just weren’t moving as a group of five well enough. We did that, we got into a rhythm to start the game and in the third, just in my head here, we were not moving as a unit. They elevated their intensity; we didn’t elevate as we should have.”
Ritchie buried a loose puck for the game-tying goal after defenseman Charlie McAvoy put on a one-man show in the Buffalo zone, circling with the puck before tossing it to the front off the leg of Rasmus Ristolainen.
Smith drove from end to end with the puck on the play that led to his winning goal. He passed across to Ritchie and then found space on the back side to bury a loose puck.
“I know our guys will not like how it even came down the rink and entered the zone,” Granato said. “We had multiple layers of opportunity to do things to take more initiative to create a turnover sooner. So, the fact that we didn’t do that consecutively tells you you’re in a little bit of a state of hesitation.”
2. “We should just be playing free”
Okposo attributed the Sabres’ lack of push in the third period to a lack of confidence.
“I think right now it’s a little bit of a confidence thing,” he said. “We’ve obviously been struggling to score all year and we know that it’s a time that we have to score and I just think we’re gripping it a little bit too tight when we shouldn’t.
“Pressure should be off right now. Obviously, we have the weight of this, of what’s going on, but we shouldn’t be squeezing our sticks right now. We should just be playing free, playing the right way, trying to make things happen.”
Video: POSTGAME: Okposo
3. Okposo, Ullmark return
Okposo was back following a three-game absence stemming from a neck injury that flared up after practice last Sunday. He buried a rebound during the second period for his second goal in as many contests, the product of net pressure from linemates Cody Eakin and Steven Fogarty.
Ullmark returned from a 15-game absence dating back to Feb. 25, when he sustained a lower-body injury against New Jersey. He made 33 saves.
“Obviously he’s a really good goalie and he played really well today,” Okposo said. “He showed what he can do. I mean, he made a ton of good saves, he was very calm back there and he played great. He’s the type of goalie that can give you a chance to win every night and it was good to see him back.”
4. Power-play drought comes to an end
Reinhart intercepted a pass from Bruins goaltender Dan Vladar and scored on Buffalo’s first power play of the afternoon, snapping an 0-for-28 drought with the extra man that had spanned 15 games.
Video: BUF@BOS: Reinhart capitalizes on miscue for PPG
5. Up next
The Sabres return home for four straight games, beginning with two against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and Wednesday. Coverage on Monday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG.