Buffalo Sabres lose to Ottawa Senators in second game of consecutive matches

The Senators took the lead in the game on their first power play when Jakob Chychrun positioned himself low on the right side of the offensive zone, allowing Claude Giroux to pass the puck across the net. Chychrun converted the opportunity with a one-time shot just 6:51 into the game. Less than six minutes later, Zack MacEwen extended Ottawa’s lead with a powerful slap shot from the right circle. The early goal ignited both the Senators and the crowd, putting the Sabres on the defensive and leading to some sloppy play with the puck, as noted by coach Appert.

However, the Sabres managed to regain control by the end of the period and gain momentum from a goal scored by Thompson. They held the Senators without a shot for over seven minutes at the start of the second period and came close to tying the game on a put-back attempt by Jeff Skinner that was blocked by Tim Stutzle. Nevertheless, Dominik Kubalik managed to score for the Senators with 12:38 remaining in the period, taking advantage of a pass from Ridley Greig. With just 15.7 seconds left in the period, Mark Kastelic extended Ottawa’s lead to 4-1 with a deflection.

Coach Appert acknowledged that the Sabres outplayed the Senators in the second period but were unable to convert their opportunities into goals, while the Senators capitalized on their chances. In the third period, the Sabres had a significant edge in shots with 16 compared to Ottawa’s 8, but still failed to score. The game concluded with Artem Zub scoring into an empty net for the Senators with 4:44 remaining. Captain Rasmus Dahlin emphasized the need for the Sabres to be more aggressive in front of the net and capitalize on rebound goals.

Overall, it was a disappointing loss for the Sabres in Ottawa.