BUFFALO, N.Y. — When the goalie who allows three goals on his first four shots faced is neither the goalie who gets pulled, nor the goalie who loses, one can’t help but wonder what the starter at the other end is thinking.
So, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, how do you interpret Jakub Dobes’s 32-consecutive-save lockdown effort in the Montreal Canadiens crease?
“I think that is playing good defence,” the Buffalo Sabres goaltender replied, after a 6-3 Game 5 loss. “You know, he’s playing good, no denying that. But I think how well they defend, how many pucks are loose over there, but they kind of get them away in front of him. They did a good job with that. So, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily (Dobes’s performance). I think it’s more how well they’re defending as a team.”
In other words: How poorly the high-event, low-composure Sabres are defending as a team.
Luukkonen — already dry from his post-game shower, getting yanked after 40 minutes and five goals against — may be hesitant to heap any more praise on his buzzy counterpart at the other end of the rink. But that doesn’t make his assessment untrue.
The Sabres are much too leaky in this playoff series, just their second after a 14-year drought. And because they blew leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 in Thursday’s pivotal home game, they must fly to Montreal for what they hope is the first of two must-wins — in the cacophonous lion’s den that will be Bell Centre on Saturday night.
In getting to Dobes early but surrendering four unanswered, Buffalo lost home ice (again) and shed so much of the swagger that had the Sabres’ blistering Mötely Crüe goal song on repeat through the game’s first minutes.
“Five goals is unacceptable. That shouldn’t be happening,” said Luukkonen, who was quick to share blame with his teammates.
The losing netminder, who ceded his crease back to Alex Lyon (again), referenced an unattended back door and deep pucks that failed to result in clean breakouts.
As thrilling as the Sabres’ pointed attack with the puck can be, they look too sloppy and scattered without it right now to reach the final four. That Buffalo gave up 15 high-danger looks and 5.48 expected goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com, supports the don’t-just-blame-the-goalie argument here.
Conor Timmins yakked up a puck in the slot on one strike, then failed to cover scorer Josh Anderson on another. Luke Schenn and Peyton Krebs missed boxouts and failed to tie up two more successful attackers in tight. If the Canadiens weren’t sniping, they were tapping in.
“That’s puck play by us,” veteran Alex Tuch said, quietly. “We definitely could’ve prevented a couple of those goals. But they’re a good team, so they’re going to score. We have to make sure we’re getting back to our game, especially defensively. And we didn’t do that tonight.
“It’s not good enough. Really not good enough.”
A two-way force right through Round 1’s besting of Boston, Tuch, in particular, has not been good enough.
The 33-goal, 66-point threat is still searching for his first point of the series. Linked with fellow star Tage Thompson on the first line, Tuch’s trio got cratered in Game 5, outchanced 10-2 at even strength.
“I gotta bear down,” Tuch said. “I gotta be better.”
He is a man swallowing a difficult truth.
“He’s lost just a little bit of confidence, trying a little bit too hard to make that extra play,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “The biggest thing is, you got to move your feet. Always move your feet. Get your feet moving, whether it’s through the neutral zone, whether you’re challenging at the blue line. And that line just hasn’t been quite connected.
“You got to believe in your top guys, and they got to get it done for you.”
Belief in Buffalo has taken a hit this week. The Sabres stole one in Game 4, then blew one in Game 5. They’re on the brink.
This feel-good, beer-guzzling brotherhood must band together and cut down Montreal’s good looks and second chances. The Sabres are scrambling, and they’re down to their last life.
“Well, I’ll just say this,” Ruff said, nodding toward Saturday. “We’ve won four out of five games on the road in real tough buildings. We played fast. We played hard.”
Now, it is imperative they defend hard, too.
