3 Takeaways from Sabres’ 4-3 Loss to Maple Leafs

Let’s talk about the penalty kill first. They turned aside all three power play opportunities for the Leafs on Saturday night, bringing them up to 93.9% when down a man, which is good for second-best in the league. Given the fact that their 33 times shorthanded is seventh most in the NHL, it’s even more impressive.

The power play also managed another tally, making them 7-for-30 with the man advantage. The Sabres are 11^th in the league in power play percentage at 23.3%, something that feels unheard of given recent history. They are making the most of opportunities in a way that they haven’t in a long time.

Luukkonen Has to Shake Off the Rust

The Sabres got a bit of good news regarding their lineup when Michael Kesselring began practicing this week. They also saw the return of their “No.1” goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who got the start on Saturday evening against the Maple Leafs.

Luukkonen was fine, allowing four goals on 22 shots. In his defense, the net-front defense continues to be terrible for the Sabres. Nick Robertson walked into the slot untouched on the first goal and Mattias Maccelli was left all alone to his left on the second. Tavares had a breakaway on what would be the game-winner.

The only goal you could really put on him was the one by Dakota Joshua that tied the game at 3-3. Luukkonen was otherwise solid, a major positive given the fact that this is just his first start in about six months.

The Intensity Has Been There

There was a sequence in the first period where former Sabre Jake McCabe laid a questionable, high hit on Bowen Byram. In response, Alex Tuch jumped in to defend his teammate and wound up catching a 10-minute major and an instigating penalty that the Sabres killed off.

Tuch didn’t exactly beat McCabe down, but that isn’t the important part. It’s the fact that someone jumped in to defend Byram, something that likely would not have happened in the recent past. It shows a different side of the Sabres.

Watching them, the Sabres have an intensity and fight to them that hasn’t been there over the last several years. You can see it in their effort level, like there is this sense of urgency there more often than not. It’s what playoff teams have and non-playoff teams do not.

3 of 4 Points Against the Maple Leafs is Fantastic

Going into the weekend, the Sabres still needed to prove themselves. Responding with three of a possible four points is about as good as could have been hoped for. A slight lapse from Luukkonen on Joshua’s game-tying goal and we might be talking about a sweep.

There is a lot of season left but the Sabres have looked very good in their last half-dozen games. Whether they can continue that remains to be seen but this home-and-home with the Maple Leafs has been very encouraging.