The Buffalo Sabres hope to snap a five-game losing skid on Sunday when they visit the Dallas Stars.
The Sabres fell to the Blues on Friday, 5-3 in St. Louis, twice rallying to tie until a turnover led to the game-deciding goal with just under six minutes remaining in the contest.
“Good teams are going to make you pay,” Buffalo’s Tage Thompson said. “And I think it has to be a shift by shift by shift, rolling it over, not straying once we start to feel good, start to play good. Try to maybe make too many cute plays instead of sticking with what’s working. I think that’s something we’re learning right now and we’re going to learn from and continue to grow and get better.
“It’s frustrating losing when you play that hard, but at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for from your teammates.”
Buffalo has scored three goals in three of its past four games but hasn’t been able to gain any momentum from the power play. After scoring with the man advantage in three straight games, the Sabres went 0-for-9 before Thompson connected against the Blues.
Veteran forward Kyle Okposo has scored five goals in his past seven games, giving him 13 on the season after totaling 11 in the previous two campaigns combined. The trio of Okposo, center Dylan Cozens and winger Rasmus Asplund combined for five points against St. Louis.
“When Dylan’s playing a direct game and he’s skating and using his speed, I think he’s extremely effective,” Okposo said. “Aspy, he’s a really smart player and he makes a lot of smart decisions with the puck and puts the puck in areas where you can go get it … just trying to go get the puck back for those guys, create some space.”
The Stars, meanwhile, are hoping to get their offense going again. After scoring 21 goals in a six-game stretch that resulted in four victories, they have managed just five non-shootout goals in the past four and are fortunate to have a 2-1-1 mark to show for it.
The usually reliable power play ranks in the top 10 in the NHL but is 0-for-14 in the past four outings. That puts a lot of pressure on 5-on-5, where the Stars sit in the bottom half of the league.
“We talk about it,” Joe Pavelski said. “It’s something you need. The 5-on-5 scoring, if you can get an extra goal a night, it definitely goes a long way.”
The team has seen a significant drop-off in secondary scoring, notably from the back end. Last season, the top four on defense combined for 26 goals in 56 games. This season, the group has managed only 12 goals in 51 games.
“I’m going to keep trying to shoot as much as I can, but not just use it as an excuse to shoot the puck,” defenseman John Klingberg said. “Sometimes, you have to look for a better opportunity, but you don’t want to pass up a shot either. It’s a fine line there.”
–Field Level Media