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The Sabres lost 4-3 to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout Thursday night in a game that was probably best kept off national television. For the Red Wings it was their first road victory since December 14th and for the Sabres, it was their fifth loss in their last six games.
The Red Wings opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game when Dylan Larkin beat a screened Jonas Johansson from a bad angle.
Johansson’s screened pretty well by the Red Wings forward in front but on the replay, you can see that he’s not tight to the post, leaving ample room for Larkin’s wrist shot to squeak through.
It’s one of those goals where proper positioning would have been more than enough to keep the puck out. In case you were wondering, the expected goals value of the shot was a whopping 2.1%
The Red Wings doubled their lead in quite literally the last second of the first period when Larkin finished off a 2-on-1 chance, beating Johansson with a nice backhand over his glove.
It’s hard to say if Rasmus Ristolainen thought he saw Sam Reinhart catch up to Larkin midway through the odd man rush, but his decision to take the puck carrier allows Larkin all kinds of space into the attacking zone. It’s fun and usually exciting to see a defender take the puck away from the carrier, but a shot attempt after a pass on a 2-on-1 is more likely to become a goal versus the puck carrier taking the shot.
The Sabres were able to mount a comeback in the third period as Jimmy Vesey and Scott Wilson scored back-to-back goals just 2:41 apart in the first half of the third period
Both goals are very similar as both Vesey and Wilson were able to get good positioning against the defender to deflect the shot/pass behind Jonathan Bernier. Colin Miller coming in from the point to set up Wilson is what the Sabres fans hope to see more of. Miller has spent the majority of the season opting for long range point shots into traffic, but his skating and passing skills could help him set up the forwards down low.
The Red Wings did briefly regain the lead with just over six minutes to play on the man-advantage thanks to Tyler Bertuzzi.
Overzealous defending cost the Sabres again here as Brandon Montour chases the puck down low, leaving Bertuzzi alone in the slot. I understand wanting to be aggressive on the penalty kill, but the Red Wings skater was in no position to do anything other than make a pass, making the optimal defensive decision sort of obvious. Like Ristolainen, it’s possible Montour thought Michael Frolik had already made his way down low. Nevertheless, I’m guessing if Montour had to do it over, he’d probably stay in front of the net.
Fortunately, the Sabres were able to tie the game late with the net empty as Evan Rodrigues, who took the penalty that led to the power play goal, collected a loose puck in front and beat a sprawling Bernier for his fourth goal of the year.
Ristolainen and Montour’s aggressiveness actually pays off in the offensive zone and creates this goal for Rodrigues as they both collapse to take away any kind of clearing lane for Trevor Daley.
Overtime solved nothing and, in the shootout, both Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou beat Johansson to give the Red Wings the victory.
5-on-5 expected goals timeline
(moneypuck.com)
Notes:
Jonas Johansson
Johansson had a mixed bag of a performance. He made some solid saves, including a big stop on Athanasiou late in the third, but he also never really looked as if he was comfortable throughout the whole game. It’s possible it’s nerves getting to him and that he’ll settle down, but he may not have been ready for this call up and you have to wonder if veteran Andrew Hammond may have made more sense.
Colin Miller
Miller has played very well recently posting an XG of 59.34% in his last 6 games, the highest among all sabres defenders over a stretch of 10 (scratched for four). Miller’s usage has been all over the place this season but a good run should earn him some consistent and increased ice time in the coming games. The question is are the Sabres finding a role for him or showcasing him? There were reports earlier in the season the Miller was unhappy with his lack of playing time on the Sabres and with a logjam on the right side of the defense, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if someone was moved between now and February 24th.
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