The Buffalo Sabres showed early promise Saturday night but could not sustain their momentum, falling 4-1 to the Utah Mammoth after surrendering three unanswered goals over the final two periods.
Buffalo dropped to 2-3-0 on the season after opening the scoring with a power-play goal. The Sabres entered the matchup without a power-play tally in 13 opportunities, making the early breakthrough a positive development despite the disappointing result.
Utah responded before the end of the first period to even the score, then struck twice in the second to take control. An early third-period goal extended the Mammoth’s advantage and left Buffalo unable to mount a comeback.
Generating offense at five-on-five remained a concern. Buffalo recorded 21 scoring chances in those situations, according to Natural Stat Trick, with seven coming in the third period after the deficit had grown. That fell short of the Sabres’ average of 28.3 chances over their previous three games.
Colten Ellis stopped 26-of-30 shots in another challenging night for Buffalo’s defense.
Buffalo also continued to struggle in the second period. The Sabres surrendered two goals in that frame against Utah after allowing two against Minnesota and four against Dallas. Their inability to contain opponents during the middle period has become a growing concern, particularly after the last two losses became difficult to overcome.
The Sabres will look to respond Monday when they host the Florida Panthers at 1 p.m. before traveling to face the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
