While the Chicago Blackhawks have emerged from their rebuild and are performing more like a consistent playoff team, the Buffalo Sabres still look like they haven’t made the playoffs in each of the last 14 seasons.
The teams will try their luck in a matchup on Friday in Buffalo, N.Y.
Buffalo has lost nine of its past 12 games overall (3-5-4), most recently going down to the visiting Calgary Flames, 6-2, on Wednesday to ruin their hopes of winning three in a row for the first time this season.
The Sabres fought back to tie the score in the second period after giving up two goals in the first, but then gave up four unanswered goals in the third.
“As a group, there weren’t a lot of players to like in the game,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “If you want to break down every goal, somebody got outmuscled somewhere, somebody got beat back up ice. Didn’t really see that coming.”
Ruff said Buffalo needs to be more physical from the drop of the first puck. The Sabres have only led four times after the first period in 20 games this season.
The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have scored first in seven straight games and 15 times overall this season, which leads the NHL.
Forward Tage Thompson pointed to a 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday as the style the Sabres need to play.
“I think we get a little too high on ourselves after a couple of wins,” Thompson said. “We think we’re better than we are instead of remembering what got us those wins.”
Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said consistency is the key.
“There’s some games where we put it together and everybody’s rolling and you see the potential,” Samuelsson said. “And then there’s some games where maybe guys are just passengers or not enough guys pulling the same way.”
The Sabres waived enforcer Mason Geertsen on Thursday to open a roster spot for forward Jason Zucker, who will return after missing the past eight games with an illness.
Zucker was fourth on Buffalo with 21 goals last season.
The Blackhawks will be trying to regroup after a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday in the finale of a four-game homestand.
“Big one (Friday),” Chicago leading scorer Connor Bedard said. “We kind of let that one slip away.”
Chicago led 2-0 at the start of the third period, gave up two quick goals and Bedard was then called for unsportsmanlike conduct with 4:16 left in the game after complaining to an official because he failed to call a hooking penalty on Bedard’s breakaway.
The Kraken scored the go-ahead goal with two seconds remaining on the ensuing power play and held on for the win.
“We’re professional and I have to have a better response there,” Bedard said.
Tyler Bertuzzi returned against Seattle after missing two games with an undisclosed injury and he had a goal and an assist.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said his team will be without left wing Andre Burakovsky against Buffalo. Burakovsky took a big hit from Ryan Lindgren late in the first period on Thursday and did not return.
Burakovsky came into the Seattle game tied with Bertuzzi for second on the team with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists).
Other than the Covid-shortened 2020 season, the Blackhawks haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 — and haven’t won a series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2015.
