NHL: Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins - Source: Imagn

3 least impressive players from Buffalo Sabres from 3-1 loss to Bruins feat. Mattias Samuelsson

Modified Dec 22, 2024 06:35 GMT

The Buffalo Sabres just dropped their 13th game in a row with a 3-1 defeat to the Boston Bruins. The setback pushed the Sabres to 11-19-4, while the Bruins improved their record to 18-13-4.

Charlie Coyle broke the ice for the Bruins in the first period, picking up his own rebound after he was stopped by James Reimer on a breakaway attempt to give Boston the 1-0 lead.

Late in the 2nd period, Buffalo knotted the score at 1-1 thanks to J.J. Peterka's 10th goal of the year; he scored on the power play. But the Bruins seized the lead for good late in the 3rd period after a costly penalty proved too much to overcome. Morgan Geekie struck with 1:45 left in regulation and Brad Marchand later hit the open net with James Reimer pulled for an extra attacker.

Afterwards, head coach Lindy Ruff, who is in his second tenure behind the bench of the Sabres, said that he felt that his team deserved a better fate than what they got.

“I thought we deserved better,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We didn’t quite make the ‘next’ play offensively. I think when it’s going bad, it goes bad.”

The Sabres will hope to avoid their 14th straight loss when they take on the Islanders on Monday.

Here's a look at the 3 least impressive performances by Sabres players against the Bruins.

3 least impressive players from Buffalo Sabres in the 3-1 loss to Bruins

#1. Mattias Samuelsson

Perhaps the most costly error of the game was committed by Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who inadvertently shoved Boston's Justin Brazeau into his own goaltender right as Morgan Geekie was firing the puck.

James Reimer was unable to make the save on Geekie's shot, which proved to be the game-winning goal late in regulation.

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#2. Tage Thompson

In trying times like the Sabres', teams rely on their top players to help them overcome the difficulties.

Tage Thompson, Buffalo's top forward, was ineffective for the Sabres during the loss against the Bruins. He only managed a single shot and also finished with a -1 rating in 17:27 of ice time.

#3. Owen Power

One of Buffalo's top defensemen, Power has been struggling late with the rest of his teammates. He finished the night with a -2 rating while committing a pair of giveaways along with a trip to the penalty box.