SABRES SUFFER STUNNING COLLAPSE IN 6-2 LOSS TO KRAKEN

With an opportunity to climb within five points of the final playoff spot, the Buffalo Sabres instead imploded in front of their home crowd on Saturday afternoon at KeyBank Center. Riding the momentum of a 2-0 first-period lead, Buffalo was overwhelmed by the visiting Seattle Kraken, who scored five consecutive goals in less than 14 minutes en route to a 6-2 victory. It was the sixth time the Sabres lost this season after staking themselves to a multi-goal advantage.

First Period: A False Sense of Security

Facing a Seattle team that had struggled in its previous 11 games (2-8-1), Buffalo capitalized early. Crisp puck movement and sustained zone time pinned the Kraken in their own end, with the Sabres dominating shot attempts and placing relentless pressure on goaltender Joey Daccord.

• Early Momentum: The Sabres’ top line established a rhythm in the opening shift, cycling the puck around the boards and testing Seattle’s defensive coverage. Though they didn’t find the net during that initial sequence, their energy foreshadowed the rapid start to come.
• Lafferty Breaks His Drought: Buffalo took the lead just 2:35 into the game when Sam Lafferty, snapping an extended goalless streak, sent the puck to the crease, where an unfortunate deflection off a Kraken stick put the Sabres up 1-0.
• Quinn Doubles the Lead: A subsequent power play gave Buffalo an opportunity to add to its advantage, and the home team responded. Jack Quinn hammered a one-timer from low in the left faceoff circle to stretch the lead to 2-0, notching his eighth goal of the season.

A spirited skirmish added extra spice to the opening stanza when Dennis Gilbert took exception to a hit from behind. Though the altercation didn’t cost the Sabres on the scoreboard at the time, it would be among the last moments of true control Buffalo showed all afternoon.

Second Period: Warning Signs Emerge

This season, Buffalo’s Achilles’ heel has been its second-period lapses, and that pattern appeared again. Despite some stellar goaltending by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to preserve the 2-0 edge for much of the frame, the Sabres’ confidence evaporated in the final minutes.

• Defensive Zone Woes: Turnovers and overpassing crept into Buffalo’s game, allowing Seattle to gain momentum. The Sabres’ inability to clear the zone under pressure opened the door for the Kraken’s first goal, cutting the lead in half with a little over seven minutes remaining.
• Tying Goal Before Intermission: Poor coverage around the crease doomed the Sabres again. A second-chance rebound fell to Seattle in tight, knotting the score at 2-2 with under a minute left in the period. Buffalo’s minus-14 goal differential in second periods this season underscores their consistent failure to maintain structure once they establish a lead.

Third Period: Total Collapse

Buffalo headed into the final stanza having squandered another multi-goal lead. The team had a power play early, but the offense looked hesitant and could not generate the decisive strike it needed.

• Seattle’s Breakthrough: The Kraken turned a tight contest into a rout by finding the net three times in rapid succession. A pinball-like deflection for the go-ahead goal sparked the onslaught, followed by Kaapo Kakko’s laser from the right circle. Another power-play marker from Kakko, who slipped uncovered in the slot, sealed Buffalo’s fate.
• Empty-Net Embarrassment: An empty-net tally in the dying moments finalized the Sabres’ fate at 6-2. The silence from the KeyBank Center faithful was a stark reminder of Buffalo’s standing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Lineup Notes

Winger Beck Malenstyn and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson were sidelined due to illness, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel was scratched for a second straight contest. Head coach Lindy Ruff elected to dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards, deploying the following combinations:

• Forwards
  • Jason Zucker – Dylan Cozens – Tage Thompson
  • JJ Peterka – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch
  • Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs – Jack Quinn
  • Sam Lafferty – Tyson Kozak
• Defense
  • Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen Byram
  • Owen Power – Connor Clifton
  • Jacob Bryson – Henri Jokiharju
  • Dennis Gilbert

The Road Ahead

The Sabres remain mired in last place in the Eastern Conference, and this unraveling comes fewer than three weeks after a 13-game winless streak that threatened to derail the season entirely. Buffalonians hoping for a late playoff push need to see improved discipline and consistency—especially in the second period—to spark any kind of surge.

Next up, Buffalo hosts the high-powered Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be aired nationally on TNT and available for streaming on Max. The Sabres will need a short memory and a recalibrated approach if they’re to contain a Hurricanes squad known for its aggressive forecheck and depth scoring.

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Final Takeaway
Buffalo’s inability to protect a lead continues to hinder its progress, underscoring the need for more urgency in crucial moments. If the Sabres hope to shake off this string of demoralizing results, they’ll have to find a way to stay composed for all 60 minutes—a lesson that must be learned quickly with the Carolina Hurricanes looming.

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