Buffalo Sabres: Late goal gives Sharks victory
By Nick McAdam
2) Defense does one thing right, another thing wrong
Just a couple of nights after the Blue Jackets’ defensemen bombarded Chad Johnson with shots, it looks like the Buffalo Sabres defense found a way to replicate that type of play.
The defense totaled 10 shots, including four from Rasmus Ristolainen. It’s always encouraging to see the defense shoot the puck, especially considering the rebound chances it can create. Plus, Ristolainen has an absolute cannon of a shot that I’d like to see more often.
Even though the Sabres denied all three power-play chances for the Sharks, they still couldn’t stop the quick transition play that San Jose has.
Matt Tennyson couldn’t keep the puck in the zone which sent in Donskoi, to eventually put the puck over Lehner’s shoulder. Ristolainen got caught chasing the puck in the second period, which left his space in the slot unmarked. This led to Tierney exposing that area while popping in the Sharks second goal.
On a side note, I’m still trying to figure out why Tennyson was on the ice for the final minute, but Jack Eichel, Jason Pominville and Evander Kane were on the bench?