3 Takeaways From the Sabres’ 1-0 Loss to the Wild – The Hockey Writers – Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have a critical stretch of games before them. Coming off a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Sabres were riding high having swept their three-game road trip to the West Coast. The first task upon returning home came in the form of the very tough Minnesota Wild.

The good news is that forward Tage Thompson returned to the lineup. The bad news is that the team couldn’t find a way to crack Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. That said, there are some positive takeaways from the team’s 1-0 loss at home to the Wild.

The Sabres Were the Better Team

Those who watched the game will know that the Sabres were the better team. Though it may be a bit tougher to get up for a team you don’t play often as opposed to a hated rival, the Sabres had jump to their game and largely controlled the pace of play, save for select stretches here and there.

Minnesota was more physical and Marcus Foligno gave Sabres fans glimpses of what he brought to the table when he played in Buffalo, but everything else went in favor of the Sabres. They outshot the Wild 39-29, won the faceoff battle, and even stayed out of the box.

Other than Gustavsson, who stopped all 39 shots, the key difference was in blocked shots. The Wild dominated there, blocking 32 shots to the Sabres 14. The one major criticism could be that the Sabres didn’t generate many high-danger chances, but a team committed defensively like the Wild make those rarities.

Luukkonen Is Rolling

It was yet another fantastic start for goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The 25-year-old turned aside 28 of 29 shots, the lone goal coming on a slick passing play that resulted in Kirill Kaprizov scoring his 14^th goal of the season.

This marks the fourth time in his last eight starts that Luukkonen has allowed one goal or fewer. As a matter of fact, in 10 of his 15 games so far this season, he has allowed no more than two goals. He has become exactly what the Sabres hoped for when they signed him to an extension.

Luukkonen is also slowly starting to climb the league leaders. Among goalies with at least 10 starts, he is 10^th in save percentage (SV%) with a .914. Using the same criteria, he is ninth in goals-against average (GAA) with a 2.45, and he is ninth in the NHL in goals saved above expected at 7.1 (Gustavsson is fourth at 10.5). UPL is really beginning to gain momentum and the Sabres should…