Even with a revamped roster, the Buffalo Sabres are struggling to establish themselves this season.
Ryan O’Reilly had a strong game and Jack Eichel netted his third career goal, but it wasn’t enough to stem the tide as New Jersey earned a 4-3 victory over the Sabres tonight.
That dropped the Sabres to 2-6-0 this season, which is a mere win better than they were at this time in 2014-15 when they finished with the worst record in the NHL. To be fair to Buffalo though, injuries have played a role in the team’s early season struggles.
Buffalo’s top goaltender, Robin Lehner, hasn’t played since Oct. 8 due to a high ankle sprain and that led to 22-year-old Linus Ullmark getting his first career start tonight. Up against a Devils squad that was coming into this contest on a three-game winning streak, Ullmark ultimately surrendered four goals on 28 shots.
The decisive blow came at the hands of forward Adam Henrique, who scored on a breakaway while the Devils were shorthanded:
To make matters worse, Evander Kane missed the final 9:31 minutes of tonight’s game with a possible leg injury.
There was no update on Kane’s status immediately following the game, per the Sabres’ Twitter feed.
Things won’t get any easier for Buffalo as it is set to play in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. New Jersey will attempt to continue its winning streak on Tuesday against Columbus.