It was a step back for the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, and a tough lesson learned that came at the expense of goalie Ryan Miller.
The Sabres were throttled 7-1 by the Colorado Avalanche, and Miller was pulled after two periods of work, allowing five goals on 27 shots.
“I didn’t like our mindset ... They embarrassed us and we embarrassed Ryan Miller,” said Sabres’ forward Steve Ott, as per the club’s official Twitter account.
“It just seemed when goals were going in for them it never really stopped. ... We took a step back,” Marcus Foligno told John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
It was like a constant bombardment from the Avalanche, with their 2013 first-overall pick, Nathan Mackinnon, leading the way with his first career three-point game in the National Hockey League.
It was right around this time last week when the Sabres were feeling pretty good about themselves, having just stopped the Columbus Blue Jackets, the hottest team in the NHL at the time, in their quest for a ninth consecutive win.