Despite all of Jack Eichel’s rage, the Buffalo Sabres still can’t seem to get it done against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Eichel, Evander Kane, and Sam Reinhart helped Buffalo generate some nice leads on Tuesday, as the Sabres were up 2-0 and 3-1 early on. Benoit Pouliot gave them another lead at 4-3, to boot.
It didn’t matter, aside from securing a “loser point” for the Sabres, as the Penguins ultimately won 5-4 in OT, with Sidney Crosby setting up Conor Sheary for his eighth goal of the season (and third game-winner). To turn the knife in a little bit, Eichel probably could have done a better job against Sheary on that overtime-clincher:
Really, the Sabres might not want to complain too loudly about loser points, as the Penguins have really taken it to them lately.
Fun fact: The #Pens are now 12-0-1 in their last 13 games vs. the Sabres. pic.twitter.com/o4DU55GHDb
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 15, 2017
Sheary’s been deadly against Buffalo, with six points in his last six games against the Sabres after tonight’s two-goal performance.
Crosby’s been quiet - by his lofty standards - as tonight’s goal and assist pushes him to 15 points in 20 games.
Phil Kessel’s deserving of a lot of credit for the Penguins finding ways to win games and/or at least claim standings points lately. Tonight was a nice example. He helped the Penguins tie things up twice: setting up Crosby on the power play and scoring the 4-4 goal that sent the game to OT:
Kessel continues to lead the Penguins with 24 points in 20 games this season. He extended a five-game point streak that includes three multi-point games (four goals, five assists during that span). Such strong work makes you wonder why the alleged hot dog lover continues to find himself in trade rumors, even after helping the Penguins to two straight Stanley Cups with strong postseason performances.
For the Sabres, it’s yet another reminder that they still need to close some distance to catch up with contenders like Pittsburgh.
While Eichel must be flustered, Robin Lehner might be the angriest member of the team tonight, as he took the L despite saves like these:
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.