vs Buffalo

Another chapter in the book of why we cannot have nice things has been written. It started out so promisingly when Auston Matthews buried his sixth of the year just a few minutes in. Then Kirill Marchenko decided to turn into a superstar by scoring a hat trick including a between-legs beauty on the power play. We actually held a two goal lead heading into the final frame because John Tavares was busy winning eighty-two percent of his draws and setting people up. It felt good for a second which was obviously our first mistake.

The wheels did not just fall off in the third period they basically disintegrated. We managed a grand total of four shots while coughing up the puck ten times. It is truly impressive to watch a team collectively forget how to play hockey the moment things get serious. Troy Stecher tried to spark something by fighting Jack Quinn but all it did was give Quinn more time to rest before he finished the game with four points. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with an eighty-five percent save rate which is certainly one way to help the opponent stay in the game.

By the time Owen Power snapped the winner past Bobrovsky in overtime it felt like a mercy killing. We dominated the first period with thirteen shots and then spent the rest of the game slowly backing into a hedge like a viral meme. Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson spent plenty of time in the box while the defense allowed thirty-four shots in total. It is the same old story of blowing a multi-goal lead to a divisional rival. At least we got a point out of it but we all know that point will just be used to break our hearts more efficiently when it matters.