Game 22: Goalie'd

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played great for Buffalo, but Filip Gustavsson was just a bit better for the Minnesota Wild in a 1-0 win.

BUFFALO — As far as games that end 1-0 go, Wednesday night’s tilt between the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild was an outstanding one. The only downside for the home team was that they were on the wrong end of the decision.

Filip Gustavsson stopped 39 Sabres shots en route to his second shutout of the season and the only puck that eluded Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the 29 shots he faced came on a 4-on-1 nearly seven minutes into the game and was scored by one of NHL’s best scorers, Kirill Kaprizov.

Luukkonen was outstanding, but Gustavsson wound up being perfect. These things can happen.

“I think we’re growing as a team,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think we understand that you really don’t need to change the way you’re playing. You’ve just got to stay with it. We did it on the road trip. We talked about that after the second period – we’re gonna get our looks, we have to take advantage. It might be a screen goal, tip goal, ugly goal. Kind of like the Anaheim goal that got us going where it slipped behind the goaltender. I think that’s the part I’m most impressed with. We’ve been able to play a pretty consistent style.”

The Sabres had 87 total shot attempts and 66 at 5-on-5. The return of Tage Thompson to the lineup sparked them both at even strength and on the power play. Any other night, they’d be skating off the ice in the end celebrating. They didn’t score for a lack of trying and it wasn’t the kind of game that saw them get frustrated at being denied. No one likes to take a loss, but when the effort is as good as it was from Buffalo on Thanksgiving Eve, it’s something to carry forward the rest of the way.

“Honestly, I think we played a really good game tonight,” Thompson said. “I don’t think we can let that discourage us. Obviously, it stings when you lose, especially one like that where you feel like you outplayed them most of the net. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie and not much you can do. You just got to find ways to get one.”

More from a well-played loss ahead.