After the fans at the opening game, it was Buffalo Sabers head coach Lindy Ruff's turn to criticize his players' performance at the start of the season.
Just like in their opener against the New York Rangers, a 4-0 loss at home, the Sabers didn't have much to offer against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. Let's just say there wasn't much the experienced driver could take from this 3-1 defeat.
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“Our level of competition was terrible. The worst level of competition and the worst skating I've ever seen. We have to be competitive,” Ruff said dryly at a press briefing.
“It’s not the guy who has the puck, it’s the guy who doesn’t,” he explained. We showed decent one-on-one hockey. We didn't move our legs. We didn't win the race for the puck.”
Midway through the third period, Buffalo finally scored their first goal of the campaign. This one belonged to Jason Zucker.
However, the damage done in the first 50 minutes of the game was irreparable. Goalkeeper Alex Lyon made 17 shots in the first period alone.
It wasn't much better on offense, where the Sabers' big guns were frustrated by four power play opportunities. All eight of Tage Thompson's shots were stopped by Jeremy Swayman.
“On every team, the best players have to be the best. It wasn't a good night for them,” Ruff agreed.
“We're too smart. Until we put on our work boots and understand that we're going to win games by working harder than the other team, it's going to be hard to win,” the coach said.
Returning to the KeyBank Center on Monday afternoon could be dangerous. On Thursday, Sabers players left the rink to boos from fans. It shouldn't be a cakewalk against the Colorado Avalanche.
