Sabres' goaltending issues resurface in G5 loss
Key takeaways
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started the night and guided Buffalo to a 3-2 lead after the first 20 minutes.
- Buffalo's failings don't fall entirely on its netminders, but there's no questions they - along with everyone else - have to improve if the Sabres expect to drag Montreal back to town for an eventual Game 7.
- "I think we just got too comfortable there [after the first period]," Luukkonen said.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres are on the brink of elimination from their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Montreal following an ugly 6-3 loss in Game 5 on Thursday that put the Sabres in a 3-2 series deficit - with a goaltending issue to address as well.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started the night and guided Buffalo to a 3-2 lead after the first 20 minutes. But the wheels came off from there as the Sabres' glaring defensive breakdowns and Luukkonen's increasingly unsteady play resulted in a 5-3 deficit going into the third period that Buffalo couldn't recover from even when Alex Lyon stepped in to replace Luukonnen for the final 20 minutes.
Buffalo's failings don't fall entirely on its netminders, but there's no questions they - along with everyone else - have to improve if the Sabres expect to drag Montreal back to town for an eventual Game 7.