The Buffalo Sabres fell 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday afternoon at Lenovo Center, with Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi making several key saves to secure the win. In the second period, Sabres forwards Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker had a two-on-none opportunity, but Bussi stopped Thompson’s shot with a glove save.
“Felt like I had the whole net,” Thompson said, “and his glove came out of nowhere.”
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin commented on Bussi’s performance after the game. “You’ve got to give credit to their goalie – that’s why they won the game today,” Dahlin said. “We created, and their goalie made some Grade-A [saves] that you don’t see often.”
Dahlin scored early in the first period for Buffalo, but it was one of only three shots by the team in that frame. Carolina controlled puck possession for much of the opening period and tied the game with a goal from Andrei Svechnikov.
“We always know they come with a heavy push, first 10-15 minutes,” Dahlin said. “When you get by that, you can start playing.”
Buffalo increased its offensive pressure in the second period but continued to be denied by Bussi, who also stopped a one-timer from Dahlin and made another save on Owen Power.
At the other end of the ice, Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 26 saves on 28 shots. His most notable stop came against Alexander Nikishin during a partial breakaway.
In the third period, Owen Power received a tripping penalty following contact with Logan Stankoven. On the ensuing power play, Carolina’s Seth Jarvis scored what proved to be the winning goal just seven seconds into the advantage.
“I didn’t like the call. It’s so minimal, with what was going on in the game,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “But we need to kill that off.”
Despite pulling Luukkonen for an extra attacker late in regulation and generating multiple chances—including another attempt by Thompson—Bussi maintained Carolina’s lead until time expired.
Bussi recorded 17 consecutive saves after allowing Dahlin’s opening goal; six were considered high-danger opportunities according to Natural Stat Trick.
Coach Ruff remained positive about his team’s effort despite recent results: “That was hard compete by both teams,” he said. “It was a hard hockey game, and I thought that last 40, we pushed through.”
Thompson added: “I think it helps with our schedule that we have so much hockey, there’s really no time to sit and think about it. I think we come in the locker room after that loss, and you can look yourself in the mirror and be happy with how you played. Obviously, sucks not getting the results, but I thought we played hard, and we’ve just got to play the same way tomorrow against Nashville.”
The game marked NHL debut for forward Konsta Helenius—the Sabres’ first-round pick (14th overall) in 2024—who logged nearly eleven minutes of ice time and contributed notably on forechecking shifts.
Dahlin and Svechnikov exchanged physical play throughout; both players accumulated multiple minor penalties as tensions ran high between these Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
“It’s big points, and you have come ready to compete,” Dahlin said.
Defenseman Michael Kesselring missed Monday’s contest due to an ankle injury aggravated after returning from injured reserve Saturday. Coach Ruff indicated there is a possibility Kesselring could return Tuesday: “There’s a possibility he plays (Tuesday); it’s nothing that we think is too serious,” Ruff said.
The Sabres will continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators at 8 p.m., following pregame coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG.
