Takeaways from the Ducks 7-6 Loss to the Sabres

In their second game of a three-game homestand, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Buffalo Sabres at Honda Center on Thursday evening.The Ducks were coming off a disappointing overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks, surrendering a three-goal lead late in the game and ultimately losing 6-5 in overtime. Sabres’ Olen Zellweger Ready for Return to AnaheimGame #13: Ducks vs. Sabres Gameday Preview (10/29/26)Buffalo snapped a three-game winless streak on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks, and Olen Zellweger, whom the Ducks drafted in 2021, made his return to Honda Center after a draft-day trade sent him to the Sabres in June. Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, as he is wont to do after a loss, mixed up all of his forward lines for this game. Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:Killorn-Carlsson-CaulfieldMalott-Granlund-SenneckeGreer-Washe-GauthierVatrano-McQueen-ColangeloLaCombe-WarrenHinds-LuneauMitchell-JensenVille Husso got his fourth start of the season in this one, and saved just 23 of the 30 shots he faced. He was opposed by Colten Ellis in the Buffalo crease, who stopped 28 of 34.“I think that we have to be cognizant of the score, the opponent, the situations, together on the ice,” Quenneville said after the game, when asked about his team defense. “As a staff, coaching-wise, I think we’ve got to make it more, whether it’s accountability or predictability, that everybody has got to take some ownership. “We certainly feel responsible that we have to be better in that area. You’ve got some young guys on the backend, but we can grow from situations that we’ve learned at this stage of the season, and we can’t just think that that’s good enough.”Game NotesAnaheim jumped out to an early lead with two power play goals and battled well at 5v5, but with some costly mistakes, the high-event game was tied at 3-3 after 20. Costly mistakes continued over the next 40 minutes of the game, and after six straight Buffalo goals, the Ducks were down 7-3 early in the third period. A “too-little-too-late” effort down the stretch, which included a power play goal and two 6v5 goals, made the final minute of the game interesting, but the result was deserved, and the Ducks failed to tally a point in the standings. Breakouts: The primary source of Anaheim’s defensive breakdowns that have led to goals and extended time in the defensive zone this season has been their inability to get pucks across their own blueline and into neutral ice. Too often, opposing pinching defensemen and/or high F3s are able to jump outlet routes and keep pucks in the zone. The failures to connect on first passes lead to the Ducks scrambling to retreat into their coverage positions, and in the meantime, their opponents are attacking downhill and exploiting newly-opened, dangerous lanes. Lineup Construction: While lines and pairs haven’t been a driving factor behind the Ducks’ slow start, this game reinforced some of the faults with how the lineup was put together to start. While Judd Caulfield has performed at a level above expectations thus far and he had multiple quality small-area cycle sequences in this game, his lack of foot speed, along with his slower processing speed in open ice, limits the effectiveness of Leo Carlsson. While Carlsson did well to drive offense, especially early, for his line at 5v5, as is expected from someone of his talent, it felt like there were opportunities that he created that were left on the table. The same can be said for Jeff Malott’s presence on the second line. While Malott’s speed, tenacity, open ice, and straight-line skill have been eyebrow-raising and appreciated, there were several sequences early in this game where Beckett Sennecke and Mikael Granlund were running high-level give-and-go sequences, and Malott didn’t quite have the refined details to contribute. Transition Defense: Of all the defensive lapses that have presented themselves this season, the transition/rush defense from the notably young blueline hadn’t been much of an issue until this game. In this game, Buffalo, with some intelligent, highly skilled routes and first passes, exploited players like Tyson Hinds and Tristan Luneau’s lack of experience and slower recognition speed to fly to open lanes and take advantage of less-than-optimal gaps. Roger McQueen: McQueen deservedly potted his first career NHL goal in this game, and had his best game thus far from a forechecking, small-area, and detail perspective. All of his games have displayed safe efforts from him, but in this game, he was winning battles at a higher rate, which led to more puck touches and an increased play-connecting rate. His performance was a rare bright spot among the Ducks’ roster in this game. The Ducks will return to close out their homestand on Sunday, when they’ll host the Ottawa Senators at 5 pm PST. Takeaways from the Ducks 6-5 OT Loss to the CanucksAdjustments the Ducks Made to Snap their Five-Game Losing Streak, What They'll Need to ContinueHow Much have the Ducks Missed Ryan Poehling?