Buffalo concludes its home schedule on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
By Jourdon LaBarber / Sabres.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Robin Lehner said he could feel it right from puck drop. The Buffalo Sabres simply didn’t have the same gear that the Toronto Maple Leafs had to begin their game on Monday night, and what followed was a first period that Lehner said was as bad any they’ve had all season.
By the time six minutes had passed in the game, the Sabres already trailed 3-0 and Lehner had been pulled.
“They came out with a goal and we didn’t really have one,” Lehner said. “It’s a skilled team over there, good players and they came out with a goal.”
Buffalo’s goal on Wednesday night, which will be Fan Appreciation Day at KeyBank Center, is to not let a performance like that one be the last thing their fans see from them this season. The game against the Montreal Canadiens will conclude their home schedule.
“As far as I know, it’s a pretty full building every time we’re here,” Lehner said. “They’re very supportive fans. They deserve better. They deserve better than what they’ve got. We can’t give up, we can’t lie down and give up. You’ve got to keep working. You’ve got to keep going towards the goal and get better as a team. It’s what this town and this city deserves.”
Jack Eichel pointed to a game against the New York Islanders on Sunday as an example of that support. It was a Sunday afternoon in which the Sabres already had been eliminated from the postseason and the Islanders were just barely clinging on to their own playoff aspirations, and yet the game was a sellout.
“I’ve got nothing but great things to say about these fans,” he said. “They’re nothing but great to us, nothing but great to me. My family, all my friends, whenever they’re in town they treat them great. It’s been a mediocre two years and for them to continue to support us and be behind us, selling games out … I’m sure that if we were in other cities it wouldn’t be the same case so you’ve got to appreciate that as a player.”
He continued: “More than anything it’s a bit disappointing and a bit embarrassing for us as players that we can’t be better for them. You want to please the fans because of all they’ve been through and all they continue to put with. You want to be better. It’s disappointing that our season is ending like this … We’ve got one game left [to] just put it all out there for them and try to win a hockey game and bring some excitement into the building.”
Coverage of the game on Wednesday begins at 7 p.m. on MSG-B. The puck drops at 7:30.