Spencer Knight Stands on Head but Blackhawks Fall to Sabres 4-3

The Blackhawks fell 4-3 to the Sabres in Buffalo, according to www.bleachernation.com, a loss that shouldn’t have been this close. Spencer Knight was fantastic in net, repeatedly keeping Chicago alive while the Sabres threw everything at him.

Through two periods, the shot attempts were 48-18 favoring Buffalo. Scoring chances were 26-10, and high-danger chances were 10-4. Yet the Blackhawks led 3-2 after 40 minutes, and that gap was almost entirely Knight’s doing.

The Blackhawks couldn’t finish their own chances, and late in a 4-on-4, Buffalo found the winner. It was a familiar script: strong goaltending undone by a team that couldn’t generate enough to match the opponent’s volume.

The game followed what www.bleachernation.com called a “complete dumpster fire performance in Utah,” and the Blackhawks needed a rebound. Knight gave them one, but the offense never rewarded him.

EARLY SPARK FADES

The coaches reverted to the lines used for most of training camp, and the move worked immediately. Chicago looked more cohesive right out of the gate, skating confidently with passes connecting.

The Blackhawks scored the first goal eight minutes in, then extended the lead to two at 11:24 of the first period. That cushion did not last. Buffalo pushed back hard and dominated the final eight minutes of the opening frame, cutting the lead to 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Buffalo carried that momentum into the second. Moments after Frank Nazar was tripped on his way to the net with no call, Tage Thompson redirected a Louis Crevier shot to tie the game. The Blackhawks were keeping shots from reaching their own net but generating little at the other end.

Late in the second, just after a successful penalty kill, Chicago scored to take a 3-2 lead. Six minutes into the third, the Sabres answered when Rasmus Dahlin tied it — coming right after the Blackhawks had a decent scoring chance at the other end.

The Blackhawks carried the action through the first half of the third period, posting a 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage of 62.86 at the 11-minute mark. But they couldn’t finish. Late in a 4-on-4, Buffalo took the lead for good.