\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Jeffrey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3783023_web1_CP175411660.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n
Jason Zucker (centre) celebrates after scoring early in the first period Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to give you all the answers. I think if I had them all, we wouldn\u2019t be in this position that we\u2019re in,\u201d veteran defenceman Dylan DeMelo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the biggest concern, just the inconsistency we have right now in our game, in all facets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Costly turnovers. Shoddy defending. Limited offence with absolutely no secondary scoring. And skating as slow as molasses, unable to keep up with a much speedier squad all night.<\/p>\n
All of this, it should be noted, came against an opponent that began the night 29th-overall in the NHL standings \u2014 and hasn\u2019t made the playoffs since the Atlanta Thrashers were still a thing. Seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether that\u2019s stubborn or whether that\u2019s not being quick enough, not reading the situation fast enough\u2026We kicked ourselves in that one,\u201d said coach Scott Arniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were chasing that game right from the get-go. I didn\u2019t have the warm and fuzzies about anything happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg tastes defeat for the ninth time in the past 13 games, falling to 13-12-0 overall. Buffalo improves to 11-11-4, which means the two clubs are now tied in points.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Sabres defenceman Jacob Bryson (center) lays the lumber on Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov.<\/p>\n THE MEETING: Per NHL regulations, teams are supposed to open their room to media within 10 minutes of the final buzzer. But it took about double that after this one, the result of a closed-door meeting that Arniel later revealed was called and led by Jets captain Adam Lowry.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s got to be a lot better. Keep it at that,\u201d forward Kyle Connor said when asked to summarize the theme of the chat. \u201cAnd I believe in this group, the leadership that we have, the players in here. It\u2019s in this room. It\u2019s got to be us to figure it out and turn this thing around, grab that identity and grab a hold of something that makes us tick. It seems like we\u2019re still trying to find that. We have it at nights. We go into Nashville and play a great game, and we kind of show up like that tonight. It\u2019s just rallying, everybody being a leader, bringing to the table what you do good, focus on that and be the best you can every single night. Like I said, I believe in this group. Hopefully we look back on this and we grow from it, we learn from it, and use this as a positive in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n The team actually moved the post-game media availability to a backdrop outside the room, not bringing reporters and cameras in. Was it because they didn\u2019t want people to see the paint had been peeled off the walls?<\/p>\n Arniel was happy to see Lowry take control, saying the players have to find a way out of this.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re hoping that the response into our next game is a lot better than what it was (Monday night),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a veteran group, we recognize that we just embarrassed ourselves and we\u2019re going to have to be a heck of a lot better in the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Sabres defenceman Bowen Byram and Winnipeg Jets right wing Gustav Nyquist collide during the second period.<\/p>\n THE START: Last Friday in Raleigh, Arniel bemoaned the fact that several of his players didn\u2019t show up for the start of the game. To be clear, he was talking figuratively, even though it did look at times like the Jets didn\u2019t have the same number of skaters on the ice as the Carolina Hurricanes given how porous they were.<\/p>\n Well, the same thing happened again 72 hours later. The Jets were merely spectators as the Sabres basically did whatever they pleased, including scoring a pair of goals 15 seconds apart.<\/p>\n The first came after veteran forward Vlad Namestnikov made a careless turnover in the Buffalo zone, leading to an odd-man rush which ended when DeMelo took a holding penalty. A short time later, Jason Zucker pounced on a rebound to open the scoring on the power play at 2:46 of the opening frame.<\/p>\n Then, with the Jets still in a fog over falling behind 1-0 for the fifth time in the last six games, defenceman Bowen Byram walked in and ripped a shot past Eric Comrie to make it 2-0 at 3:01<\/p>\n Sabres centre Josh Norris, who got hurt in the season-opener in early October and then missed the next 24 games, made it 3-0 later in the frame, tucking a puck past Comrie after he was given all sorts of time and space.<\/p>\n \u201cWe showed video, did our pre-scout of their last three games \u2014 how many opportunities they get off their rush, their four-man rush with the D,\u201d Arniel said of the talk with his team piror to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor puts the puck past Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the second period for his team\u2019s only goal.<\/p>\n \u201c(And then) we gave up all of those rush opportunities and they capitalized on them. We\u2019re getting beat up the ice shift after shift after shift.\u201d<\/p>\n THE RESPONSE: Comrie\u2019s night was over after 20 minutes \u2014 14 shots, 11 saves \u2014 although Arniel was quick to note this was a \u201cmercy pull\u201d and a chance to perhaps spark the group.<\/p>\n It looked like it might be working when Connor tipped a Josh Morrissey shot midway through the second period to bring the visitors within two.<\/p>\n However, that was short-lived as the Jets gave up another goal off the rush just over two minutes later off the stick of Alex Tuch. Then, just 41 seconds into the final frame, the sleepy Jets got burned one last time as Norris scored his second of the night.<\/p>\n Rinse, repeat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe gave up nine rush chances. They scored four goals off the rush,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cWe fed right into their offence.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets goaltender Thomas Milic, who replaced starter Eric Comrie in the second period, stops Buffalo Sabres\u2019 Ryan McLeod in the third period.<\/p>\n Rookie Thomas Milic, making his second NHL appearance and first in mop-up duty, stopped 15 of 17 shots he faced.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a struggle at times this year to come up with that identity, play that same way, play a full 60, string games together,\u201d admitted Connor.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are all things that are fixable. It\u2019s not just going to be the flip of a switch and it\u2019s going to be back playing the right way. It\u2019s going to be hard work, having our assignments, everybody doing the right job, relying on each other. If one or two guys are doing the right job, it\u2019s not going to be good enough. We need everybody playing as five, as a unit. And we just feel a bit disconnected, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n KEY PLAY: It truly was the sequence of events early in the game \u2014 the Namestnikov turnover, the DeMelo penalty and the Zucker goal \u2014 which set the tone for what was to come.<\/p>\n THREE STARS:<\/p>\n 1. Sabres C Josh Norris: 2G 1A<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Gabriel Vilardi tries to bring the puck to the Buffalo Sabres\u2019 net while goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and defenceman Mattias Samuelsson look on during the second period.<\/p>\n 2. Sabres F RW Josh Doan: 2A<\/p>\n 3. Sabres G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 23 saves<\/p>\n EXTRA, EXTRA: The Jets went zero-for-two on the power play, while the Sabres went one-for-three.<\/p>\n The only area Winnipeg had an advantage in was hits, leading Buffalo 35-12. Of course, a big reason for that is the home team had the puck on their stick for much more of the night.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t The Jets went with the same lineup as their 5-2 win in Nashville, meaning forward Cole Koepke and defenceman Elias Salomonsson were healthy scratches. Both play with speed, and you wonder if the Jets would have been better served against a team like Buffalo with them in the lineup.<\/p>\n Will they get the call on Wednesday in Montreal when the Jets wrap up this five-game road trip?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jeffrey T. Barnes \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley chucks knuckles at Buffalo Sabres centre Peyton Krebs in the third period.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is in play here. We\u2019ll see where we are. We\u2019ll check with our injured guys. Obviously, we\u2019ll look at this and we\u2019ll make a decision for Wednesday,\u201d said Arniel.<\/p>\n Defenceman Neal Pionk missed a fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury, although he\u2019s getting close to a return. Blue-liner Haydn Fleury (concussion) and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (knee) are the others currently sidelined.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n