ANAHEIM, Calif. _ The Anaheim Ducks' Cam Fowler fired the puck with all of his 215 pounds leaning into the slapper.
Unfortunately, the puck was directed at the boards, and afterward Buffalo Sabres center Johan Larsson iced the game with an empty-net goal to make the final score 3-1.
With four of their first six games at home, the Ducks had a golden opportunity to propel themselves to a fast start in the Pacific Division.
However, each start at Honda Center has been anything but. The Ducks (2-3-1) again were futile out of the locker room and this time the sloppy play never dissipated. The Ducks committed 11 giveaways (the Sabres had just three) and were forced to chase the winless Sabres from behind after Justin Bailey found the net 1:30 into the contest.
John Gibson, who was a game-time decision after sitting the final 40 minutes in Friday's defeat to the Avalanche (28 saves on 30 shots), tried to corral the puck but Nathan Beaulieu poked it to Bailey.
Corey Perry contributed to the setback when he lost the battle on the boards, and Larsson capitalized with a wrister that created the rebound.
"These games right now seem to be played in parts," said coach Randy Carlyle. "We haven't been able to put together 60 minutes. You can tell we're starting to squeeze the sticks.
"Loose pucks up for grabs, instead of calmly making a play or corralling the puck, we're slapping it away and throwing it away from ourselves. "Usually that's a sign of confidence. That's the one thing we have to try and correct."
The Sabres' second goal also came on a turnover after Benoit Pouliot stole the puck from Josh Manson and sent a wrister off Fowler and past Gibson.
Another facet that must be corrected is the anemic power play. The injury-riddled Ducks have earned 21 power-play opportunities, but each one has ended the same _ without a goal.
It seemed the Ducks were finally regaining their strength after Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Eaves both returned from injury, but they were again sidelined after each aggravated a lower-body ailment.
The lone bright spot right might be the scoring chances the Ducks are creating on the penalty kill.
They're the lone team with three short-handed goals after Antoine Vermette made a diving poke to Chris Wagner, who completed the breakaway chance with a backhander through Chad Johnson's five-hole. "It's always nice to chip in offensively on those," Wagner said, "but obviously we'd like our power play to get going as well."
Francois Beauchemin also would like to see the Ducks create more in the offensive zone.
The veteran defenseman was especially surprised to see the Sabres come out with more energy since they were the ones playing on the back end of consecutive nights on the road. There's a lot for the Ducks to be surprised about right now.
Luckily, they'll get a much-needed rest, their next contest coming Friday in Anaheim vs. Montreal.
