Sabres Fall Just Short In Pittsburgh

It’s never fun to lose (assuming you’re not tanking), but if you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres you’ll take the kind of effort produced in Pittsburgh every night for the rest of the season.

Buffalo threw 53 shots at Pittsburgh netminder Jeff Zatkoff and got three pucks past him, but still felt one short in a loss to the Penguins, 4-3 Thursday night most Sabres fans can live with.

The 53 shots was the most the Sabres have had in a game since facing Washington in 2007. Buffalo fired 93 shots on net during their two-game road trip, one that included a win in Philadelphia Tuesday night. Last season it felt like 93 shots was a month worth of contests.

Jamie McGinn and Nicholas Deslauriers scored in the first period as Buffalo erased a two goal deficit. Down two with less than three minutes left, Matt Moulson tipped a Ryan O’Reilly shot to get back within one with 2:26 left in regulation.

(Video: Sabres.com)

The Sabres put pressure on Pittsburgh with a two man advantage in the final moments but couldn’t net the game-tying goal.

O’Reilly finished with two assists, has seven points in his last four games and 10 points in his first 10 games with Buffalo.

Defensemen Risto Ristolainen also had two assists and played a team-high 24:59.

Goaltender Chad Johnson faced 29 shots and had 25 saves for Buffalo, as head coach Dan Blysma lost in his first time back in Pittsburgh.  Blysma coached Pittsburgh for parts of six seasons as the Penguins  won the Stanley Cup in 2008-09 and four times earned at least 100 regular season points.

Sabres forward Tyler Ennis was a late scratch with a lower body injury.

Buffalo is back at it tomorrow night against the Philadelphia Flyers at the First Niagara Center.