The Buffalo Sabres lost in a controversial heartbreaker against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks, and Lindy Ruff was not happy.
Ruff was less furious with his team and more furious with the officials. He felt a collision between Blackhawks forward Anton Frondell and defenseman Owen Power should have resulted in a penalty to Chicago.
Frondell provided the assist on Ryan Donato’s game-winning overtime goal. After passing the puck, Frondell backed into and knocked over Power, who was bolting toward Donato. Power fell to the ice, rolled over, and by the time he hoisted himself up, Donato had an open look.
Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff Not Pleased With Officials Following Loss
Given Power’s body language following the collision, it was clear he wanted a penalty. The same was said for Ruff.
Via Justin Alpert of Sabres.com, Ruff said postgame, “It’s a penalty in any league. It’s a call you’ve got to get. It’s a call that has to be made.” He summed up those comments with a three-word demand: “Make the call.”
Power also had something to say about the no-call: “Obviously, I think that should probably be a penalty. Or at least take both of us.”
Controversial Loss Sends Buffalo Reeling In Mid-November
Thursday night’s loss was a game Buffalo would have wanted back. A missed call like that changed the outcome of the game.
That said, the Sabres still held a lead that went by the wayside when Frank Nazar tied the game in the third period. Buffalo had a 2-1 lead for most of the contest that started when Tage Thompson found twine at 15:46 in the first period.
Nazar also scored earlier in the contest at 12:22. That goal briefly tied the game after Power opened the scoring at the nine-minute mark.
So, the Sabres didn’t put the Blackhawks away when they had a chance in regulation. After a solid 8-5-3 start to the season, the Sabres have fallen in their past three games. Their 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks puts them at 8-7-4 on the year.
The loss also dropped Buffalo to 1-3-1 in November, with five more games left on the current road trip. That said, the Sabres are reeling.
November Road Trip Could Have Major Implications For 2026-27
The Sabres will reach the quarter-way mark of the season in just two more games. They will face the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers in those two contests. Dallas won’t be easy to beat, and Philadelphia has shown that it can play well in stretches.
Buffalo then faces Washington, Florida, and Tampa Bay to close out the road trip. None will be easy matchups. But the Sabres will win a few of those if they refuse to allow opponents to force overtime when they find themselves leading in the third period.
Sure, it was a bad no-call in that loss to Chicago in a very winnable game. But the Sabres also didn’t need to put themselves in that position to begin with. The best way to prevent it from happening again is to simply avoid putting themselves in another situation for it to happen again.
Sabres Coach Has Three-Word Demand After Controversial Blackhawks Loss