3 Takeaways From Sabers' 5-2 Loss to Flyers – Hockey Writers – Buffalo Sabers

Following a comeback win over St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabers had to feel pretty good. After all, the team that will go to the game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be missing important pieces, but the Sabers have shown that they can hang without them.

Then there was the game against the Flyers. It was unforgettable almost from the start. Let's go over the top three takeaways from the Sabers' 5-2 loss to the Flyers, because it's good for fans and players alike to take away from it.

The Sabers Have a Major Moral Problem

One of Rob Ray's keys to the game was keeping the Sabers from taking costly and timely penalties. So, what happened? Connor Clifton took a call that looked less than seven minutes into the game. Zach Benson followed with a spectacular slash that the Flyers finally got.

The Sabers are now tied with the Los Angeles Kings for the third most penalties taken per game at 4.56 per contest. Ironically, only the Flyers (4.67) and Boston Bruins (5.11) took more penalties. It turned out to be a big problem.

Plus, you can relate to how well the Sabers are doing with their penalty kill. If the group is open, the death penalty is open. Otherwise, they give up power play goals. These sloppy, lazy punishments must begin to be reduced if anything is going to get better.

Sabers Worst Effort of the Season

That was a train wreck. Understandably, there are big challenges with Mattias Samuelsson and Tage Thompson injured, but that doesn't excuse the kind of effort the Sabers put forth against the Flyers.

Related: Mattias Samuelsson's Injury Problems Cause Sabers Problems

Except for about 4-5 minutes in the first half, the Sabers looked like a chicken with their heads cut off collectively. They ran around, trying to keep up with the more energetic Flyers.

Every aspect of the game was bad for the Sabers, except for another power play goal. Since ending their 0-for-22 stretch, they've been operating at a 30% clip on the power play, so that's promising. But that was the only good thing about this game.

Devon Levi Needs To Be Sent Down

Let's get one thing straight right away: the surrounding team wasn't great, but Devon Levi was terrible. He often overplayed the shot, finding himself out of position more often than not. The score would have been worse if not for some timely defensive plays.

Ever since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen found his groove, Levi has become the clear backup. But now that James Reimer is back in the fold, the play should be to send Levi to the American Hockey League (AHL) as soon as the UPL returns from injury.

Levi needs to play every night in the AHL to sharpen his game and work on his confidence. This is not the type of team that is built to limit the type of action its goalkeeper sees. Keeping him around is asking for his self-esteem to be eroded a little over time.

Too Many Mistakes

From start to finish, there were too many mistakes made by the Sabers. Yes, it hurts not to have UPL and Thompson on the roster (Samuelsson's absence may actually be a blessing in disguise). That said, it's no excuse for the kind of performance they gave in Philly.

As we go through the season, we reduce the margin of error. The Sabers can't go back and forth in the win-loss column like this. They need to get together and win sooner rather than later. With a performance like that, it won't happen soon.