The Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild played to a 0:0 draw at the First Niagara Center on Tuesday evening, a result that keeps both teams stuck at zero points after three games. By then, neither side had managed to find the back of the net, and the match had settled into something more cautious than either side might have hoped for.
We had given Buffalo the edge in our prediction, with 47 per cent confidence, but the game simply refused to open up. Things came to a head in the second period when both teams pressed forward, but the wind seemed to ruin any passing game, and the pucks kept deflecting off sticks and pads without finding their mark.
The home side started the evening with a 4:3 victory over Chicago but followed it with a heavy 3:6 defeat to Columbus, so there was a sense that they were still searching for rhythm. Minnesota, meanwhile, had won their last two — 4:1 against Boston and 3:1 over Nashville — but even that form could not break through a Buffalo defence that gave nothing away.
To be fair, the Wild sat top of the table at this stage, yet after three games the standings tell a peculiar story. Both clubs have two wins and one loss, but the point system means neither has accumulated anything. It is not a situation that rewards patience, and the table goes out of the window in these games.
The Sabres have now extended their winless streak to three, having lost to Pittsburgh and Detroit before the Columbus defeat, while Minnesota's unbeaten run of two has been halted. A straight knockout would have suited both sides, but instead they shared nothing.
