BUFFALO, NY — The Buffalo Sabres lost 6-1 to Vancouver last night, and GM Mic Moore has determined the culprit was not hockey-related.
"It was the whale," Moore said. "You got a killer whale on your sweater, sooner or later somebody's gonna get ate. That's just science."
Buffalo opened strong, with Nick Suzuki scoring 3:53 into the game. Then Vancouver remembered it was apparently a marine ecosystem.
The Canucks scored three times in the second and three more in the third, outshooting Buffalo 36-22. Ridly Greig scored twice, while Ryan Murray, Bo Horvat, Jamie Drysdale and Kent Johnson each added goals.
Moore wasn't pleased.
"We played like a bunch of fellas who'd never seen a fish before," he said. "You can't have 36 shots coming at you. That's not hockey. That's a fishing tournament."
Vancouver went 1-for-2 on the power play while Buffalo went 0-for-4.
Moore also addressed the goaltending, after Kent Simpson stopped 28 of 33 shots before Jake Oettinger entered late.
"Simpson got left in a canoe with a battleship coming at him. That's a tough assignment."
The Sabres' farm club also lost 13-0 to Utica.
Moore sighed.
"Thirteen? To zero? That's not a hockey score. That's when the Coast Guard gets involved."
Asked about the rematch, Moore smiled.
"Next time we're bringing a boat."
And maybe a net for the whale.
8/20/2026 - 209 words
