Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Balsyma challenged his players to show what type of team they want to be over the final 15 games of the season and Friday night they displayed it.  They're a team that plays just well enough to keep games interesting and just poorly enough to lose. 

Buffalo's 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was the Sabres' fourth straight loss and eighth in the last nine games.  The Sabres twice came back to tie the game only to allow a couple of careless mistakes lead to the game winning goal.

With just over five minutes to play and the score tied 3-3 the Sabres won a faceoff in their own end, Cody Franson misplayed the puck, the Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner intercepted and skated to the Buffalo goal where Robin Lehner missed while trying to sweep the puck away and Jenner easily swept it into the net.

It's the little things that keep killing the Sabres.  Games are there for the taking.  Problem is the other teams keep taking them.  What the Sabres give their opponents take away.

Evan Rodriguez, Josh Georges and Rasmus Ristolainen had the Buffalo goals while Jack Eichel saw his 11 game point streak come to an end.

The same two teams go right back at it again Saturday night in Buffalo.

More From 106.5 WYRK