Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart is clearing the air after seemingly criticizing his team's goaltenders after Thursday night's 6-5 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes.

"That's not what I meant at all. ... I'm saying we all need to come back and defend more," Reinhart said according to The Athletic's John Vogl. "I was trying to say we need more for our goalies. It doesn't take a hockey genius to know those have been our two best guys all year."

Following the loss, a frustrated Reinhart appeared to blame the Sabres' goalies as the reason for them falling behind early in games and ultimately struggling to win the subsequent high-scoring affairs. However, the 23-year-old insists he was directing his frustration at the team's defense, not the goaltenders.

"I was lost in translation, I wasn't trying to be hard on them at all," Reinhart said. "I was trying to be harder on the guys skating around the ice to come back and defend more."

The Sabres have allowed four or more goals in four of their last five contests, and have won only five games since Christmas. Despite his comments, Reinhart claims the team is in good spirits.

"We're already joking around today, so we're all good," he said.

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