Hamilton, ON (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres will meet the Toronto Maple Leafs outside in the 2022 Heritage Classic on Sunday, March 13.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams visited Hamilton, Ontario on Wednesday, where the game is going to be played. He said he loves the fact that both teams have fans in that area that will be able to be in attendance.
"It’s well-known that a large part of our fan base is from Southern Ontario, and I think it’s great," Adams said.
“With all we’ve gone through the past two years, it’s had its challenges. Getting across the border and going to games hasn’t been easy, so it’s going to be an opportunity for the fans in Southern Ontario.”
Adams was traded right before the Chicago Blackhawks played in an outdoor game, so he’s never had the opportunity, but he’s glad the players on his team are going to get the chance, “Honestly it will be unbelievable. Every player, if you would ask them, would love the chance to be able to play the outdoor game and even if they’ve played in it before, they’d love to do it again.
“It lets you take a step back and remember why you play the game, I mean all of us grew up playing outside and for me, playing in Buffalo, playing on the pond in the back yard with your toes frozen and seeing your breath, you fell in love with the game back there.”
Sometimes when you get into the schedule and something like this pops up, it gives you a jolt of energy and we’ll see that from both teams.”
It was very windy inside the stadium as we spoke to Adams outside. I wondered if he was going to talk to Bills coach Sean McDermott about how to play when you’re against the wind, Adams said with a laugh, “It’s windy, so I think I should have that conversation. I will talk to Brandon and Sean and check in with them about it for sure.”
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After Adams spoke in Hamilton, the Sabres went to Toronto and played the Maple Leafs. The Leafs are the fifth best team in the NHL with a points percentage of .685, but for 60 minutes, the Sabres were the better team and they were rewarded with a 5-1 victory.
Just as they’ve been poor at doing the little things that make you a good team, on Wednesday, Buffalo did all the little things well and never really looked out of control. I think it was their best game all season at playing like a five man unit. The gap between the forwards and the defensemen were tight.
Right after Victor Olofsson gave the Sabres a 2-1 second period lead, Pierre Engvall had a breakaway that Craig Anderson stopped plus the rebound. That was the definition of a big save. It was the first game the Leafs were allowed to fill the building and those fans would’ve exploded had Engvall tied it.
Instead of crumbling with a 3-1 lead going into the third period, the Sabres played their best period of the night and got the goal to make it 4-1. The team was blocking shots from Toronto players that were in prime scoring position.
It was a fantastic all-around effort, but now what? Can they sustain it on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota will be angry because the Sabres came into their building and took two points away from them. I think it’ll be an excellent test.
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