Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres put together a good game on Tuesday, and picked up their first victory of the season, 3-2 in overtime, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This was a game Buffalo deserved to win, and almost got it done in regulation. However, Tampa Bay got one scoring opportunity with the goaltender pulled, and Brandon Hagel capitalized with seven seconds left in regulation time.
Buffalo won the overtime faceoff and had the puck for the full 1:46 of the extra session. Owen Power hit the post early in overtime, and then Dylan Cozens beat Jonas Johansson with a goal he’d want back.
It was Cozens' first goal of the season in a game where he looked better than he had in the first two.
The Sabres were the better team throughout the night, but they overpassed the puck, declining to shoot on a struggling goaltender. That allowed Tampa Bay to hang around and get a point that Buffalo would’ve preferred they didn’t get.
That’s more of a side note, though.
The Sabres played as a team in this game and played with confidence. I thought they were excellent defensively, coming back in waves and being there for each other. If there was a mistake, another Sabres player was in position to help out.
The Sabres gave up very few Grade-A scoring chances, but when they did, Devon Levi was spectacular.
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Sabres head coach Don Granato inserted Tyson Jost into the game for Victor Olofsson, and it paid dividends. I thought Jost had a very good game both 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill.
Just nine minutes into the game, Jost had his first point of the season in his first game when he hit Zemgus Girgensons through the left circle, who scored another one that Johansson would want back.
Jost, as well as Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway, Kyle Okposo, Mattias Samuelsson, Erik Johnson, Owen Power and Connor Clifton, were terrific, going 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, allowing just one real good scoring chance.
The thing that really struck with me on the penalty kill was how they cut off the passing lanes with their sticks. The Sabres would get in the way of the passes, and get the puck down ice.
In three games, Buffalo is 90.9% on the penalty kill.
The 1-2-0 Sabres will next host the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
The Flames are already in Buffalo and are 1-1-1 to start the season. Calgary beat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-3, before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2, and the Washington Capitals in a shootout, 3-2.
