Toronto, Ontario (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres had a decent game plan on Wednesday to try and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. They defended well and played a low chance game, only giving up 15 shots and one goal in the first two periods, and eventually forced overtime tied at 1-1.
Victor Olofsson ripped a shot from the left circle over Ilya Samsonov’s glove, a tally the Maple Leafs goalie would want back, to tie the score in the second period.
In overtime, the Sabres had some good puck time and a few good chances. None were better than Tage Thompson from the slot, but Samsonov absolutely robbed him with the glove hand.
Wednesday was the second-straight game where Thompson, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch were ineffective as a line.
The worst was the overtime goal.
The Sabres held Auston Matthews to absolutely nothing for 60 minutes, but with less than a minute left to go in overtime, head coach Don Granato learned what many coaches before him have learned: Don’t put Skinner out in overtime. The veteran winger is, arguably, the Sabres' worst 3-on-3 player.
Yes, if you give him a golden opportunity he can win the game for you, but once you lose the puck, he has no idea what to do.
I can’t think of a worse overtime shift that I’ve ever seen than Skinner had at the end. He didn’t have a clue where to go or what to do, which totally messed up Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin out there with him.
Skinner just spun like a top and never really had any of the Leafs covered. By the end, he managed to screen Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen perfectly for Matthews' game-winning goal.
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Before the game, Buffalo traded forward Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bo Byram.
Byram has known the likes of Cozens and Peyton Krebs for years dating back to when they were little kids. The 22-year-old also played with both of them, as well as Jack Quinn and Devon Levi, on Team Canada at the World Juniors.
He also played with veteran Erik Johnson in Colorado.
The players on this team all liked Mittelstadt. They would go to his house to do things, and they were shaken when they learned of his trade on Wednesday.
"I spent a lot of time with Casey over the years, and watched him evolve as a player and put the work in to get to the point that he’s gotten. It was a tough day knowing we were parting ways, and I wish him the best, because he’s doing an amazing job and was very dedicated and committed to the Sabres," said Granato on Wednesday.
Mittelstadt will more than likely get a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time with the Avalanche this year.
Granato did get a chance to speak with Byram, who has already won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022.
"Anytime someone gets traded, you wonder how it’s going to affect them. I was hesitant on the phone to take a read from him, and I could not believe how excited he was about coming to our team," Granato said. "He knows lots of guys in our locker room, and it picked me up hearing that."
During my walk off interview at the end of the first period in Toronto, Cozens was elated to have his friend joining the Sabres.
"He’s as good of a guy as it gets, and his potential is really high," said Cozens on Wednesday. "He’s two-way; Offensively, he’s such a good skater, he can play big minutes. And he’s one of my best friends.
"Losing 'Mitts' is tough. We all love him, and I wish him the best."
Cozens said he and Byram were also teammates in midget hockey at the Yale Hockey Academy Prep Under-18 team. They also played on the Canada Under-18 and Under-20 teams.
Krebs joined both players on the Canada Red Under-17 team, as well as the Under-18 and Under-20 teams.
"We got a guy I’ve known since I was about 8-years-old, and I think he’s going to fit so well into our group," said Krebs on Wednesday. "Off the ice, he’s the definition of a beauty. When you meet him, you’ll understand for sure. On the ice, he has a ton of skill, but he’s not afraid to get dirty. He’s a Cup champion, and we need that in our locker room."
The Sabres had trouble with traffic in Toronto, as the QEW was closed. It took the team over two hours to get to the airport from the arena. By the time they cleared customs in Nashville, they didn’t get to their rooms until just before 4 a.m. EST.
Byram missed his last game in Colorado due to an illness, and general manager Kevyn Adams wanted him to fly to Buffalo. However, Byram phoned Granato and said he feels fine and wants to get going, so he flew to Nashville to meet the team.
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