The Buffalo Sabres have begun the season with a pair of victories thanks to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
Arizona scored first midway through the opening period. Andrew Ladd scored his first goal of the season after a pass from Ryan Dzingel from below the goal line. Ex-Sabres forward Johan Larsson was credited with an assist along with Dzingel on the game's first score.
The Sabres had a pair of power play chances in the first period. Their first man advantage came thanks to a Coyotes too many men on the ice minor early in the game, while a Jay Beagle hooking minor was called late in the opening frame.
Buffalo finished the first period with 14 shots in the period to Arizona's five.
It took the blue and gold less than two minutes into the middle period to even the score at 1-1. Cody Eakin followed up Drake Caggiula's effort and slammed the puck past goalie Karel Vejmelka. Eakin's first goal of the season was assisted by Caggiula and Rasmus Dahlin. The score came just seconds before Beagle's minor penalty expired.
Buffalo's first penalty of the afternoon was called on Victor Olofsson. The forward sat for tripping, but his teammates were able to kill off the minor without allowing a goal against.
The Coyotes out-shot Buffalo in the middle period, 9-8, thanks to a pair of power play chances. Colin Miller was whistled for a hooking penalty later in the period, but, again, the Sabres killed off the minor.
Buffalo's defense, again, held tough in the early stages of the third period. The blue and gold did not allow an Arizona shot to reach Dustin Tokarski until nearly halfway through the period. Buffalo doubled up the Coyotes in shots, with a 10-5 advantage in the period.
Neither team was able to score in the third, as well as the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime session. Arizona was credited with a pair of shots on goal, while Buffalo had just one.
In the shootout, Tage Thompson and Arttu Ruotsalainen both scored on their attempts for Buffalo, while Tokarski made saves in the final two rounds to preserve the victory for the blue and gold.
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GAME SUMMARY
Goal Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
ARI: 13:51 - Andrew Ladd (1) (Ryan Dzingel, Johan Larsson)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:05 - Cody Eakin (1) PPG (Drake Caggiula, Rasmus Dahlin)
ARI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
ARI: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
ARI: NONE
Shootout:
BUF: Tage Thompson - GOAL
ARI: Nick Schmaltz - GOAL
BUF: Arttu Ruotsalainen - GOAL
ARI: Phil Kessel - Save
BUF: Victor Olofsson - Save
ARI: Clayton Keller - Miss
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Penalty Summary
First Period:
BUF: NONE
ARI: 8:04 - Team (Too man men on the ice - 2 min.); 19:12 - Jay Beagle (Hooking - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 12:14 - Victor Olofsson (Tripping - 2 min.); 15:48 - Colin Miller (Hooking - 2 min.)
ARI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
ARI: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
ARI: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Karel Vejmelka - ARI
2.) Rasmus Dahlin - BUF
3.) Cody Eakin - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres will have a pair of days off from game action before suiting up for a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.
