Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres returned home Tuesday night for a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings at KeyBank Center before taking things out West for a three-game road trip.
The first two periods of this hockey game were dominated by the goalies - Craig Anderson of the Sabres and Pheonix Copley of the Kings. Los Angeles outshot the Sabres 16-3 in the first period and 14-12 in the second, but Anderson was able to keep his team in the game.
The third period, however, was under complete control by the Sabres.
Tage Thompson scored a minute into the period on a power play to break a 0-0 tie. That goal was then followed by goals from Victor Olofsson and JJ Peterka within a minute of each other to make the score 3-0.
Alex Tuch kept the scoring going towards the end of the period on the power play, while Thompson added his second goal of the night with the man advantage to extend the lead to 5-0.
Peyton Krebs capped off the high scoring third period with just over a minute to go, giving the Sabres the 6-0 win.
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The Buffalo offense came to life in a big way towards the end of the contest to help seal a much-needed win.
Here are this game's three observations:
1.) Craig Anderson
Anderson played phenomenally on Tuesday night, stopping all 40 shots he faced to earn his 43rd career shutout and first shutout with the Sabres. The last time he accomplished this feat was in 2019, as it so happens, against the Sabres as a member of the Ottawa Senators.
So far this season, the 41-year-old netminder has put up a 6-4-1 record in 11 games. Along with that, he has a 2.71 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage.
Anderson has had moments this season where it seemed as though he had lost a step at the NHL level, but there are other games, like this one, where he steals a win for the team.
2.) Powerful power play
Three of the six goals the Sabres scored in this game came when the team had a man advantage. Buffalo went 3-for-6 overall on the power play, with two goals coming from Thompson and one from Tuch.
The power play has been one of the reasons why the Sabres are, and have been, the top scoring team in the NHL this season with 114 goals. The team is also second in power play percentage, with 29.2% of their power plays being successful.
One of the key components to any playoff or championship caliber team in the NHL is a consistent power play that can score night-in and night-out. While the Sabres have had their struggles with the man advantage at points this year, stretches like this will bode well with how the team ends up in the race for the playoffs.
3.) Offensive onslaught
Something that Sabres teams of the past have struggled with is finding their on switch late in the game. This game was very slow and uneventful for two of the three periods, and usually the Sabres would have issues turning things up late in the game.
Obviously, this game was not the case, as the Sabres scored six goals in 20 minutes, while also not conceding any to give their opposition life. It was also the second time in a week's span the Sabres have scored six goals in a period.
Moments like these are very important for the team to grow even more chemistry than they already have. These are also important times when looking forward to the future, because it shows the team has the ability to jumpstart itself when the game is on the line.
Winning games in this fashion is important for any team looking to make a push for the playoffs as the season moves along.
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The Sabres will embark on a three-game Western road trip starting on Thursday in Colorado to take on the Avalanche at Ball Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST with pregame coverage starting at 8 p.m. EST with Brian Koziol on the radio home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
