Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – With Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Buffalo Sabres won their 32nd game of the season. That’s the number of wins they had all last season.
This was a game where the Sabres initiated the play both physically and with speed. They were there for each other no matter what, they overcame some bad officiating, and just kept up the pace.
The two teams played an even first period, where they both netted a power play goal.
In the second, Buffalo’s speed seemed too much for Tampa Bay. Vinnie Hinostroza, Tyson Jost (shorthanded) and Jack Quinn netted goals, as Brian Elliott faced 17 shots to only eight for Eric Comrie.
It was interesting to see Lightning head coach Jon Cooper decide to bench his stars, as captain Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point were all glued to the bench for the entire third period. Stamkos was minus-3 in the first two periods, while Point scored a power play goal, but was minus-2.
“Those guys give us the best chance to win when they’re on the ice, but it just felt in the third period, they weren’t giving us the best chance to win," said Cooper after the game.
“We have a set of standards here that everyone adheres to, and it’s not pick-and-choose.”
Part of this is probably because Tampa Bay has now lost four-straight, and only has two wins in nine games.
I thought this was one of Comrie’s better games, as he made 33 saves for his fourth-consecutive win. On an early power play, Comrie stopped Kucherov on a one-timer and Point from right in front.
This was a game where not only was the pace good for Buffalo, but they worked their tails off. The Hinostroza goal was a good example, as Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt went to work behind the net, and both won battles to find Hinostroza out front.
As Pat Maroon was coming out of the penalty box to put the Sabres down a man, Cozens and Tyson Jost were tough on the rush. When Cozens' pass hit a skate, it went right to Jost for a goal, because he went to the net along with one of the Sabres defensemen.
In the four games that Jack Quinn has been on the Thompson line, he has two goals and three assists for five points. His goal was scored because he took a puck hard down the slot and ripped a lethal wrist shot past Elliott for his 12th of the season.
When Mike Eyssimont took a penalty 27 seconds into the third period, Jeff Skinner shot from the slot just 26 second later and it was 5-1, Buffalo. The Sabres went 2-for-5 on the power play, and also added a shorthanded goal.
The Sabres never, for one second, backed down to the Lightning, and were not afraid to be physical. Combined with their speed, that made the Sabres difficult to handle.
Buffalo finished 2-1-1 against Tampa Bay this season, scoring 19 goals in four games. The Sabres broke a two-game losing streak, but are 6-3-0 in their last nine.
This was a big win because the New York Islanders also won on Saturday, so the Sabres needed to keep pace. The Islanders are still four points ahead of the Sabres, but Buffalo has four games in hand and a better points percentage.
It was the Detroit Red Wings that lost to the Isles, and the Sabres are now three points in front of them with one game in-hand.
After getting Sunday off, the Sabres will host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
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