(WGR Sports Radio 550) - Thanks to Sunday’s 3-1 win in Seattle over the Kraken, the Buffalo Sabres turned a 0-3-0 road trip into a 3-3-0 trip coming home.
It is Buffalo’s first three-game winning streak of the season, but taking all six possible points in this stretch still didn’t get them past anyone in the Eastern Conference. They’re still tied for last place with the Columbus Blue Jackets at .500.
In my mind, this doesn’t change the fact that this team badly needs a change at the top of the hockey department.
The Sabres turned Sunday’s game into a low chance game, and did so by taking care of the puck. They are also giving their goalie a chance to get on a roll, as Alex Lyon has played in four-straight games, going 3-0-0.
Before that, Lyon hadn’t won since Oct. 24 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In these last four games, Lyon has a goals-against average of 2.01 and a save percentage of .929. He was solid on Sunday, making the big save when he had to, and stopping 23-of-24 shots faced.
Seattle could only manage three shots on goal in the first period.
Buffalo has also won three-straight games because their best players are playing like their best players.
Tage Thompson scored on a 2-on-0 break because Alex Tuch forced Vince Dunn into a bad turnover. Thompson now has goals in four-straight games, and has four goals and three assists for seven points.
Tuch’s two assists gives him two goals and two assists for four points in his last three games.
The Sabres knew they were playing a team that is in a rut, and never fed them any hope. The loss was Seattle’s eighth in nine games.
Buffalo protected a 2-1 lead by managing the puck well, and by defending as five-man units, killing rushes before they could become dangerous.
Noah Ostlund returned from the Rochester after playing in one game with the Americans, and scored late in the first period, getting a very nice pass from Josh Norris on a 2-on-1 rush.
A new rule this season doesn’t allow players to be recalled until they’ve played one game in the minors.
In six games this season, Norris has two goals and six assists for eight points. In the nine games he’s played as a member of the Sabres, he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points.
So the Sabres get a bit of a break until they’re back in action on Thursday to host the Philadelphia Flyers.
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