Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres got their second-straight home win on Saturday, ripping the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, 7-2.
In two games this season against the champs, Buffalo has outscored them, 12-4.
Dylan Cozens scored two shorthanded goals to give him seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 16 games.
The win gives the Sabres five wins in six games, six wins in eight games and seven victories in 10 contests.
In 23 games in 2024, which is 28% of their schedule, Buffalo has a points percentage of .609. That’s 14th in the NHL, and better than both the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas.
The problem is the two teams currently holding the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference are the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the same time period, Detroit is 16-6-2, which is fourth with a points percentage of .708. At the same time, Tampa Bay has a points percentage of .620.
As well as the Sabres have played, they’ve lost ground trying to get into the playoffs. Buffalo is currently 10 points behind both teams in the Wild Card chase.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division, and they are third in the NHL in 2024 with a points percentage of .712.
As far as the teams they have to leapfrog, Buffalo's tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins, two points back of the New Jersey Devils, three points behind the Washington Capitals and four points behind the New York Islanders.
The thing I liked about Saturday’s game was the Sabres came out fast. Jeff Skinner scored just 1:55 in when he and Casey Mittelstadt attacked the middle of the ice, forcing a turnover to score.
More hard work came from Cozens to start the second period as he stole the puck from Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore, used his speed to blow by him and create a breakaway shorthanded goal.
The hiccup for the Sabres came in the first four-and-a-half minutes after Cozens' goal. The Knights were all over the Sabres, and Buffalo totally lost coverage. That allowed Vegas two easy tap-in goals to tie it at 2-2.
The impressive part was the Sabres put an end to it right then and there, and dominated the rest of the way. Buffalo was willing to battle hard throughout, and force the Golden Knights to play their speed game.
Zemgus Girgensons netted the game-winner when he put a slick move on Vegas defender Alex Pietrangelo, which got him to the net for his seventh of the season. He’s on a pace for 13 goals over 82 games.
Kyle Okposo banked in his 12th goal of the season to make it 4-2, and Okposo is on a pace for 17 goals over 82 games.
Skinner ended up with three points in this game, as did Owen Power.
With the game well in-hand and Buffalo playing back-to-back games, Rasmus Dahlin only played 24:16 on Saturday.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was his usual self in Saturday's game, but only needed to make 22 saves in the win. I think he could easily play his first back-to-back of the season on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets.
While speaking Saturday morning, Sabres head coach Don Granato didn’t close the door at all on that possibility.
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Buffalo played in Winnipeg in November and lost, 3-2. The Sabres held the Jets to just 18 shots on goal, but Connor Hellebuyck made numerous great saves for the win.
Apparently, the Sabres won’t have to face the NHL’s No. 1 goalie. Hellebuyck leads the NHL with a save percentage of .924. He’s second in goals-against average at 2.25, and he’s fourth in wins with 29.
Hellebuyck played Saturday in the Jets' 5-3 win in Carolina over the Hurricanes. He doesn’t get many nights off, as he’s played in 44 of Winnipeg’s 59 games.
Overall this season, Winnipeg is second in team defense with a 2.39 goals-against average. The Sabres have moved up to 13th.
Laurent Brossoit is 9-4-2 this season with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. He’s allowed nine goals in his last three games, going 2-1-0.
The Jets are third in the NHL with a points percentage of .686. They’ve won 5-of-6 games and 8-of-10 contests.
Kyle Connor missed 16 games due to injury, but he still has 25 goals in 43 games. In his last eight games, he has six goals and six assists for 12 points.
Winnipeg acquired Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 2. In his last seven games, he has seven goals and eight points.
Sunday’s pregame show on WGR with Brian Koziol and myself will see general manager Kevyn Adams join us. Pregame officially starts at 6 p.m. EST, where you'll also hear the latest from Granato.
