(WGR 550) – For the third time in less than a month, the Buffalo Sabres went on the road, played the No. 1 team in the NHL at the time and won.
Buffalo faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, but the compete was high in a 5-2 win.
Jack Eichel gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead 3:22 into the third period, but the Sabres didn’t back down.
Just 1:39 later, Dylan Cozens found Casey Mittelstadt, who scored over Logan Thompson’s shoulder to tie it at 2-2.
The Sabres needed their best players to be their best players, and they got just that on Friday.
Cozens played his best game of the season, by far. The goal he scored to open the scoring was a Cozens-type goal. He threw a great body check in the neutral zone, and kept going to the slot. Mittelstadt found him, and Cozens had his first goal in 12 games.
Cozens finished the night with a goal and two assists.
Mittelstadt had two goals in eight games heading into this game, but came up huge with two goals and an assist in the win. Mittelstadt moved to the left wing for this game with Cozens at center and JJ Peterka on the right wing.
Zach Benson just never stops working, and it translated to a goal and an assist for the 18-year-old. Benson scored the game-winning goal, because he was at the net. He never stopped working on the shift, and Alex Tuch found him in front. Benson went to the backhand and scored his fourth of the season over Thompson.
Tuch had to feel good on Friday, because just 1:43 later, Benson grabs the puck off a turnover and leads a perfect 2-on-1 with Tuch, who scored against his old team.
The Sabres couldn’t have won without Devon Levi being at his best. He made 33 saves, and is now 3-0-1 since coming back from the Rochester Americans. In that time, his goals-against average is 1.71, while his save percentage is .942.
Eichel had eight shots on goal in the game, but Levi stopped seven of them.
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The win put Buffalo to within five points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and put them one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Sabres have played four good games in their last five. Unfortunately, the one bad contest was a very bad one in Colorado against the Avalanche on Wednesday.
The Sabres are right back at it on Saturday in Arizona against the Coyotes.
