Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres have won five out of seven games after beating the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, 3-0.
It was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s second-straight shutout, as his streak is now at 157:55. This streak is the longest by a Sabres goalie since Ryan Miller did it in 2010.
Only Tom Barrasso, Martin Biron, Don Edwards and Dominik Hasek have longer shutout streaks in franchise history.
In his last six games, Luukkonen is 5-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage. The 24-year-old has allowed one goal in his last three games.
All Buffalo could do is keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning, staying seven points behind them. Tampa Bay is in Buffalo on Saturday after a 7-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
In the first game between the two teams, Buffalo won in overtime on home ice back on Oct. 17.
Buffalo got off to a decent start and outshot the Hawks, 13-4. Despite what a website said, the Sabres didn’t have many great scoring chances.
Luukkonen’s first save of the game came off a MacKenzie Entwistle breakaway. Later in the period, Luukkonen had to make a great save right in front on Rem Pitlick.
Early in the second period, the Sabres had to kill back-to-back penalties to Rasmus Dahlin, and they finally got on the board when Zemgus Girgensons went to the net and tipped in a Ryan Johnson shot.
Johnson had two assists in the game for his first two-point game of his NHL career.
In the third period, JJ Peterka scored from below the goal line, as he banked the puck in off of Arvid Soderblom’s head. Peterka now has two goals in four games.
Dahlin’s power play goal off a Chicago stick closed out the scoring.
Buffalo went 4-for-4 on the penalty kil,l and are 12-for-12 in their last four games.
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The Sabres did what they had to do to take care of business in the last two games. They played the two worst teams in the NHL and won both games by a 3-0 score.
Many of you may be mocking the Sabres, saying who did they beat? But guess what? Teams like the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights play the Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks too.
I’m certainly not saying they’ve turned a corner, but they have won 5-of-7 and have given up one goal in three games.
Now, the challenge is not only to beat Tampa Bay on Saturday, but to beat them in regulation. The Lightning will arrive with four-straight wins and five wins in six games.
