Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Game 2 of the 2024 preseason for the Buffalo Sabres went about as well as the first one did on Saturday night.
The Sabres posted another blowout victory, this time, a 6-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo.
With about five-and-a-half minutes played in the first period, the Sabres opened the scoring on the power play. Owen Power ripped home the first goal of the afternoon, and his second tally of the preseason from the right faceoff circle.
Columbus evened things later in the frame after Sabres goalie Devon Levi failed to cover a loose puck with his blocker. Eventually, the puck was in the back of the net, with the goal credited to forward Mathieu Olivier.
The score remained tied at 1-1 until the five-minute mark of the middle stanza.
Zach Benson was able to reclaim the lead for the Sabres, as the second-year forward spun around, and corralled a rebound to make it 2-1, Sabres. The goal was Benson's first goal of the preseason.
At the halfway mark of the period, Buffalo nabbed its first multi-goal advantage of the contest. This time, it was Peyton Krebs scoring his first of the preseason to extend the Sabres' lead to 3-1.
The Sabres then put the game away with a strong third period.
Dylan Cozens was able to net his second goal of the preseason after Benson did a nice job winning a battle for a loose puck, and then spinning a pass to a wide-open Cozens streaking into the Blue Jackets' zone.
Mattias Samuelsson gave Buffalo a 5-1 lead a short time later, as he fought for a puck and fired home his first of the preseason through Columbus goalie Jet Greaves.
A little more than a minute-and-a-half minute later, winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel capped the scoring for the Sabres with his first goal of the preseason after going hard to the net and finishing off a nice feed from Sam Lafferty.
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GAME RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 5:35 - Owen Power (2) PPG (JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn)
CBJ: 11:34 - Mathieu Olivier (1) (Unassisted)
Second Period:
BUF: 5:15 - Zach Benson (1) (Henri Jokiharju, Jack Quinn); 10:40 - Peyton Krebs (1) (Tage Thompson, Dennis Gilbert)
CBJ: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 2:34 - Dylan Cozens (2) (Zach Benson, Bowen Byram); 5:23 - Mattias Samuelsson (1) (JJ Peterka, Peyton Krebs); 7:00 - Nicolas Aube-Kubel (1) (Sam Lafferty, Bowen Byram)
CBJ: NONE
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Losi & Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Zach Benson - BUF
2.) Dylan Cozens - BUF
3.) Peyton Krebs - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres' NHL group will be leaving Tuesday for Europe, where they will get ready for an exhibition matchup with Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) club Red Bull Munich on Friday, Sept. 27.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group will remain in North America, where they will get ready to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. Faceoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and can be heard on WGR Sports Radio with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.