Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It took awhile, but the Buffalo Sabres found their game on Saturday and were able to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, in a shootout.
This was the fourth game in-a-row they started turning the puck over and it was costing them.
The team took care of the puck and defended extremely well in the third period, though. It took Toronto 11:41 to get their first shot of the period, and it was a Grade-A look for Matias Maccelli next to the net. Good for Buffalo, though, Alex Lyon robbed him.
Lyon has won five-straight games and is 16-2-0 in his last 18 games.
Part of the reason the Sabres looked better and defended so well is Zach Metsa returning to the lineup. Metsa played a season-high 15:32 and, in my mind, has earned the right to be in the lineup every game.
Metsa filled in for the injured Mattias Samuelsson, and played alongside Rasmus Dahlin a lot. Metsa hasn’t been on the ice for a goal-against since October, and his numbers are off the chart. He’s as solid as can be on the back end.
In my opinion, he is the Sabres' No. 5 defenseman and needs to be in the lineup every single night. He has earned that right.
When Buffalo scores first in a game, they have a habit of winning this season. The Sabres are 30-5-1 when they net the game's first goal.
It only took 2:01 for Buffalo to score first on Saturday, and it was, again, the forechecking of Sam Carrick, Beck Malenstyn and Zach Benson.
Benson would not be denied in his battle on the wall behind the net, and Owen Power saw that. Benson found Power down the slot, and he scored on the screen.
The young defenseman has three goals and four assists for seven points in his last eight games.
Benson looked like his old self during this game. He played most of it with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, and was hard on the forecheck and always around the net.
I don’t think the 20-year-old had looked like himself at all in the seven games since returning from injury and illness.
Newly acquired defenseman Luke Schenn gave the puck away right in front of the Buffalo net, allowing Toronto to tie the game at 1-1.
Then it was Power and Rasmus Dahlin having as bad a change as you could possibly have, allowing a 2-on-1 goal for Max Domi.
After going two games without a power play goal, going 0-for-3, Noah Ostland sent a nifty no-look backhand pass to Jack Quinn in the left circle. Quinn sent a change up towards Woll, which fooled him to tie the game at 2-2.
Buffalo is still passing up way too many glorious scoring chances, with many of them by Ryan McLeod.
Lyon is one of the best goalies in shootouts. In his career, he has stopped 14-of-17 shots, which is 82.4%.
In the shootout, Quinn and Alex Tuch scored, while Lyon slammed the door on the two Maple Leafs shooters he faced.
The Sabres really wanted to win this last game before they head out West for four-straight games. It gives them nine wins in 10 games, and puts them back in first place in the Atlantic Division with a points percentage of .657.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently at .646, while the Montreal Canadiens are at .631.
The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .682, but are only two points ahead of the Sabres.
Buffalo has Sunday off, and then will practice on Monday before leaving for Vegas for a Tuesday matchup with the Golden Knights.
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