(WGR Sports Radio 550) - For the second-straight game, the Buffalo Sabres had to play a preseason game using all players that will be with the Rochester Americans or Jacksonville Icemen.
The Sabres were in Ottawa on Thursday night playing the Senators, where they had a few NHL players like Linus Ullmark and Shane Pinto, but not all that many. Buffalo ended up prevailing in overtime, 3-2, but Ullmark almost stole the show.
It was a weird game, because Buffalo worked hard and dominated from start-to-finish. However, with one minute left in regulation time, they were trailing 2-1.
Ottawa took a 1-0 lead just 7:56 into the game after a Noah Ostlund turnover, and didn’t get another shot for the next 19.36, bleeding into the second period.
The Sabres outshot the Sens, 24-5, in the first period alone.
Vsevolod Komarov set up Josh Dunne in the right circle to tie the game just 2:04 after Noah Gregor’s goal. Dunne has played 14 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he has 134 games in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters.
Ullmark stood on his head for the 30:20 he played in this game, stopping 28-of-29 shots.
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Buffalo produced all sorts of scoring opportunities, as Isak Rosen led the way. I thought he was much better, and it started right away when he made a nice pass to Mason Jobst all alone in the slot. Ullmark was there, though, to make the big save.
After Adam Gaudette gave Ottawa the lead at 11:46 of the third period, I just thought to myself, "These players have outworked Ottawa at every turn in this game, yet, they may lose."
Rosen had other ideas, though.
With Felix Sandstrom out for the extra attacker, Komarov did it again, finding Rosen in the right circle, and he one-timed an absolute missile past Dustin Tokarski with just 41 seconds left in regulation.
Rosen had five shots on net, and three more missed shots. He also had one shot blocked. He played 21:03, as Mike Leone used him because he was playing so well.
The teams went to overtime, and we saw the play that will definitely be No. 1 on SportsCenter in Canada, and should be in the U.S. too. Ostlund more than made up for the first period turnover, and I’ll just let you watch how gorgeous this game-winner was.
Zach Metsa assisted on Ostlund’s overtime goal, and he led the Sabres with 24:18 of ice time.
Jack Rathbone had eight shots on goal. He’s played 28 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, and another 153 games in the AHL with the Utica Comets, Abbotsford Canucks and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Canucks took him in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Sandstrom only had to make 14 saves on 16 shots faced.
The 27-year-old only played 30 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers. They took him in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He’s played 88 games in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and 25 games in the ECHL with the Reading Royals.
Buffalo is now 4-0-0 in the preseason, as the NHL players have a preseason game in Germany on Thursday against EHC Red Bull München. Join Brian Koziol for pregame coverage starting at 2 p.m. ET on The Bet 1520.