(WGR Sports Radio 550) - I think the Buffalo Sabres can be very proud of Sunday’s 5-3 win in Winnipeg over the Jets for many reasons.
First, Buffalo played in Minnesota on Saturday afternoon and was finishing three games in four days, while the Jets hadn’t played since Thursday in Edmonton.
Winnipeg came into the game with a points percentage of .714, which was second-best in the NHL, and a 25-5-4 record at home. Yes, just five regulation losses, and they hadn’t lost in regulation at home in eight games, going 7-0-1. The last regulation loss at home was against the Calgary Flames, 3-1, on Jan. 18.
Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said following the win Sunday that in Utah on Thursday, they found a way to lose. Despite all these factors against them on Sunday, Buffalo found a way to win.
The biggest reason the Sabres won was James Reimer absolutely standing on his head, making acrobatic saves all day long.
At the other end of the ice, former Sabres goalie Eric Comrie had a day he’d like to forget, as Buffalo was extremely opportunistic.
The Sabres were outshot, 36-17, and the Jets had 71 shot attempts to the Sabres’ 32, but they weren’t detoured. In the third period, they seemed to settle down and made big plays to go with Reimer’s big saves.
Both Reimer and forward Tyson Kozak were playing at home on Sunday, and had many friends and family in attendance. Kozak estimated around 150 people were there for him, including his grandfather, who was seeing his first NHL game.
Kozak, who has shown head coach Lindy Ruff time-and-time again that he belongs in the NHL, won a faceoff back to defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. Kozak went to the net, along with Beck Malenstyn, and converted the juicy rebound left by Comrie for his second NHL goal. That gave the Sabres a 3-1 lead in the third period.
At 12:02 of the final frame, Samuelsson was called for a horrible interference penalty against him. Behind the net, Jets forward Mark Scheifele put a vice grip hold on Samuelsson’s stick, but the referee at center ice - who could only see their backs - called a penalty on Samuelsson when it really should’ve gone to Scheifele.
Winnipeg came in with the league’s best power play, and already scored a lucky one earlier that when in off of Malenstyn. It was the desperation the Sabres played with that helped them win this game.
First, winger Alex Tuch blocked a shot that got the puck out of the zone. Then, defenseman Connor Clifton dove to sweep another puck out to Ryan McLeod. He found Tuch breaking in alone, and he easily beat Comrie when his team needed a big save. That restored the Sabres’ two-goal lead.
It was Tuch’s fourth shorthanded goal of the season, and his 27th goal overall this year. Tuch has 11 goals in his last 17 games.
Nikolaj Ehlers unloaded a missile from the left circle that looked like it may have deflected off Owen Power’s stick and over Reimer’s shoulder.
However, there was no panic from the Sabres. They kept working hard and kept playing with that same desperation.
It paid off again when McLeod was directly in front of Reimer and backhanded a puck all the way down the ice and into the empty net to secure the win.
McLeod finished the afternoon with a goal and three assists for a career-high four points.
I’m sure Reimer left a number of Jets players muttering to themselves, but none more than Nino Niederreiter.
In the third period, Vladislav Namestnikov blasted around the Sabres defense, went behind the net and found Niederreiter alone down the slot.
Reimer robbed him there.
A few minutes later, while laying on his side with most of the net open, Reimer got the glove up to stone Niederreiter again from the left circle.
The power play saves that kept the Sabres ahead in the third came on Scheifele, who was wide-open in the left circle, and Gabe Vilardi near the net.
There were just too many spectacular saves to talk about them all.
Reimer had 33 stops on the game.
Meanwhile, Comrie looked like he did many times while playing for the Sabres.
JJ Peterka scored in his third-straight game when the Jets allowed him to come out from the wall to the slot and fire it over Comrie’s glove, who was not screened.
Dahlin beat Comrie from the right point and a one-timer that was a bomb, but the netminder overplayed the shot and left the far side open.
Jacob Bernard-Decker was playing his second game with the Sabres on Sunday, and put the puck right in Dahlin’s wheelhouse, giving him two assists on the day.
I think in both games, the newcomer was solid defensively.
Jordan Greenway blocked a shot and did play a little after he had limped back to the bench. However, he finally left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return. There was no word if Greenway had officially left the game due to the blocked shot.
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The Sabres flew back to Buffalo after the game, but will get their fourth game in six days, and four cities on Tuesday against Dylan Cozens and the Ottawa Senators.