Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres seem to be a much different hockey team than they were in the past.
After losing their first three games, they’ve won 4-of-5 contests, and in their lone loss, they played the Montreal Canadiens even, but couldn't score the game-tying goal.
Some things are still happening like the captain of the team, Ramus Dahlin taking a penalty with 4:37 left in a one-goal game. But you know what was different? On the Toronto Maple Leafs power play, goalie Alex Lyon made a huge save in front, and Owen Power collected the puck and took off on a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush.
Alex Tuch led the NHL with six shorthanded goals last season, and Power gave him a perfect pass to put the Sabres up two goals. That put the game on ice, as Buffalo skated to a 5-3 win.
Tuch now has points in 5-of-6 games, scoring three goals and four assists for seven points.
Mattias Samuelsson was determined to be a much better hockey player this season, and so far, it has been mission accomplished.
He said one of the things he was challenged to improve on was reading the play, and getting up into the rush to be the fourth man in. He had his first two-goal game in the NHL thanks to that, including the goal that put the Sabres ahead at 4:38 of the game.
It was a lot of early goals, as just 23 seconds later, Tyson Kozak left the ice injured, which led to Toronto forward William Nylander getting behind the defense for a breakaway goal that Lyon got a piece of, but couldn’t stop.
Had Kozak not gotten injured and left the ice, he would’ve been the high man and had Nylander.
Just 1:11 after Nylander’s goal, the Sabres executed a nifty 3-on-2 with Tage Thompson going to Zach Benson, then to Jiri Kulich for his third goal in five games. Benson has seven assists in his last five games.
The teams had scored three goals in just 1:34 of clock.
Before the first period was over, Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was left alone in the right circle and he ripped a power play one-timer to tie the game. It was only the second power play goal the Sabres have given up all season.
Buffalo has killed 28-of-30 penalties this season which is 93.3% and second in the entire NHL.
Despite being only one of their last eight on the power play, Buffalo is 11th at 23.1%
The Sabres took advantage of a shaky Anthony Stolarz in net for Toronto, and netted two in the second period to head into the third period up 4-2.
Last season, Thompson didn’t have a goal in his first five games, and then scored goals in five-straight games. This season, he had been doing the same thing by missing the net, especially over the crossbar, and produced just one goal in seven games.
Thompson got himself open in the middle of the ice, and Bo Byram found him for a goal.
It remains to be seen if a heater is just around the corner for the Sabres forward.
Samuelsson’s second goal was just like his first, but it was Dahlin with a nifty pass to set him up. Dahlin has assists in 5-of-6 games, picking up six points.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, Kozak's injury will keep him out of Saturday's game in Toronto.
Konsta Helenius has struggled this season with the Rochester Americans until Friday. He came into the game against the Laval Rocket with one goal and no assists, but in Rochester’s 4-0 win, he had two goals and two assists.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff says they’ll likely call someone up for Saturday. Does a four-point game get the Sabres' 2024 first-round pick his first NHL game?
Buffalo is now in third place in the Atlantic Division with eight points. That’s two behind the Detroit Red Wings and four back of Montreal.
Ruff didn’t say, but it stands to reason that the 32-year-old Lyon won’t play back-to-back games. My guess is either Colten Ellis will play his second NHL game, or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will get his first NHL action of the season after winning 4-2 in Rochester during a rehab assignment.
Join Brian Koziol and myself on Saturday for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 4 p.m., when you’ll hear from Ruff, Michael Kesselring and one more player.
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