Special teams were, once again, on fire for the Buffalo Sabres in their 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. Buffalo had two power play goals and killed off all three penalties along the way in the victory.
New York struck first partway through the opening period when Chris Kreider was able to find a spot in front of the net and receive a pass from Pavel Buchnevich before sliding it underneath Linus Ullmark. The play came together after an attempted pass across-ice by Colin Miller went off a Rangers skate and remained in the Buffalo zone.
Buffalo tied the score at 1-1 later in the period thanks to the team's first power play goal of the night. Dylan Cozens recorded his second goal of the season with a one-time shot in the slot after a pass by Eric Staal. The special teams goal continues the blue and gold’s power play success over the last week after scoring three times on the man advantage on Sunday against the Washington Capitals.
However, the Sabres could not get out of the period with the score tied. New York was able to enter the first intermission with a 2-1 lead thanks to a goal from defenseman K’Andre Miller with less than seven seconds to go in the frame. It was the first goal of Miller's young National Hockey League career.
Tobias Rieder tied the score at 2-2 after another special teams play benefited the home team. This time, it was on the penalty kill where defenseman Matt Irwin was able to move the puck to the open ice and allow Rieder to win a race for the puck. On the breakaway, Rieder was able to wait-out goalie Alexandar Georgiev and tuck the puck around his extended pad just as the penalty expired.
Jack Eichel’s first goal of the season helped give Buffalo their first lead of the night nearly a minute-and-a-half later. The Sabres captain benefited from tic-tac-toe passing on the power play to record the goal. Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Dahlin made the passes that setup Eichel, giving them the assists on the goal.
Buffalo dominated in shots on goal in the second period, out-shooting the Rangers 14-8. At that point, Buffalo was out-shooting New York by a 22-15 total.
The Rangers pressed the play over the third period, forcing Ullmark into several tough saves. At one point, New York was out-shooting the Sabres 10-2, thanks, in part, to a Colin Miller penalty that led to a power play chance.
A second penalty kill was needed with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but the group managed to help seal the victory for the Sabres. It was Taylor Hall who was penalized for boarding with 1:37 to go, but the Rangers failed to score.
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GAME SUMMARY
Goal Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 12:50 – Dylan Cozens (2) PPG (Eric Staal, Rasmus Ristolainen)
NYR: 6:28 – Chris Kreider (2) (Pavel Buchnevich); 19:53 – K’Andre Miller (1) (Colin Blackwell)
Second Period:
BUF: 6:03 - Tobias Rieder (2) (Matt Irwin); 7:31 – Jack Eichel (1) PPG (Victor Olofsson, Rasmus Dahlin)
NYR: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
NYR: NONE
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
NYR: 11:38 – Jack Johnson (Tripping - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 4:01 – TEAM (Too many men on the ice - 2 min.)
NYR: 7:18 – K’Andre Miller (Cross-checking - 2 min.); 11:20 – Adam Fox (Holding - 2 min.); 16:16 – Chris Kreider (Boarding - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 8:37 – Colin Miller (Hooking - 2 min.); 18:23 – Taylor Hall (Boarding - 2 min.)
NYR: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars:
1.) Rasmus Ristolainen - BUF
2.) Dylan Cozens - BUF
3.) Tobias Rieder - BUF
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What’s Next:
The Sabres and Rangers will meet again for the second game of the series on Thursday night. It is part of a four-game homestand for Buffalo this week. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network – WGR Sports Radio 550, with pregame coverage with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog starting at 6 p.m. EST.
