Buffalo Sabres Daily: Paul Devorski, NHL Records
Good morning, Buffalo Sabres fans! It’s another game day in Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Carolina Hurricanes in their second-to-last home game of the season. Overall, the Sabres have just three games remaining in the season.
Tonight’s game will be an interesting one. The Sabres currently sit four points back from the 29th-place Arizona Coyotes, who defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Saturday. Both the Sabres and Coyotes have three games remaining, and Arizona holds the tiebreaker between the two teams.
That means with a regulation loss tonight, the Sabres would effectively lock up 30th place and the best draft lottery odds for the top pick.
If the Sabres win tonight, they need only lose one of the remaining games — or have Arizona win one of their games — to get locked into 30th.
Suffice to say the atmosphere at First Niagara Center tonight will be….. interesting.
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Elsewhere in the NHL, long-time referee Paul Devorski has hung up his skates after a 26-year career. [NHL.com]
Arguably one of the most well-known referees in the NHL, Devorski officiated his 1,594th NHL game on Sunday in the Penguins vs. Flyers matchup.
From Sportsnet this morning: five things we learned in the NHL on Sunday night.
Go ahead and check out the article, but I’ll spoil one of the things for you.
St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves took a hard hit from Chicago’s Brent Seabrook…. then proceeded to pull his own tooth out on the bench.
That just reminds me of the time that Duncan Keith lost seven teeth in one game. Um, ouch.
Speaking of the St. Louis Blues, something you may have missed over the weekend: the Blues and Stars set an NHL record on Friday. [USA Today]
From the tail-end of the first period to the first minute of the second period, the Blues and Stars combined for an astounding four goals in 49 seconds. That broke a record set in 1983, when the Leafs and Hawks scored four times in 53 seconds.
It started with a goal by Travis Moen at 19:49 of the first period. Fifteen seconds into the middle frame, Patrik Berglund tapped one in. Seventeen seconds later, it was Jaden Schwartz’s turn. And just six seconds after that, Jamie Benn put one in.
Even just the three quick goals in the second period is something, but four goals in such a short span of time is just an absolute explosion of offense.
Finally, on a solemn note, NHL Hall of Famer and legendary Montreal Canadiens forward Elmer Lach passed away last week. [Washington Post]
The Sabres game vs. Carolina is just one of five on tap for the NHL this evening. Elsewhere, it’s #LUMBUS versus the Rangers; the Jets take on Minnesota for what’s sure to be a “wild” night; the Kings and Canucks face off, while the Stars align in San Jose when Dallas visits the Sharks.
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects