Evander Kane Leads Buffalo Sabres’ Weekly Three Stars
The Buffalo Sabres opened the month of a December with a trio of games in the first week; overall, they went 1-1-0-1, defeating the Arizona Coyotes but falling to the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.
The Sabres opened the week with a game against the Red Wings on Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena. An exciting, back-and-forth game eventually took the teams to three-on-three overtime, which was fast-paced, filled with great scoring opportunities and plenty of open ice. And boy, was it a downer when the overtime period ended and we had to see an exciting game transition to a slower, more predictable shootout.
Despite a pair of goals by Evander Kane, a power-play tally by Zemgus Girgensons and Zach Bogosian‘s first goal of the year, the Sabres fell 5-4.
The Buffalo Sabres then returned home to host the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night. Max Domi had a pair for the ‘Yotes, but Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn, Evander Kane (2) and Marcus Foligno all scored to help carry the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2 win.
What a difference between that game and last year’s matchups between the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, who are both more competitive and harder-fighting teams this season.
The Sabres then headed out west for the first leg of their Western Canada road trip, a game against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night. What could’ve been a huge matchup for the NHL – Connor McDavid vs. Jack Eichel – turned out not to be, what with McDavid out of the lineup and all.
The Buffalo Sabres fell 4-2 despite goals by Ryan O’Reilly and Eichel.
So – who were the top performers for the Buffalo Sabres this past week?
3. Jamie McGinn
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This week, I’ll give third-star honors to Jamie McGinn, who had a goal and two assists in three games. McGinn is one of just two players (O’Reilly the other) who recorded at least a point in all three games this week.
He notched an assist on Kane’s second goal of the night on Tuesday and overall played 12:45 that night, also notching one shot and two hits.
Friday night, he scored the Sabres’ second goal and once again played 12:02. He had two shots on goal and three hits.
McGinn then had an assist on Eichel’s goal Sunday while playing 12:30. He had one shot, one block and one takeaway and played 3:11 on the power-play.
2. Rasmus Ristolainen
Boy, it seems like Risto is appearing on my weekly three stars every week – but I can’t say he doesn’t deserve it. This week, he had four assists, including three in Tuesday’s game against Detroit and one against the Coyotes.
Ristolainen also continues to see lots of ice time, playing 27:55, 22:17 and 24:26 in each game (respectively) over the course of the week.
Overall, he not only had the four assists, but also registered six shots, eight hits and four blocked shots this past week.
1. Evander Kane
How can I not give first-star honors to Evander Kane this week? He had a pair of goals in each of the Sabres’ games against Detroit and Arizona.
That includes one power-play goal, one shorthanded goal and one empty-netter.
Kane now has six goals on the season, just three behind O’Reilly and Eichel, who lead the Sabres with nine goals each.
Honorable Mentions
Two honorable mentions this week, as Ryan O’Reilly and Zemgus Girgensons also both had solid weeks.
O’Reilly registered a goal and two assists over the course of the week, including a point in each of the Sabres’ three games. Girgensons also registered three points, including a goal and an assist on Tuesday in Detroit.
Next: O'Reilly's Court Date Adjourned Again
This week will see the Buffalo Sabres once again face a trio of games. They’ll close out their Western Canada road swing at Vancouver Tuesday and Calgary Thursday before returning home to host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at First Niagara Center.