Sam Reinhart Leads Buffalo Sabres Weekly Three Stars
Reinhart strong offensively as Buffalo Sabres win twice
The Buffalo Sabres captured a pair of victories over the course of the past week, both 3-2 wins.
First, the Buffalo Sabres visited the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Carlo Colaiacovo notched his first goal of the season to get Buffalo on the board. Carolina’s Chris Terry and Joakim Nordstrom scored to put the ‘Canes up 2-1, but the Sabres weren’t done.
Evander Kane potted his 20th of the season at the 16:11 mark to tie the game; Johan Larsson then scored exactly a minute later to give Buffalo the lead and, eventually, the win.
Chad Johnson stopped 25 of 27 shots faced in the win.
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The Buffalo Sabres then had a few days off before hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon.
Although Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Copp both scored for the Jets within the first 5:09 of the game, it would be largely a third-period effort by Buffalo to seal a win.
Hudson Fasching, in his first-ever NHL game, notched his first NHL goal in the opening frame to get Buffalo on the board.
Fellow newcomer Casey Nelson notched an assist on goal for his first NHL point.
Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel then poted their 21st and 23rd goals of the season, respectively, in the third to give Buffalo the win.
Once again, it was Johnson in net, making 17 saves on 19 shots faced.
So, who were the best performers for the Buffalo Sabres over the course of those two games?
3. Chad Johnson
I have to give props where props are due, and the Buffalo Sabres netminder continues to earn it, especially with Lehner out once again.
As already mentioned, Johnson stopped 25 of 27 shots faced in the victory against the Hurricanes.
He also stopped 17 of 19 shots faced in the win over the Jets.
2. Hudson Fasching
The kid’s only played one NHL game, but I’ll be darned if he doesn’t deserve this star, if only for his goal on Saturday.
He was strong on the puck, got around a Jets defender who’s played 200+ more NHL games than he has – making him fall in the process, kept the puck, got to the net and shoved it in.
Overall, it was a strong effort and I can’t say anything bad about the kid. Give him more ice time in the next few games.
I think Buffalo Sabres fans will like what they see.
1. Sam Reinhart
A well-deserved first star for the Buffalo Sabres rookie.
Reinhart notched an assist in 17:15 against the Hurricanes, also potting three shots on goal and one takeaway.
He followed that up with a goal and an assist for a two-point afternoon against the Jets.
Reinhart was a plus-2 that game in 17:33, with two shots on goal, one attempt blocked, two missed shots, one hit and two takeaways.
He also went 50 percent in the faceoff circle.
Next: Buffalo Sabres Roster Outlook: Goaltending
This week is a busy one for the Buffalo Sabres.
They’ll visit the Red Wings on Monday (an NBCSN game), then visit the Penguins on Tuesday in the second of the back-to-back series. The Maple Leafs then come to town on Thursday, with the Sabres traveling to the Rangers on Saturday.
After this week is said and done, the Buffalo Sabres will only have three games remaining in the regular season.