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Buffalo Sabres Beat Maple Leafs in Dramatic Shootout

By Maeve Losito

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On Wednesday, October 21, the Buffalo Sabres went up against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

The Sabres defeated the Leafs 2-1 after their first taste of a 3-on-3 overtime session that inevitably led to a dramatic shootout.  The game was full of too many dangerous passes, too many missed opportunities, and a stubborn puck that refused to go through the Maple Leafs’ goalie, Jonathan Bernier.

Buffalo was able to generate multiple scoring opportunities in an attempt to overtake the Maple Leafs.

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Creating potential opportunities has been one of the Sabres impressive improvements throughout their development in the preseason and into the first six games of the 2015-2016 season.

Unfortunately, no matter what the Sabres tried to do, the puck would be stolen away up the ice and never make it any further than the colored ice of the goal crease or the glove of the goal tender.

With all of the opportunities that the team can create, they seem to waste all of them as much as they do with the precious seconds in penalty plays.

In period 1, the Sabres had more shots on goal than the Maple Leafs did (12 to 6 Buffalo); however, the Leafs were able to actually score within the first two minutes of the game.

The second period was the same story regarding missed goal opportunities.  The Sabres had a daunting 24 shots on goal while the Maple Leafs had 17 shots on goal.

Period 3 was much the same way with no goal to show for all the pucks that were smacked at Bernier.

There was almost a lull in the skating during the second period.

It did not seem that very much was happening.  The team’s skating was slow and arguably sluggish.  None of the players seemed to have a real pep in their step.

Thankfully, the third period was definitely more electric.  As the game progressed, checks began to seem more personal and borderline dangerous.

At one point, it was as if the puck would be forgotten.  The only thing on any of the players’ minds was to skate as fast and hard as they possibly could down the ice to check the nearest body into the boards with enough force to rattle the entire section.  Granted, fans enjoy a game more when it becomes more physical.

Finally, when the third period was ticking down its final minutes, Evander Kane blessed Buffalo with a goal.  After all of the shots on goal, at least four of which were Kane’s, a puck whizzed by Bernier.  The arena erupted with die-hard Buffalonians and energy seeped into the team.  The remaining four minutes of the period was filled with frantic skating.  It should not have taken the Sabres practically an entire game to score one goal.  With all of the shots on goal the team had, only one made it through?  It is disconcerting.

The Sabres first 3-on-3 overtime session was filled with frantic skating and even more shots on goal.  When it came down to a 1-on-1 shootout, the air was electric.  Thankfully, the Sabres came away with the win.  It should not have to come to a shootout though.  If the team can skate faster, clean up passes and score goals, then the team’s rank and stats will greatly improve.

The Sabres will be playing the undefeated Montreal Canadiens Friday, October 23 at the First Niagara Center.  Hopefully, the Sabres can change all of their shots on goal to actual goals.

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