Buffalo Sabres: The top five games from the 2021-22 season
The Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season in 2021-22. But that didn’t stop them from playing in some exciting contests.
Even though last season saw the Buffalo Sabres missing the playoffs for an 11th straight season, it brought Sabres fans like myself some hope going into 2022-23. The team was competitive and watchable for the first time in a long time. With that being said, there were some games that stood out to me.
In this article, I’m going to tell you my top 5 Sabres games from last season. The countdown will start from fifth best to the best game in my opinion. I’ll tell you why that game is so memorable and provide a moment within that game. Enough talk, let’s dive into it.
The top five Buffalo Sabres games from 2021-22, ranked: Number 5 – Sabres v. Minnesota Wild, March 4th, 2022
Coming in at number 5 is March 4th against the Minnesota Wild. What I like about this game was what we saw a lot from the Sabres last season, resiliency. In the third period, Buffalo was trailing 3-2 with less than 10 minutes to go. That is until Jeff Skinner tied the game up with just under 8 minutes to go in the third and his reaction told the story.
Jeff Skinner ties the game and is hype about it. pic.twitter.com/lDqjtC0FqX
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) March 5, 2022
Just a few minutes later, Skinner would score once again to give Buffalo the lead. The Sabres would go on to win the game. This game is a favorite of mine because it showed fans this team had fight against a playoff contender.
Jeff Skinner, again.
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) March 5, 2022
What a goal.
Sabres take a 4-3 lead pic.twitter.com/pMJBH6LEz7
Number 4 – Sabres v. Chicago Blackhawks, March 28th, 2022
Spoiler alert, the Chicago Blackhawks will be mentioned twice in this article. Number features the Sabres taking on the Blackhawks in Chicago. This game showed Buffalo’s resiliency once again but with a taller task. Even though Chicago wasn’t as good as Minnesota, this game had the Sabres being down 4-0 at one point.
Buffalo would storm their way back to tie the game up at 4-4. However, the Blackhawks would take the lead once again. Alex Tuch would tie the game up at 5-5 with less than 2 minutes to go in regulation.
Alex Tuch from Olofsson (peep the pass), 5-5 #LetsGoBuffalo #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/cbZm9yce9M
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 29, 2022
Ready to see one of the weirdest goals of all time? Tage Thompson would score the game winning goal with just about 10 seconds left in the game. Once again, the resilience of this Sabres team is why this game is a favorite of mine.
lol wow, tage thompson's stick breaks, shot bounces off the boards, off the goalie and in. 6-5 PPG #LetsGoBuffalo #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/P2hBu2EAKK
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 29, 2022
Number 3 – Sabres v. Vegas Golden Knights, March 10th, 2022
Number 3 is the return of Jack Eichel to Buffalo. This game had tons of emotion surrounding it and why wouldn’t it? Eichel would return to Buffalo for the first time since being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights and it would see a crowded KeyBank Center for the first time all season.
This one felt good for not only Tuch, Peyton Krebs and the Sabres team, but for the fans as well. Holding a 2-1 lead with less than a minute to go, poetic justice happened. Eichel had the puck along the boards when Tuch stripped Jack of the puck and scoring the empty netter.
This won felt good and it was a sweet revenge outing for the Buffalo Sabres considering the drama surrounding Eichel that led to his ultimate trade. The win was also significant in that it marked goaltender Craig Anderson‘s 300th, becoming just the 39th goaltender to achieve the milestone.
Number 2 – Sabres v. Chicago Blackhawks, April 29th, 2022
RJ’s last call is number 2 on the countdown. The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Blackhawks for the last game of the season and sadly, it was Rick Jeanneret’s last game before heading into retirement. Not only did the Sabres win in overtime but RJ gave an emotional speech. Here’s the game winning goal courtesy of Casey Mittelstadt.
RJs last goal call as Casey Mittelstadt jams in the winner 3-2 #LetsGoBuffalo #Blackhawks #ThankYouRJ pic.twitter.com/PxNEVGlvck
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) April 30, 2022
Here is when RJ signed off for the final time. It still gets me emotional and is why it is Number 2 on the countdown.
RJs signoff. #ThankYouRJ #LetsGoBuffalo #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/FaT8uXIUGk
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) April 30, 2022
So if RJ’s last call was Number 2 on the list, which game from the 2021-22 season topped it? Win, lose, or OT loss, this game would have graced the top spot regardless of the outcome and it will be remembered throughout the ages.
Number 1 – Sabres v. Nashville Predators, April 1st, 2022
This is it. This is the number one game on my list from last season. This shouldn’t be a surprise but RJ night is the number 1 game on my list. Buffalo was hosting the Nashville Predators and for the first time in a long time, it was a sellout crowd, 19,700 strong.
It was another emotional night as RJ would have his banner go up in the rafters alongside other Sabres legends. Feel free to watch the ceremony, even though it’s lengthy, it never gets old especially if you’re a Sabres fan.
The best part of this game in my opinion was what happened after the game. Buffalo went on to win the game but the team brought out RJ after the game on the ice and the place erupted. RJ and the team took a pic together, which made the night even better.
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So there you have it, these are my top 5 Sabres games from last year. I’m sure other fans have the same games or even different games but these 5 games stick with me the most and I can’t wait to see what next season brings.
(All videos are credited to The Charging Buffalo, Buffalo Hockey Moments and YouTube)