Buffalo Sabres: Craig Anderson is the MVP vs. Senators
The Buffalo Sabres won their first game of the season with 41-year-old Craig Anderson making nearly every save in the net tonight.
Craig Anderson may be the oldest active player in the NHL, but that doesn’t mean he regressed much. Before the season started, Anderson said he wanted to be ten years younger. Well, he looked 15 years younger in the Buffalo Sabres opening night win.
Anderson also proved me wrong, since I stated time and again that Eric Comrie would be the top man in Buffalo. Mainly because of Anderson’s age. But tonight, Anderson showed that he owned the net for 60 minutes, allowing just one goal and making highlight reel save after highlight reel save, including a late breakaway save that when it occurred, I stated, “This is the play of the game if the Sabres hold.”
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson deserves the First Star
In the second period, J.J. Peterka had a phenomenal goal that knotted things up 1-1. Shortly after, Rasmus Dahlin scored when he took a huge risk and hung out along the crease. But in this defensive affair that saw the Senators zooming around the ice for 60 minutes, Anderson looked acrobatic for the entire duration.
Last season, Anderson started off hot before injuries disrupted his campaign. This year, with a very capable backup in Eric Comrie, you can expect to see the Craig Anderson we saw play tonight. Sure, he will be on a pitch count from a games standpoint, but you will also see a higher save percentage and GAA overall.
So what were Anderson’s numbers in tonight’s win? He finished 35 for 36, including 4 for 4 on the penalty kill with a 0.972 save percentage. While the Sabres did some good things offensively, they still had a tough time winning faceoffs, keeping the puck in their own zone, and of course, scoring on power plays.
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Tonight’s game showed that the Sabres have a lot of work to do offensively. But if Anderson (and Comrie) can remain reliable in the net, they will have plenty of chances to improve upon last season’s win total.
(Statistics provided by NHL.com)