Buffalo Sabres: J.J. Peterka showed that he deserved a spot
By Sion Fawkes
Buffalo Sabres winger J.J. Peterka had an up and down, mostly even-keel, preseason. Then he came out on all cylinders last night against Ottawa.
When you look back at who scored the first goal of the 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres season, the trivia question’s answer will be J.J. Peterka, playing in just his third career game. Even more amazing is the fact Peterka scored just one week after experiencing some struggles in the preseason.
But on Thursday night, he looked like the best skater on the ice, weaving through the opposition, creating space for himself, and most importantly, capitalizing on scoring opportunities. He also created opportunities for others, as noted late in the game when he passed one to Zemgus Girgensons, who nearly did the rest.
J.J. Peterka started off hot for the Buffalo Sabres
Peterka, who also saw some noticeable struggles last season when he was with the Rochester Americans, took off at around midseason and never looked back. And while this is just one contest, he showed the NHL universe that he is capable of taking over games when needed. Even with just 11:55 of total ice time.
And you couldn’t have drawn up a better scenario. With the Sabres down 1-0 to the favored Senators, Dylan Cozens and Peterka were skating up-ice, with Peterka driving the puck. Peterka flipped to Cozens, who flipped back to Peterka for the give-and-go score, allowing the Sabres to knot the game up at one.
If you’d asked me this morning how I thought J.J. Peterka would score his first NHL goal, I swear to you I probably would have said driving the net off of a give-and-go. pic.twitter.com/gERNyqHCHF
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) October 14, 2022
The score could not have come at a better time, as we, unfortunately, did see much of the “Same Old Sabres” in terms of failing to capitalize on the power play and overall scoring chances. They struggled in the faceoff column, they gave the puck away one too many times, and they were nowhere near as physical as the Senators.
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Overall, I felt that, despite the score, the Senators played just as good of a game. But Peterka’s momentum-shifting goal and Rasmus Dahlin’s score just a few minutes later gave the Sabres enough to go ahead and hold off what is going to be a tough cross-border rival. We have not seen the last of the Sens, that’s for sure.
Article Source: Observations: Sabres showcase their potential in season-opening win by Lance Lysowski