Buffalo Sabres goaltenders aced the initial tests (so far)
Buffalo Sabres goaltenders Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie were slated to be one of the worst tandems in hockey. So far, they are proving doubters wrong.
Craig Anderson had a phenomenal outing in the Buffalo Sabres opening night win against the Ottawa Senators. What could go right went right, and he finished the game with a 0.972 save percentage.
Fast-forward to Saturday, where new goaltender Eric Comrie once again had to face tough competition, but this time, the game counted. Against one of the league’s best, however, he saved 33 of 37 shots on goal and 11 of 13 when facing the power play. Though his save percentage dipped below 90%, his performance still earned him the Third Star Award.
Predictably, the Sabres could not hold their own for 60 minutes against a highly experienced Florida Panthers team, forcing Comrie to keep them in the game. Too many times, they faced an odd man rush, six to be exact, and they further faced six power plays. Even as good as the team’s PK unit is, six power play opportunities will only help you lose hockey games.
Buffalo Sabres goaltenders looking good early
The Sabres goaltenders’ performances allowed them to pull off an opening night upset against the Ottawa Senators and for the most part, hang with the Panthers. In yesterday’s second period, Zemgus Girgensons knotted things up at two before the Panthers indeed looked as though they were about to put the game out of reach with two unanswered goals.
As the second period wound down against Florida, however, Rasmus Dahlin put the Sabres within one, and things remained at 4-3 until the final horn. You can credit Comrie for preventing this game from getting out of hand, and you can also argue that if the Sabres had a better third period offensively, they could have put the game into overtime and at least secured a point.
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Unfortunately, they managed just five shots on goal in the third, allowing Florida to win the matinee affair. Overall, Florida was a team the Sabres struggled mightily against last season, allowing the Panthers to outscore them 22-11. So, much credit goes to Comrie in performing well against a team the Sabres paled against a season ago.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Eric Comrie stands tall, Sabres’ comeback falls short by Lance Lysowski