What you just saw tonight was a textbook example of what happens when the Buffalo Sabres crash the net and take advantage of power plays.
Let’s start off this article by asking the Burning Question: Who are you people, and what have you done with the Buffalo Sabres? You know, those Buffalo Sabres who lost eight straight games and looked like an AHL team half the time. I don’t know if it was the return of Mattias Samuelsson, or the addition of Tyson Jost, or a combination thereof, but the next thing I knew, the Blue and Gold was up 3-0 within the game’s first few minutes.
That was the Sabres best game, easily their best game, since Halloween Night when Tage Thompson led scoring party against the Detroit Red Wings in an 8-3 blowout. While I didn’t see most of tonight’s game thanks to blackout restrictions, I was able to pull up a few clunky videos over at NHL.com to get an idea of what happened.
Plus, there’s the app, which gave me the rundown of shots on goal, power play goals, giveaways, takeaways, etc. And what I saw were the Sabres of October. A glorious half-month of fun hockey that seems to have taken place an eternity ago.
The Buffalo Sabres did everything right against the Canadiens
For the previous eight games before this one, the Sabres engaged in the Art of What Not to do During an NHL Game, and they played that role pretty well, considering those forgettable and overall dysfunctional performances. Tonight, they finished with 38 shots on goal, two for four on the power play, and had 10 takeaways.
Mattias Samuelsson returned to the lineup, and I stated he would be a key fixture in ending the eight-game skid. Well, he more than showed up, logging a +2, with three hits and two blocks. As predicted, Samuelsson’s presence served as a boost for the Sabres in the physicality department, and he always seemed to be around the puck.
Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch combined for a remarkable 12 points, while Dylan Cozens (2) and Rasmus Dahlin (3) also put up multiple points. Overall, it was an unforgettable performance from a team that desperately needed to snatch a W, and they did it on the road against a division rival. Now, let’s see if they can do it again tomorrow on 90’s Night!
(Statistics provided by NHL.com)
Want your voice heard? Join the Sabre Noise team!