Buffalo Sabres conclude 2022 with an instant classic

The Buffalo Sabres, somehow, got it together late in the third period to pull off a massive upset against their heated rival, the Boston Bruins. 

With six and a half minutes to go in what may have been the most thrilling game of 2022, the Buffalo Sabres were in the worst situation imaginable. Forced into a 5-on-3 hole thanks to two high-sticking penalties from J.J. Peterka and Ilya Lyubushkin, the thunderous TD Garden knew their Bruins were just one goal away from breaking this game open.

Fortunately, it didn’t happen, as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen once again channeled his inner Dominik Hasek and saved everything that came his way. At one point in the power play, the Bruins looked as though they had a wide open net, but Luukkonen dove forward and got his skate up just in time to make yet another highlight reel save.

After spending four minutes killing off the two penalties, Buffalo was forced to pull Luukkonen, allowing an extra skater to take the ice. Boston took control of the puck and once again had a chance to put the game away, but Rasmus Dahlin made an unforgettable save of his own.

Dahlin found Alex Tuch, who then found Dylan Cozens, and the third-year Sabre did the rest, knotting the game at three. After Boston made one last push, the game went into overtime.

Buffalo Sabres pull off a stunner against Boston in overtime

With just over a minute to go in OT, Cozens found Tuch, who scored his second goal of the contest, putting the Bruins away. It was the first time this season that someone beat Boston during the overtime period, as their previous two home losses went to shootouts.

This game, however, was more than just an instant classic. It ended a calendar year where, back in January 2022, the Buffalo Sabres looked down and out. In February, they looked even worse, before the Blue and Gold embarked on a magical run in March and April.

Unfortunately, they were too far behind the eight-ball to make a playoff run. But they kept up their momentum in October before falling back to Earth in November. December, however, was a different story, as this team finished the month 8-2-1, and are on the outside and looking in for the wild card hunt.

Now, it’s on to Ottawa to see if this momentum continues into 2023. Overall, the Sabres are going to go into the arena of yet another heated rival full of energy after having completed what was arguably the most thrilling game in the 2022 calendar year. Now let’s see if they can keep this run going for the next three and a half months.

(Statistics provided by NHL.com)

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