Anderson still the Buffalo Sabres best goaltender late in season
Despite last night’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson once again enjoyed a stellar game.
We were all waiting for something to happen regarding goaltender Craig Anderson this season. It could have been a drop-off in play, an injury, something to derail what is most likely the 41-year-old’s final year in a blue and gold uniform.
Through 62 contests, Anderson has only seen time in 22 of them, thanks to his advanced age preventing him from being the Buffalo Sabres starting goaltender full-time. But if he were even five years younger, odds are, he’d be starting every other game thanks to what have been remarkable performances for the most part.
Although Buffalo couldn’t find a way to win last night against the Edmonton Oilers, Anderson once again put up a sensational performance. He made 34 saves while facing 37 shots on goal, good for a 0.919 save percentage. And he did this down two defensemen and against a team that’s scored five or more goals 25 times in 2022-23.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson looked good yet again
Just a few weeks back, Anderson had one of the best games of his career against the Florida Panthers when he saved 49 of 50 shots on goal for a 0.980 save percentage. It was a pivotal matchup in the second half of a back-to-back that, in lieu of the way things have gone within the Atlantic Division since, could be one of the major difference-makers that may ultimately determine whether Buffalo gets a playoff spot.
Overall, if Anderson feels that he can play, expect head coach Don Granato to tab him as the starting goaltender more often as the season winds down. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s game has dropped as of late, while Eric Comrie, 4-0 in since January 26th, is also coming off one of his best games of the year vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning this past weekend.
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But as it stands, Anderson should see a few more starts in favor of the other two goaltenders if he is able to go. Buffalo has preserved his body well over the first three-quarters of the season, and since the playoffs are on the line, the “hot hand” mentality has never been more important.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Source: Observations: Sabres rally twice to tie Oilers but drop another home game by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News