Buffalo Sabres physical, outmuscle Hurricanes to stay alive

The Buffalo Sabres were slacking in the physicality department lately. But you’d have never known it following their big win over Carolina. 

In a rather scrappy outing, the Buffalo Sabres finished their checks in this one, with Henri Jokiharju in particular laying a few solid hits along with Riley Stillman. They set the tone early in what was another late-season game with a playoff-like atmosphere.

But the Sabres weren’t just finishing their (25) checks in this one. They also stifled 16 of Carolina’s shots in this one, compared to the Hurricanes five blocks. In short, Buffalo showed they weren’t afraid to sacrifice the body when necessary, and when most of Carolina’s shots got by them, Devon Levi was there to once again make save after save.

Buffalo Sabres must stay physical in the final four contests

Such play also occurred in the offensive zone, one of which led to a Casey Mittelstadt goal, courtesy of Rasmus Dahlin. Speaking of Mittelstadt, he continues to make things happen.

And speaking of Dahlin, he made what could have been the play of the year when he got a stick on a surefire goal for Carolina. Seconds later, Dylan Cozens hit Tage Thompson, who drilled the game-winning goal.

So what’s the key takeaway from this one? Stay physical. Keep hitting your opponents, set the tone, get into their heads, and box out when your goaltender’s busy searching for the puck. If the Sabres apply the same kind of play over these final four contests, they will increase their odds of winning each – and they don’t have much of a choice at this stage.

With four games left, it’s time to go all out. And best yet, Buffalo has beaten each of their remaining opponents once already this year. No guarantees that running the table will get them into the playoffs without help, but nonetheless, it feels pretty good to at least consider the possibility this late in the season.

(Statistics provided by NHL.com)