Buffalo Sabres: Top 5 most exciting wins at home in 2022-23
By Sion Fawkes
3 – Sabres upset Isles on Ryan Miller Night
The Buffalo Sabres needed to win this one, as they were retiring former goaltender Ryan Miller’s number that night. While the New York Islanders struck first at the 7:19 mark of the first period, that was it until Tuch broke through eight minutes and 26 seconds into the second.
But the Isles scored 10 minutes later to make it 2-1 heading into the third period, and it remained that way until Olofsson found twine at the 9:32 mark. Buffalo held defensively and forced overtime, where Dylan Cozens only needed 12 seconds for the Blue and Gold to snag the win on one of the most important nights of the year.
2 – Devon Levi snags the W in his NHL debut
Devon Levi was the Buffalo Sabres hottest prospect all season, and he finally debuted on March 31st, 2023 against the New York Rangers. To make matters more interesting, this was going on while the Sabres were trying to snap their playoff drought, so you can argue that the stakes were high for a rookie goaltender skating into his first contest.
Midway through the second period, Buffalo had a two-goal lead, and it seemed for a second that Levi could snag a shutout in his first game as a pro. But as the Sabres had been notorious for all season, they found a way to let New York back into the game, and the Rangers scored twice in the final 28 minutes. But one minute and 50 seconds into overtime, Jeff Skinner made sure Levi won in his epic first contest.