In this article, we talk about how the Buffalo Sabres fared against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their four-game season series.
Let’s be honest, the Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL. They often beat teams but as for the Buffalo Sabres, it hasn’t been fun facing off against the Bolts. However, every NHL team plays other teams at least twice.
The Sabres have the unfortunate pleasure of being in the same division as Tampa so these two tend to see each other a lot. So how did Buffalo fare against the Bolts? At the beginning of November was the first of four meetings down in South Florida.
After a loss against Carolina the night before, the Sabres looked to rebound against Tampa. Trailing 1-0, Zemgus Girgensons tied the game up and the score remained tied after the first 20 minutes. In the second period, each team scored a power play goal and it was 2-2 heading into the final period of play.
Jeff Skinner gave Buffalo their first lead of the game but the Lightning scored three unanswered goals and went on to win the game 5-3. Just a few weeks later, the Sabres and Bolts met up in Buffalo for their second matchup.
Brayden Point gave Tampa a 1-0 lead before Corey Perry made it 2-0 later on. It would not last long as the Sabres scored twice in a minute to make it 2-2 after the first period. After each team exchanged goals in the second period, it was a 3-3 game heading into the second intermission.
The Sabres had a 5-3 lead but Tampa would not go away as they forced overtime. Steven Stamkos scored the game winning goal on the power play, giving the Lightning a 6-5 victory. It was a tough loss for Buffalo on home ice, despite having a two goal lead in the third.
Buffalo Sabres engaged in a heated series with the Tampa Bay Lightning
It would be a couple of months for the third meeting as both teams played in February back in Tampa Bay. A little after the opening two minutes, Stamkos gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Girgensons tied the game and it remained 1-1 after the opening frame.
In the second period, Tage Thompson scored two straight goals to give Buffalo a two goal lead before Victor Hedman cut into the lead. Shortly after, Jack Quinn made it 4-2. Point once again made it a one goal lead for the Sabres but Thompson scored his third of the game to make it 5-3.
You know Tampa would not go down without a fight and they fought their way back to force overtime again. Buffalo had to kill off a penalty in overtime but it would not matter as Ilya Lyubushkin scored his first goal as a Sabre and gave Buffalo a gutsy 6-5 win.
Deep breaths, this season series was very entertaining and these two teams had one more meeting. It was on a Saturday matinee in Buffalo. Both Point and Thompson scored on the power play for both teams and once again, it was a tied game after the first period.
In the second period, it was all Buffalo Sabres as they made it 4-1 after 40 minutes of play. 53 seconds into the third, number 53 on Buffalo made it 5-1. The Lightning scored two more goals but it would not be enough as the Sabres defeated Tampa Bay 5-3.
The last game felt great for the Sabres because Lightning head coach Jon Cooper benched his top line which consisted of Stamkos, Point and Nikita Kucherov. You know you’re doing something right when you force one of the best lines in hockey to sit on the bench.
So as you can see, it was a season series to remember. It was full of scoring and I can’t wait to see what this season brings as Buffalo and Tampa will play each other four times once again.
(Historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)