3 studs (and 2 duds) in Buffalo Sabres win over the Senators
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres saw some exciting moments in their win over the Ottawa Senators, but it wasn’t the prettiest win in recent memory.
After giving up three goals toward the end of regulation, the Buffalo Sabres found themselves in quite the battle against the Ottawa Senators last night. Nonetheless, the Blue and Gold ended up enjoying a huge win on the road, and in the process, they saw a lot of good things happen.
One of the lines seemed to be nothing short of unstoppable while two players also turned in a memorable outing. But when you allow three goals in just over 200 seconds, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
So how good (and how badly) did things go for the Sabres in a game that could have ended in heartbreak? Keep reading to discover three studs and two duds in last night’s big, but nail-biting win over the Senators.
3 studs in the Buffalo Sabres win over Ottawa and 2 duds
Stud – Casey Mittelstadt line
Just how good was the Casey Mittelstadt line last night? They dominated in almost every aspect, including the entire trio of Mittelstadt, Alex Tuch, and Jeff Skinner joining forces to score the first goal of the game.
While they allowed three high-danger chances at 5-on-5, they didn’t allow a goal, per Natural Stat Trick. The three also put together a pair of high-danger chances themselves, and dominated in both the CF% and FF% at 59.09 and 58.82, respectively. Overall, this is a line that you don’t want to see head coach Don Granato break up any time soon.
Dud – Late-game defense
The Sabres cannot let something like this happen routinely. And as the same had occurred just last week vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, it will become a problem if Don Granato doesn’t take necessary steps to address it immediately.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the matter, it didn’t help that Dylan Cozens let his issues with Vladimir Tarasenko linger for far too long. The fact is, the Sabres have won three games this season, and in two of those wins, they let their opponents back in it. Sure, they held on just enough to win, and for that, you need to credit the next stud on this list.