The Buffalo Sabres once again faced adversity and once again, they couldn’t generate offense. Then everything changed in the third period.
By the end of the second period, it was official: The Pittsburgh Penguins had shut out the Buffalo Sabres through five periods, and fans of the Blue and Gold were so impressed that they booed their team off the ice. And rightfully so, given the pedestrian effort the Sabres had given to the hometown crowd at that point.
Then, they turned around and shut out the Penguins in the final 20 minutes, scoring three unanswered goals in a win that was highly reminiscent of one that happened at this very arena last November. Buffalo turned up the energy in the third following a power play goal from Jeff Skinner, and a score from Kyle Okposo, who had been firing pucks toward the net all night, and finally got one through.
Skinner again pulled off a big play late, keeping a sequence alive with just under three minutes to go in regulation before he found Alex Tuch, who drove it home to score the game-winner. Despite a pair of frames when the Sabres once again looked like the uninspiring team just skating around, their final 20 minutes tonight were pristine, and it pulled them back to 0.500.
Buffalo Sabres back at 0.500 (again) after a valiant effort late vs. Penguins
This win wouldn’t have been possible without the Sabres stepping up and collectively deciding to play more inspiring hockey. But goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen once again showed us he’s a different player than he was last season, allowing two goals off of mistakes from defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin.
Overall, Luukkonen finished 31 for 33 with a 0.939 save percentage, stepping up in the first two frames when the Buffalo Sabres were unable to capitalize on every opportunity they were given. In the third, the Blue and Gold made life easier for Luukkonen, but there were times he still needed to step up and be the most outstanding player in the game, and he did just that.
It was a great effort all around in the third period, and now, the Sabres have momentum heading into the second half of their back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils. Can they finish the week over 0.500 and enter Week 8 with a winning record and in the thick of the early playoff race?
(Statistics provided by NHL.com)