The Buffalo Sabres started their preseason schedule on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets and were able to come away with a 4-0 shutout victory. It was a scoreless first period with the Blue Jackets really controlling the flow of the game.
However, the Sabres were able to break the tie with Bowen Byram scoring the first goal of the game and Beck Malenstyn scoring on the rebound off Owen Power's shot. It remained a two-goal game for a majority of the third period, but the Blue Jackets pulled the goalie with about 6 minutes remaining in the period, and Jack Quinn capitalized on the empty net.
The final goal of the game was by one of the Sabres' top prospects in Konsta Helenius who got an assist from Anton Wahlberg.
There is no question that it was great to see the Sabres get the win, but this is the preseason. As is typical for these games, both teams split their rosters. It gives younger players extra ice time and gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate all their players.
These are some of the top takeaways from what was a great first impression for this year's Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres win second period after struggling in the first
In the first period, the Columbus Blue Jackets controlled the action for the most part and spent a large portion of the period in the Sabres' zone. However, the Sabres were able to bounce back in the second period and would not only score the first goal of the game but also build their lead with a second goal later in the period.
The defense contributed in a big way on both goals as Bowen Byram scored the first goal as the puck was able to find its way through the traffic in front of the net. The second goal, Owen Power would take a shot that Elvis Merzlikins was not able to control it and Beck Malenstyn finished off the play.
Aside from the scoring, the biggest takeaway was that they did a much better job of defending in this period. This has been a point of emphasis for head coach Lindy Ruff, and he has mentioned it more than once that they are changing how they defend in this middle period.
It is one preseason game, with only half of their expected defense, but first impressions were positive.
Power play doesn't look much better
The Buffalo Sabres struggled last season with the power play and this was something they were hoping to see improve this season. In the first game of the preseason, there wasn't much difference as they were 0 for 2 on the night.
It wasn't just the fact that they weren't able to score on either opportunity, but they really didn't even threaten. The best chance came on the first power play, where Jack Quinn got a pass with an open net but couldn't control the puck and didn't get a shot off.
While the Sabres didn't have anyone who is expected to be on their top unit, they basically had their second power-play unit. The improvements can't just come from the top power play unit, and this is something that will need to get better.
Buffalo Sabres goaltending looked great
There is no question that goaltending is probably the biggest concern at this point for the Buffalo Sabres, especially with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's injury. However, in this game, the Sabres got some great performances from Alexandar Georgiev and Devon Levi.
The Sabres started the game with Georgiev, and he played the first two periods, stopping all 16 shots he faced. They would make the switch before the third period, which was the plan, and Devon Levi played the final period and stopped all six shots he faced to secure the shutout.
On Tuesday, the Sabres are expected to have Alex Lyon play the first two periods and Levi once again to come in for the third period so all three of their top goalies get two periods of work. It will be interesting to see if Levi can keep the momentum going from what he was able to do tonight.