The Buffalo Sabres continued their road trip on Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks. It was a slow start for the Sabres, but that all changed midway through the second period as they scored three goals in a little under two minutes.
They had a three-goal lead going into the third period but they didn't stop there as Tage Thompson extended their lead to four about 40 seconds into the third period. The final goal of the night was scored by Sam Carrick, which was his second of the night, to secure the 5-0 win.
They continue to keep pace with the Carolina Hurricanes, who won on Wednesday, at 92 points for the Eastern Conference lead, while keeping a four-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning for the division. These are some of the takeaways from the game on Thursday night.
Noah Ostlund ends his goal drought with first goal of the game
After being on the top line against the Vegas Golden Knights, Noah Ostlund moved back to the third line with Josh Doan and Josh Norris. In the second period, Ostlund would end a 14-game goalless streak when he was able to drive home a lucky bounce for the first goal of the game.
On the play, Josh Doan would take a shot as he crossed the blueline that went wide of the net. However, it took an odd bounce, and the puck came out on the other side of the net, where Alex Nedeljkovic lost it. Ostlund crashed the net and was able to sneak it in behind the Sharks' goalie.
Even with the goal drought, Ostlund has been productive in his rookie season with the Sabres, as he now has 11 goals and 15 assists in 57 games. This is a line that has a lot of potential through the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
Buffalo Sabres score three goals in under two minutes
For about the first half of this game, the San Jose Sharks looked like the better team as they were beating the Sabres to the puck, skating better and getting more chances. Fortunately, the Sabres had Alex Lyon in the net as he kept this game within reach.
It took a little longer than anyone would have liked, but in the second period, everything seemed to change, and the Sabres would score three goals in under two minutes. The first goal was by Ostlund, with Sam Carrick adding the second goal only 36 seconds later to push the Sabres' lead to 2-0.
Carrick is not known for his goal-scoring, but he has certainly found that skill in Buffalo with four goals in seven games. He has now matched his season total with the New York Rangers, as he scored four goals in 60 games prior to the trade.
The third goal was just over a minute after Carrick's goal as Jason Zucker was able to make a no-look pass to the front of the net and Rasmus Dahlin was able to put it home to give Buffalo the 3-0 lead. In addition to the goal, Dahlin had an assist on the Carrick goal, and these two points were his first in three games.
Alex Lyon with a shutout, second straight shutout for the Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres were off to a slow start and struggling to keep up with the speed of the San Jose Sharks. However, Alex Lyon did a good job of keeping the Sabres in this game with some big-time saves.
Even after the Sabres jumped out to a big lead in the second period, he didn't stop there, and he completely shut down any chance the Sharks had to make it a game. He would finish the game, stopping all 23 shots he faced and securing his third shutout of the season.
The Sabres are now halfway through their four-game road trip and have yet to allow a goal after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen delivered a shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
As Mike Harrington with The Buffalo News noted on Thursday, this is now Lyon's 10th straight road win, and he is one of six goalies with a win streak of this length. It has been a remarkable season for Lyon, and the Sabres continue to benefit from incredible goaltending.
The Sabres continue their road trip on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings before the road trip finale on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.