The Buffalo Sabres delivered another stellar road performance in Game 6 to clinch the series against the Boston Bruins and advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a collective team effort, but some performances in particular stood out that helped the Sabres get the win.
When looking back at the game, these are some of the bigger winners, as well as some players and moments that could be considered losers for the Buffalo Sabres.
Winner: Alex Lyon
Alex Lyon put together another remarkable performance for the Buffalo Sabres as he stopped 25 of 26 shots. However, it wasn't just the total number of saves, but the fact that he made saves at crucial moments, as Lindy Ruff noted after the game.
"I thought the first period he made three or four saves that were game changers. You look at the breakaway, I thought the breakaway was borderline too many men on the ice on their part but we got caught and he covered up for us," Ruff said.
The Sabres were going to need big performances if they hoped to advance to the next round and Alex Lyon certainly delivered one of them in this game.
Loser: Michael Kesselring
The Buffalo Sabres entered this game with some questions surrounding Logan Stanley's availability. He had been dealing with an illness the past few days and was going to be a game-time decision. Stanley did participate in warmups but ultimately decided he couldn't go.
This opened the door for Michael Kesselring to make his playoff debut and gave him another chance to prove he could be a contributor for this team. Unfortunately, that didn't materialize as he would have only five shifts all game and had less than five minutes of ice time.
Kesselring was expected to be the key part of the JJ Peterka trade last summer but injuries and inconsistent play has kept him out of the lineup. Unless there is another injury to the blueline, Kesselring's time with the Sabres might be coming to an end.
Winner: Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin has waited his entire eight-year career to get to the playoffs and the Sabres' captain is doing everything he can to make sure it is not a short trip to the playoffs. On Friday night, he was able to set the tone early and help give the Sabres the lead.
The play began with Tage Thompson bringing the puck into the zone but dropped it off to Rasmus Dahlin. He would make a beautiful pass right in front of the net to Alex Tuch to give Buffalo the 1-0 lead but what happened prior to that pass might be even more impressive.
On the play, Dahlin is able to use his skates to kick the puck back up to his stick before making the pass to Tuch. After the game, Alex Tuch was asked about this play and what he saw from Dahlin:
"I can't believe how well he plays with his head up even with a bobbling puck, gets control of it, head up and I just try to find the open area because he is going to find you."
It was an incredible play by Dahlin and it just shows why he is the Sabres' best player.
Loser: Power Play Unit
This is nothing really new for the Buffalo Sabres, and thankfully, it didn't cost them a win, but once again, they had several power play opportunities in this game and were unable to convert. They finished the game with zero goals on four power play opportunities and only six shots on goal with the man advantage.
The power play struggles are nothing new, as it has gone on since the beginning of April for the Sabres. They should have a few days off before the next series, and it might be enough time to explore some different options for the power play.
Winner: Zach Benson
The final winner from this game is Zach Benson, as it just highlights the type of player he is and what he brings to this team. In the box score, it shows Benson as having one goal, one assist, and a +/- of +2, but that only tells part of the story.
A perfect example of what Benson can do was late in the game when Charlie McAvoy took a baseball swing with his stick at the Sabres' forward. Thankfully, Benson was ok but it shows how frustrating it is to play against a forward like Benson and the way he grinds on opponents.
After the game, Josh Doan was asked about his thoughts on Zach Benson referring to their line as a "dog on a bone," and Doan used that analogy to describe how Benson plays. "He's that little dog that everyone is scared of. That, for some reason, thinks he's really tough, and we allow him to do that. He hunts pucks really well and chases d-men down."
The Sabres need those gritty kind of players, especially in the playoffs, and Zach Benson made an impact on Friday night.
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