The Buffalo Sabres kicked off a three-game road trip on Monday night against the St. Louis Blues and were hoping they could extend their win streak to nine. They were able to do just that with a 4-2 win as they recovered from a sloppy first period.
It would be the Sabres who would start the scoring as Noah Ostlund beat Joel Hofer off a beautiful pass by Josh Norris. However, the Blues responded in a big way with two goals in a three-minute stretch that gave them the 2-1 lead.
After that, it was all Buffalo as they would score three straight, with the last goal being an empty net goal by Peyton Krebs in the final minutes of the game. They will now travel to Dallas for a New Year's Eve meeting with the Stars as they try to tie the franchise record of 10 straight wins, which they have done three times previously, with the first in the 1983-84 season, followed by 2006-07 and most recently during the 2018-19 season.
These are some of the notes and takeaways from the game against the St. Louis Blues.
First period turned into exactly what Lindy Ruff didn't want
The St. Louis Blues are a team that excels at creating odd-man rushes. Prior to the game, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was asked about this. He said they have good speed, and they don't want to get into a track meet, but that was exactly what happened in the first period.
"I think their speed is evident, their defensemen get up ice, and you know, similar to us, where our defense is heavily involved, their defense is heavily involved. We got to make sure that we don't turn it into a track meet," Ruff said.
Unfortunately, that is essentially what happened, and the Blues were able to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after the Sabres scored first. The first goal was a great play by Josh Norris to create a turnover and set up Noah Ostlund for the goal.
The St. Louis Blues' speed was on display for their two goals in the period, as the first was a neutral zone turnover that Brayden Schenn was able to beat Alex Lyon. On the second goal, the Blues dumped it deep, and they beat the Sabres to the puck, and Jimmy Snuggerud was able to get it past Lyon.
Alex Lyon settles down in the second period after shaky first
The St. Louis Blues did a good job of playing their style of hockey and grabbed the lead after 20 minutes of hockey. However, one of the reasons they were able to do that was that Lyon didn't have his best performance in the first period, as both goals were ones he could have stopped.
While it is never great to see Lyon struggle, it was great to see him bounce back over the final two periods and not allow another goal for the remainder of the game. He would finish the game saving 16 of the 18 shots he faced in this game, with some big saves late in the game.
It helped the Sabres not only get back into the game but also secure the win that extended their win streak.
Mattias Samuelsson with another point, extends streak to three games
It was a career game for Mattias Samuelsson against the Boston Bruins when the Sabres needed it most without Rasmus Dahlin. He would finish the game with three points, but even with Dahlin back, Samuelsson continues to make plays in the offensive zone, something he hasn't been known for before this season.
On Monday night against the Blues, Samuelsson was able to control a turnover in the defensive zone and bring it all the way up the ice to find a streaking Alex Tuch, who took a one-timer that Joel Hofer had no chance of stopping. This is now the third straight game that Samuelsson has at least a point and has 19 points on the season, five more than his previous career-high.
Buffalo Sabres continue to find ways to win these close games
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres were 16-8-7 in one-goal games, and it was something they had to improve. While the final score didn't end as a one-goal game (which they are 7-0-4 in this season) it was for a majority of the game, and the Sabres were able to play great hockey in the third period to secure the win.
It certainly hasn't always been perfect, and the Sabres have been known to take penalties late in games. However, the confidence they are showing when the game is tight is one of the reasons that they have a real chance to end their playoff drought this season.