The Buffalo Sabres returned home on Tuesday to play the Vancouver Canucks after a three-game road trip. The road trip was productive as they extended their win streak to 10 but saw that come to an end against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In this game, the focus was to ensure they didn't start a losing streak after their win streak. It seemed like they were well on their way to doing that as they had a 4-0 lead until the midway point of the third period.
However, that was when the game seemingly flipped as the Canucks would score three straight over roughly five minutes. Fortunately, Josh Doan would score an empty net goal to secure the Sabres win.
Buffalo Sabres put the Blue Jackets game behind them quickly
One of the big questions for the Buffalo Sabres after their 10-game win streak came to an end was how they would bounce back from the loss. The last time the Sabres had a 10-game win streak was back in the 2018-19 season, and that season they followed the win streak up with a five-game losing streak.
On Tuesday, the Sabres made sure early on against the Canucks that they didn't go down the same path. The Sabres came out and got back to playing the way they did during the win streak, and Tage Thompson was able to give the Sabres the lead just over two minutes into the first period.
This was exactly what they needed because the Sabres are just a different team when they have the lead, especially early. It gave them momentum against the Canucks that they were able to build on over the course of the game to have a two-goal lead after the first period and three goals after the second period.
Buffalo Sabres penalty kill does something the power play can't
The Buffalo Sabres got Jason Zucker back for the first time since December 8th, and the hope was that it would help their power-play unit, which has really struggled as of late. In fact, they haven't had a power play goal in seven straight games.
Even with Zucker back, the Sabres' power-play couldn't get much going in the one power-play chance they had against Vancouver.
However, the Sabres were able to get some scoring from their special teams as Ryan McLeod would score a short-handed goal. It was his third short-handed goal this season, and he is now tied for second in the NHL in the category.
The Sabres rank near the top of the league in penalty kill percentage, but when they can turn what should be a disadvantage into scoring opportunities, it makes other teams just a little more cautious when on the power play.
Buffalo Sabres defensemen sparking the offense
The Buffalo Sabres finished the game with four goals, and on every goal, there was at least one defenseman who recorded an assist. In the game against the Canucks, the defensemen did a great job picking their spots when to attack in the offensive zone, and it resulted in goals.
In the first period, Owen Power got a pass from Bo Byram and took a shot, but it didn't reach the net. However, Tage Thompson was right there and able to collect the puck and beat Thatcher Demko.
Then later in the period, Mattias Samuelsson was able to get the puck out of the zone on the penalty kill. Alex Tuch brought the puck up and played it perfectly to get the Canucks to commit to him before he passed it to McLeod for the short-handed goal.
In the second period, Bo Byram took the puck deep into the offensive zone and made a beautiful pass right across the crease to Alex Tuch, who scored the third goal of the game. The final goal of the night was actually a defenseman as Zach Metsa scored his first NHL goal, which was also his first NHL point.
When the Sabres get this kind of production from their blue line, they are going to be very tough to beat.
Buffalo Sabres lucky to come away with a win after a third period collapse
The Buffalo Sabres were in control for most of the game, but it seemed like in the third period, they let up just a bit, and the Vancouver Canucks were able to capitalize. It started after Tage Thompson was called for a high-stick, which was upgraded to a four-minute penalty.
The Canucks scored with 2:10 remaining in the power play, so the goal didn't reset back to 5-on-5. They were able to kill the remainder of that penalty, but then Elias Pettersson scored about five minutes after that first goal to cut it to 4-2.
It was less than a minute after that Liam Ohgren was able to beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make it a one-goal game. Lindy Ruff would call a timeout after that goal to help the Sabres settle and they ultimately would and hold on for the win.
This Sabres team is still in some ways trying to learn how to win, and hopefully, this is a lesson that they can't let up, no matter what the score is. While the first 50 minutes showcased Buffalo at its best, the final 10 minutes served as a stark reminder of its lingering growing pains.