The Buffalo Sabres got a big win on Monday over the Tampa Bay Lightning that moved them into a tie with the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. However, they needed to keep that momentum going against the New York Rangers as the Canadiens joined the Sabres and Lightning at 102 points with a win on Tuesday night.
It looked like they were going to be able to do just that early and cruise to a win as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. However, the Rangers would fight back and score three straight to take a 3-2 lead into the third period.
For the Sabres, they were able to regain the momentum in the third period and score three straight, including an empty net goal by Zach Benson, to win 5-3 on Wednesday night. The Sabres are now alone in first place at 104 points while the Lightning and Candiens are set to play against each other on Thursday.
Michael Kesselring returns to the ice in first game since March 10th
The Buffalo Sabres continue to look for an answer to their third pair on defense, and in this game, they went with two players who haven't seen much ice time as of late in Conor Timmins and Michael Kesselring. For Timmins, his last game was back on March 28th, but for Kesselring, it was all the way back on March 10th.
While both players had limited minutes as Kesselring was on the ice for less than 11 minutes and Timmins around 16, both made some good plays that helped the Sabres. Kesselring finished the game +1 with three shots, while Timmins was +2 and had an assist.
With the Sabres set to play tomorrow night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a back-to-back, the coaching staff probably will go with Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn. However, heading into the playoffs, they will have some decisions to make with this final pair.
Buffalo Sabres have players ending scoring slumps at the perfect time
The first two goals by the Buffalo Sabres were by Ryan McLeod and Zach Benson, two players who haven't been scoring nearly enough as of late. For McLeod, this was only his second goal in the past 32 games, while Benson scored for the first time in seven games.
Recently, the Sabres have seen several players snap scoring slumps as Alex Tuch scored his first goal in six games against the Lightning, and Josh Norris scored for the first time in 10 games in the same game against Tampa Bay. In the playoffs, the Sabres can't expect to just rely on Tage Thompson, so seeing some of these secondary scorers add goals is a great sign for the team at this point in the regular season.
Rough night for the Buffalo Sabres special teams
The Sabres jumped out to a two-goal lead early, but their struggles on special teams were a big reason the New York Rangers got back into this and took the lead before the end of the second period. The Rangers scored two of those three goals on the power play with goals by Alexis Lafreniere and Adam Fox.
Meanwhile, the Sabres couldn't answer when they were on the power play as they failed to score on three power play opportunities. This included nearly a minute of 5-on-3 hockey, but the Sabres were unable to score.
The power play unit has been inconsistent this season, and they have gone through stretches where they look unstoppable. Unfortunately, they have found themselves in extended droughts, and that is where they are now, as they have gone 0-for-15 over the last four games.
Buffalo Sabres bounce back with a strong third period after an ugly second
The Buffalo Sabres jumped out to an early lead, which was great to see as they have struggled early in games against teams like the Rangers. However, the two-goal lead seemed to relax the Sabres, and the Rangers took advantage with three straight to take the lead into the final period.
Fortunately, they were able to figure it out in the third period with three straight goals to get the win and two huge points as they move ahead of the Lightning and Canadiens in the Atlantic Division. It wasn't just the scoring, which they needed, but they cleaned up a lot on the defensive end as they allowed only one shot on goal the entire period, which happened with about 90 seconds left in the period.
There are things that the Sabres need to work on coming out of this game, but they were able to get the job done and secure the win. It will be a quick turn as they head back to Buffalo for a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday before three days off.