Entering this game, the anticipation was the highest it has been all season for a Buffalo Sabres game. The Sabres, who won six straight, were tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning in points, and the winner of this game would be alone atop the division.
Somehow, the game exceeded expectations and was arguably the best game in the entire NHL this season. It had everything from fights to goals, and the Sabres found a way to win an incredible 8-7 game over the Lightning.
The Sabres have now won seven straight and are in first place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points. These are five takeaways from the game on Sunday night.
Buffalo Sabres refused to be pushed around by Tampa Bay Lightning
There was no question that the Tampa Bay Lightning saw the Buffalo Sabres as a threat in the Atlantic Division and wanted to make a statement early in this game. This meeting was very different than the first two; these two teams had just met over the past month, and the Lightning were looking to hit the Sabres early and often.
However, the Sabres were not willing to back down, and the two teams combined for 102 penalty minutes, with a majority of those penalty minutes coming in the first period after each team had three fighting major penalties.
The Buffalo Sabres are not known for being a physical team, but they met the moment and did a good job of standing up, and more importantly, protecting their teammates. This is the type of physicality they are going to see in the playoffs, and it was great to see that it didn't rattle them.
Buffalo Sabres had their power play working with four power play goals
With all the penalties, the Buffalo Sabres had plenty of power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3 for two minutes early in the game. While they didn't score on that power play, they would end up with three power play goals on their next five power play chances.
Josh Doan was able to score the first one, who now has had goals in back-to-back games, in the first period. In the second, Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch would each add power-play goals that pushed Buffalo's lead to 3-0.
Doan wasn't done as he would score the game-winning goal on the Sabres seventh and final power play chance of the night.
The Sabres' power play unit has been much more productive as of late, with seven power play goals in the seven games since being back from the Olympic break and at least one power play goal in 10 out of their last 13 games.
Buffalo Sabres scored eight goals and somehow Tage Thompson had none
The Buffalo Sabres had a season-high eight goals in this game, and the only thing more amazing than that was that Thompson didn't have any of those goals. He leads the team in the category with 34 and made his presence known with four assists, but it was the rest of the lineup that was able to shoulder the scoring load in this game.
The Sabres would have three players who scored two goals in this game with Jason Zucker, Alex Tuch, and Josh Doan all reaching that mark. The other two goals were scored by Rasmus Dahlin and Sam Carrick, who scored his first goal with the Buffalo Sabres since being traded on Friday.
It is an impressive performance and shows that the Sabres have depth up and down the lineup that teams struggle to match up with.
Alex Lyon should be the Sabres starter for the remainder of the season
In what was the Sabres' biggest game of the season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had probably his worst performance of the season. Luukkonen has been really good as of late and hasn't allowed more than two goals in a start since January 17th against the Minnesota Wild, when he allowed five in an overtime loss.
Early in the game, Luukkonen made some big saves, but as the game went along, he struggled, and the Lightning took advantage of that as he allowed seven goals on only 28 shots. The Sabres were able to pull out the victory, but the overall performance from Luukkonen made it much closer than this game should have been.
Since the Olympic break, it has been almost an even rotation between Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, but it might be time for the Buffalo Sabres to shift that rotation and stick with the best goalie moving forward. That has been Alex Lyon almost the entire season, and with only three back-to-back games on the schedule, the schedule sets up in a way that he can get a majority of the starts.
Buffalo Sabres refused to quit against one of the best teams in the NHL
For fans, there is probably a level of doubt that was still in the back of their mind about whether or not this team is for real. They have been an incredible story, but it raises the question of just how good they are and if they are a legitimate contender this season.
On Sunday night, the Sabres showed grit and heart that is unmatched and found themselves in situations that they probably would have folded in the past. The Sabres did a great job weathering the physicality by the Lightning early and took a 3-0 lead.
However, the Lightning would refuse to go away, and going into the third period, it was tied at four. In fact, the Lightning would score five straight goals to go up 6-4. The Sabres cut the lead to one before the Lightning scored again to go back up two goals.
The Sabres continued to fight and would score three goals over a five-minute period that was able to overcome that deficit and win in regulation. It may only be one game on the schedule but it is just another example, and frankly, the best example, that this Sabres team is for real.