"Life finds a way." If you watched Jurassic Park then you'll know what I mean. That was the story of the Buffalo Sabres' most recent game.
Tuesday night, the Sabres defeated the Nashville Predators. It was a huge win for Buffalo as it had lost its last two games. Coming into Wednesday, the Sabres are back in the first wild-card spot.
However, it wasn't easy. After being up 4-0, the Sabres won by a final score of 5-3. Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius led the way as each of them had multiple points in the game, with Helenius scoring his first NHL goal and his first NHL point on one of Ostlund's goals.
With that being said, Buffalo was very fortunate to not lose this game. Nashville had numerous chances to tie the game but, thanks to Alex Lyon's performance, it was held at bay. But if the Sabres want to make the postseason, they will have to break one habit.
Closing out games needs to improve for the Buffalo Sabres
Late-game situations have been an issue for the team this season.
In multiple contests, Buffalo bent but didn't break. While it's good the Sabres won a majority of their games this year, they need to improve if they are serious about making a playoff run. Especially with the games they have before the Olympic break.
Thursday night, Buffalo has a critical game against the Montreal Canadiens, who are only four points ahead of Buffalo and are in third place in the Atlantic Division. After that, the Sabres will go to New York to face the Islanders, who are also having a good season.
Next will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are right behind the Sabres in the standings. After hosting the Los Angeles Kings and Canadiens, Buffalo will take the road and head to Florida for a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. The Sabres will host the Pittsburgh Penguins and then it will be the Olympic break.
ALL of these teams have a record over .500, so closing out games if they're winning late will be imperative. Once you make the playoffs, you're competing against the best teams. Breaking that habit will be beneficial, especially when you're up 2-0, 3-0 and 4-0.
If they can close out games and not let the opponent back in the contest, I truly do believe you will see this team play hockey in late April.