Buffalo blows out Vegas with a full team effort

This weekend, the Buffalo Sabres were going to have a back-to-back against two playoff teams. Up first, a meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Former Sabres captainJack Eichel was not going to be in the lineup as he is still working his way back from an injury suffered in January. The Sabres were looking to go over .500 after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning recently.

We wouldn't have to wait long for the game's first goal as Jeff Skinner got things started to get his 20th goal of the season. There would be no more scoring in the first period, but just 54 seconds into the second period, Dylan Cozens scored on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 2-0 Buffalo.

Vegas is the defending Stanley Cup champions and they would not go away. About one minute later on the power play, they cut the lead in half to make it 2-1 Buffalo. A few minutes later, William Karlsson made it 2-2, as the Sabres saw their lead evaporate.

Zemgus Girgensons gave Buffalo their lead back as he scored on a beautiful wrist shot, and it was 3-2. After that, it was all Buffalo. Just over two minutes into the final period, Sabres captain Kyle Okposo made it 4-2. Four minutes would go by as Owen Power extended the Sabres lead to 5-2.

Tage Thompson's ability to hustle paid off as he was hooked on a great chance, giving Buffalo a power play. Casey Mittelstadt made the Golden Knights pay as he scored the Sabres' sixth goal of the night. Cozens made it 7-2 as he scored on another shorthanded goal in the last couple of minutes of regulation time.

Buffalo took down the defending champs with a 7-2 victory and swept Vegas for the season series. The bottom line, it was a complete effort for the Sabres. Everyone on each line contributed and of course, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was good once again.

The crowd was awesome and that was a huge thanks to the Sabres performing so well. For the first time in a long time, Buffalo has a record over .500. While that can change tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets, it was great to see the team as a whole execute in a blowout victory against the Golden Knights.