Five of the best Sabres’ goals of the 2023-24 season

It's the middle of the hockey doldrums, that quiet time after the NHL Draft and July 1 trade opener, when not much happens until the calendar turns to fall. While Sabres fans wait for games to start again, let’s revisit some of the previous year’s best goals.

Cozens wins it in OT, Oct. 17, 2023

The Sabres began 2023-24 with high hopes, but expectations soon met reality. Buffalo lost the season's first two contests, 5-1 against the New York Rangers on Oct. 12 and 3-2 versus the Islanders on Oct. 14. Facing the normally dominant Tampa Bay Lightning in the year’s third matchup on Oct. 17, the Sabres took a 2-0 lead in the first period, courtesy of Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner.

Unfortunately, the Bolts weren’t finished and Lightning left winger Brandon Hagel tied the score with a goal each in the second and third period. With everything even at the end of regulation, the game went to overtime. 3:28 into OT, Rasmus Dahlin passed the puck to Jordan Greenway, who gave it to Dylan Cozens. Cozens shot the puck off Tampa’s goal post and it went into the net to win it, Buffalo’s first victory of the season.

Skinner beats Jake Allen shortsided on the PP, Oct. 23, 2023

Almost a week after the Sabres’ OT win against the Lighting, Buffalo faced off against the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs scored first with a Justin Barron snap shot 2:56 into the opening period. Some five minutes later, the refs penalized Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher for tripping against Buffalo D-man Erik Johnson.

The Sabres suffered one of the league’s worst man advantage records last season, ranking an NHL-29th. However, this 5-on-4 was an exception. Skinner shot the puck at the Habs’ net and beat Montreal netminder Jake Allen shortsided to tie the score at one. Getting an NHL goal is usually never easy and for the Sabres, scoring on the power play even more so, making No.53's tying wrister all the sweeter to see.

Tuch takes the final lead after Matthews’ hat trick, Nov. 4, 2023

The Sabres face their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, several times a year and each contest is hard-fought. Nov. 4, 2023 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto was no different. Mitch Marner got the Leafs on the board first with a wrist shot midway through the opening period. JJ Peterka answered back with his own wrister four minutes later and early in the second, Tage Thompson scored an unassisted shorthander to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead.

11:22 into the second period, Toronto forward Auston Matthews tied things up with a power play goal. Skinner answered Matthews 34 seconds later to put the Sabres ahead 3-2. 17 seconds into the third, Matthews evened the score once again to make it 3-3. Greenway put Buffalo up 4-3 some three minutes later.

The back-and-forth continued, when Matthews beat Sabres goaltender Devon Levi with a tip-in that made Leafs fans shower the ice with hats. After the ground crew cleared them away, play resumed and this time, Alex Tuch scored a deflected shot against Toronto goalie Joseph Woll the Leafs couldn’t match the rest of the night. Tuch put the nail in the coffin with an empty netter with less than two minutes remaining, but his first goal silenced Toronto fans who’d celebrated a little too soon.

Dahlin makes it 4-0 Sabres against the Kings, Feb. 13, 2024

The Buffalo Sabres don’t play the L.A. Kings very often and when they do the results are normally in Buffalo’s favor. Since 1970 the Blue and Gold have enjoyed a 66-49-18 record versus Los Angeles. Feb. 13, 2024 was more of the same for otherwise long-suffering Sabres fans.

The hosts shut out the visitors 7-0 in a completely lopsided and amazing win. Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukonen made 33 saves, while the Sabres’ roster took turns getting pucks in the Kings’ net. After Buffalo grabbed a solid 3-0 lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Peterka, Greenway and Kyle Okposo, respectively, Rasmus Dahlin would get his opportunity early in the second.

Fellow defenseman Ryan Johnson passed the puck to Dahlin, and No. 26 made a quick shot on Kings’ goalie David Rittich that widened Buffalo’s already sizeable lead to four. Dahlin, an aggressive player who’s not happy just passing the puck to the teams’ forwards, often scores goals of his own. His wrister in this contest was one of 20 he’d score that season and it was a beauty to behold.

Peterka plays tic-tac-toe with Skinner and Okposo, Mar. 3, 2024

With nothing on the board near the end of the first period, Skinner passed the puck to Okposo, who set up Peterka in a tic-tac-toe play that Peterka capped off, making it 1-0 Sabres.

What made it even better was the goal came on a power play. The three forwards showed great discipline and puck control, maintaining possession and making their man advantage count. The Sabres don’t always do this, so when it happens, it shows glimpses of what could be if the Blue and Gold consistently shored up their often weak PP efforts.

Peterka only had three power play goals this past season, but the one against Winnipeg was one of his best.