Mind-boggling numbers from the Buffalo Sabres 9-3 win last night vs. Toronto
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres ironically lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 9-4 this past Tuesday, just over a year after traveling to Central Ohio and beating them by that same score. In a rare turn of events, the Sabres redeemed themselves and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 9-3 on Thursday, and it was the first time a team had scored at least nine goals after giving up at least nine in the previous game in almost exactly 40 years.
You would have to go back to December 21st and December 23rd, 1983 when the Detroit Red Wings did it. On the 21st, they lost 9-5 to the Vancouver Canucks before they faced none other than the Maple Leafs on the 23rd, and they would win that game 9-2.
Source: Observations: Sabres' strategic shift produces 9 goals in 'statement' win over Leafs by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News
Buffalo Sabres accomplished a feat not seen in 40 years last night
The Sabres were also the first team to score nine against the Maple Leafs since the Nashville Predators did it on November 18th, 2014, roughly nine years and one month prior. While the Sabres scored nine goals on the road last season, they haven’t scored nine at KeyBank Center since November 3rd, 2018 when they played the Ottawa Senators.
That aforementioned game, which the Sabres won 9-2, was their first of 11 wins in November 2018, and the last win before the Blue and Gold embarked on their 10-game winning streak.
Overall, the 9-3 win over Toronto was a fun experience for Buffalo Sabres fans everywhere, but you can only hope it finally kickstarts them into winning more consistently as the Blue and Gold steamroll toward the midseason mark. If so, then that ever-elusive playoff berth is not yet out of the question, and that could set the stage for a fun 2024 calendar year.
If the Sabres can do this, then the chants calling for Don Granato to go will be nothing but a distant memory. And it will also be quite rewarding for the fans who stuck around during what became a tumultuous first two-and-a-half months of the season.
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Source: Sabres Notebook: First goal is big milestone on Jack Quinn's road back from Achilles injury by Mike Harrington, Buffalo News
(Additional information provided by Hockey-Reference)