He saved one of his finest games of his career for his 200th time on the ice. JJ Peterka scored the deciding goal in the shootout and provided two assists in a much needed 4-3 win against the Washington Captials on Monday.
Peterka has added to his strong campagin this season. He has 30 points on the year and four assists over the last three games. He has also become a great complement to both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
His shootout goal saw perfect patience as he skated to the right-side of Washington goalie, Charlie Lindgren. He then hit a snapshot which beat the goalie. The win helped Buffalo prevent another long losing streak. They recently have come off a 13-game losing streak.
It was an important game for both Peterka and the Sabres. “I think especially in the third we got a lot of chances, too, and just maybe overpassing a little bit,” Peterka told reporters after the shootout win. "Obviously when you don’t score you can only get scored on always, so I think just fighting back and having a good overtime."
JJ Peterka's 30th points on the year, comes in fourth on the Sabres for points
With two more assists, the 22-year-old will eclipse his total from last season. He had a career high 22 in the 2023-2024 campaign. The Sabres will need Peterka to continue to take risks and generate chances for himself or the likes of Thompson and Tuch. Peterka also had five shots on goal on Monday.
His first was a wrist shot, which Tuch was able to find the net off the rebound. The overall performance was the kind of game that was much-needed, and results were proven as Buffalo beat one of the top teams in the league.
Since their 13-game losing streak, Buffalo is 4-2-1. Peterka has six assists in that time frame. The young player also has improved with his faceoff percentages. He only won 20% last season and currently is at 40% on the year.
Last season he also had 27 hits on the year. He currently has 18 and should break his career-high. It speaks to his aggressivness on the ice this year. The Sabres will need him to continue on his surge if they wish to move in the standings and have a chance for a playoff berth. They can only hope Peterka can continue to generate more chances as the season goes on.