Josh Norris flying around the ice en route to a three-point night, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen making key saves to thwart any thought of a Winnipeg Jets comeback and Alex Tuch scoring a weird-angle goal that would make Jochen Hecht proud.
For at least one night, the Buffalo Sabres produced a performance that reminded fans why they were a preseason darling of the analytics community. The 5-1 victory marked the club's sixth win in its past nine games to regain a .500 points percentage (11-11-4 record).
Norris, who scored two goals in his first appearance since the season opener, looked healthy and primed to make the type of game-changing impact the Sabres were betting on when they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators ahead of last season's trade deadline.
"I think it's one of those things where how hard he works, how much he wants to be back and be playing hockey again, I think it just kind of motivates the whole team," Luukkonen told reporters. "Everybody wants to play well when he's coming back."
Tuch added: "Man, he can fly. It's noticeable."
It helped create immaculate vibes inside the KeyBank Center as the Buffalo faithful sent the Blue and Gold off on a six-game road trip with a rousing ovation.
A roller-coaster start to the campaign created an early hole for the Sabres, who find themselves five points behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but consistent outings like the one they delivered against the Jets would give them a real chance to make a surge.
There are no guarantees, especially when it comes to a franchise that's yielded a lot of false hope over the past 14 years, but Monday night's triumph felt different.
So, let's take a dive into the newest edition of our Sabres player grades series, which highlights the numerous standout showings in Buffalo's domination of Winnipeg.
Josh Norris, Zach Benson receive high marks for the Buffalo Sabres' Dec. 1 win over the Winnipeg Jets
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Josh Norris | 9.5 |
Zach Benson | 9 |
Jason Zucker | 8.5 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 8.5 |
Alex Tuch | 8 |
Tage Thompson | 7.5 |
Bowen Byram | 7.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 7 |
Josh Doan | 7 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Conor Timmins | 6 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 5.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 5.5 |
Jacob Bryson | 5 |
Jordan Greenway | 5 |
Owen Power | 4.5 |
Jack Quinn | 4 |
Noah Ostlund | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Josh Norris
The Sabres had already started to play better hockey in recent weeks as other key players rejoined the lineup after injuries. Speed was one element where the roster was still lacking, however, with the surprisingly resurgent Beck Malenstyn being the one exception.
Norris brought that ability to beat opposing defensemen with pure pace, and it really helped create more space both for the top line, which also featured Zach Benson and Tage Thompson, as well as the frustratingly inconsistent Buffalo power play.
Before training camp, the Sabres' roster appeared to have a good mix of everything, but the group was decimated by injury setbacks from Day 1 of camp. Slowly but surely that well-rounded lineup is finally coming together, and Norris is a massive part of that.
The 26-year-old center has a long history of injuries, so it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions about the rest of the season from a single game, but Buffalo's ability to attack on the fly was markedly different with him on the ice.
If Norris can stay healthy, the team's offensive outlook improves considerably.
Sabres quick hits
- Benson's touch pass on Norris' second goal was an absolute thing of beauty.
- Jason Zucker is starting to find the dangerous areas of the ice again, which is a promising sign for the Sabres, especially in terms of the power play.
- UPL has remained the focus of trade rumors but nights like Monday remind Buffalo fans of the promise he showed on a regular basis two seasons ago.
- Seeing Bowen Byram jump into the rush for his goal was another hint that things are finally starting to fall into place for the Sabres.
- Buffalo starts its six-game tour of North America on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET) when it visits Xfinity Mobile Arena for a clash with the Philadelphia Flyers (14-8-3).