There have not been many moments for the Sabres and their fanbase that have been positive. They currently are in last place in the Eastern Conference, and it looks more and more like they will continue their playoff drought.
On January 9th, they beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0. This game has been one of the few bright spots for Buffalo and may be the game for the team to emulate on the ice for the rest of year.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had 35 saves en route to the shutout and saw Buffalo go up 2-0 before the start of the third period. They also won the turnover margin in the victory.
“That was a game we kind of haven’t done enough times this season, where kind of everybody focuses on their own job,” Luukkonen told reporters after the game. “I feel like everyone did their job really well tonight. I think it was a good team effort and that’s how we have to play to win.”
Jack Quinn scored twice during the game and Ryan McLeod had three points in the victory
Throughout the season Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson have been strong players for Buffalo generating chances and scoring on opportunities. Quinn currently only has 18 points on the season.
But if Buffalo wants to move up in the standings or make any sort of run for the remainder of the year, they need more offensive firepower coming outside of Tuch and Thompson. The game against Ottawa they proved they can have additional goal scorers on the ice.
Currently MacLeod has the second-best plus/minus time on the team behind Tuch. He currently stands at plus-6 on the year. If they can have step up like he did against Ottawa it could lead to a better February and March this year.
“I’m trying to step up," McLeod said after the game. "I’ve been obviously elevated in the lineup, trying to do a little bit more offensively. It was good to get on the board tonight.” His goal in the victory put the Sabres up 4-0 with 10:22 remaining in the second.
Buffalo currently has 41 points on the year. They are only 11 points behind the New York Rangers and Ottawa for the final wild card spot. They also beat the Senators 5-1 in November.
If Buffalo plays like they did against Ottawa in these two victories they could easily make a move in the standings for the rest of the season.