Look on the bright side: The Sabres have earned three out of four points, against two desperate teams, in a twenty four hour period of time between Saturday and Sunday night. I know. They left a critical point on the table by gacking up a two goal third period lead. Losing a two puck lead with two and a half minutes left in regulation was the cause of palpable emotional frustration in the Sabres in their room after Martin Erat scored the OT GWG. Buffalo now lead Carolina by three points in the tightening Eastern race.
Sabres lost their late lead to a game opponent. Then, they lost the extra point in OT.
Credit goes to the Preds for not quitting. Its important to note that the Preds played football on ice with their arch rival, the Detroit Red Wings, on Saturday night. They were bruised, tired, and feeling sore at puck drop in Buffalo. You wouldn't know it based on the way they started skating in the first twenty miles of the game in Buffalo. They won the majority of puck races and wall battles. Shea Weber's team does not rattle easily.
Preds went to their room up 1-0 after twenty. Buffalo flipped the script and attacked in the second period.The third period was all Buffalo for the first seventeen minutes, then, the Preds cashed in a Reggie Sekera goalmouth gift to cut the Buffalo lead to one. With less than ninety second remaining in regulation, Geoffrion forced OT by beating Miller for his hatty.
The Sabres tried to nurse their two puck lead, however, Barry Trotz told his boys to attack the Buffalo D and to make Ryan Miller miserable in his crease in the final 150 seconds of regulation play.
Erat closed the show off of a Reggie Sekera to Thomas Vanek failed long bomb.
Credit HDTV for going balls to the wall and calling for the puck to create the breakaway. aggressive mistake that I can live with. Advantage Trotz.
Blake Geoffrion, barely had three shots on goal and yet he scores his first ever NHL chapeau trick. or, was it a cowboy hat? Matters not. Boy's got puck luck. Geoffrion grew up in Tennessee. He's also the grand son of hall Of Fame Montreal Canadiens bomber, 'Boom Boom" Geoffrion.
Personally speaking, I have a lot of time for Barry Trotz. He's a fantastic strategist and tactician. Its almost as if he and his friend, Lindy Ruff, share the same special DNA. I spoke with Trotz avbout his friendship with Ruff after the 4-3 OT win by Nashville.
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