@boosbuzzsabres
The Buffalo Sabres have a 3 p.m. matinee game against the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center today. It will be the final game of a three-game homestand before they head out west for three games in four nights against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks beginning Wednesday. The Sabres just finished a stretch where they played five games in nine nights and are coming off of a full day away from the rink with head coach Ralph Krueger saying that his charges should look refreshed for the game against the Stars.
Krueger spoke to the gathered media after practice yesterday and said, "Today (at practice) you're trying to get the intensity and focus you need to play our hockey and they gave it to us in practice. But that freshness and the energy we'll have we expect to show up against Dallas."
Buffalo is off to a 4-0-1 start under their new head coach who's working a lineup that's very similar to what was iced last season. Three new faces were added up-front--Victor Olofsson, Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Vesey while the back-end has welcomed Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju who were acquired in separate trades. The goaltending duo of Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark are once again patrolling the crease.
Armed with a new attitude emanating from a bond between coach and players (as well as the normal honeymoon phase,) this Sabres team is off to their best start since the 2009-10 season. Buffalo came out smoking their first two games while showing off "Sabres hockey" under Krueger and managed points in the next three games despite struggles.
Here's a quick recap of each game:
Buffalo-3 Pittsburgh-1
Pittsburgh didn't seem to be ready for the new Sabres as Penguin-killer Conor Sheary (four goals and two assists in four games against his former club,) scored two goals. The first came just over five minutes into the game and his second came on the powerplay to give Buffalo a one-goal lead again. Rasmus Dahlin beautifully converted a Sam Reinhart saucer pass late in the second period to give Buffalo a two-goal lead which they never relinquished. It was the first time Buffalo had beaten Pittsburg in regulation since April 23, 2013 and it was their first opening night win since that same lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (0-5-1.)
New Jersey Devils-2 Buffalo-7
Buffalo's Golden Season was under way and they kicked off the home portion of their 50th Anniversary with a stunning 7-2 win in front of a raucous KeyBank Center crowd. Eleven different players hit the scoresheet with Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart scoring two goals apiece. Buffalo's new No. 1 powerplay unit went 3-4 and in their first two games the Sabres scored four powerplay goals on six opportunities. The Devils were thought to be a playoff contender this season but are looking a bit disjointed and have started out the 2019-20 season 0-3-2 with the Sabres loss the worst of the lot.
Buffalo-3 Columbus Blue Jackets-4 (OT)
Perhaps the Sabres were due for a letdown after those two rollicking wins. Buffalo was thrown completely off of their game by a Blue Jackets team that was in desperation-mode. The only thing keeping the Sabres from getting blown out was a stellar 40-save performance by Linus Ullmark. Sure, allowing four goals doesn't look great but Columbus could have had plenty more with the way the Sabres played and he kept them in it the entire game. Jack Eichel looked as if he was channeling Derek Roy as his dipsy-doodling ended up in turnovers and he was also stripped of the puck in overtime on the game-winning goal. Props to Pops-Krueger for taking the heat on that one as he said he may have put Eichel out there without enough rest between shifts. This is also the first game where the Johan Larsson/Zemgus Girgensons/Kyle Okposo line got their proper due for playing high-pressure Sabres hockey for their third straight game.
Montreal-4 Buffalo-5 (OT)
After a poor performance at Columbus, Eichel was simply unstoppable at home against the Canadiens scoring two goals, including one end-to-end rush ala Sabres great Gilbert Perreault, and adding two assists. Buffalo's powerplay was at it again going 2/5 and it would have been 3/5 but their overtime powerplay ended just seconds before Marcus Johansson's game-winner. This was a fun game to watch with end-to-end action and plenty of scoring chances and goals. Buffalo got on the board first before Montreal answered with two of their own. The Sabres countered with three unanswered goals with the Canadiens scoring two in the third period to tie the game. It would be the first of two consecutive games where the Sabres coughed up a two-goal lead in the third period.
Florida Panthers-2 Buffalo-3 (SO)
The Sabres came away with the 'W' against a Panthers team that showed Columbus-type desperation backed by Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (a former Blue Jacket,) who was on his game and thwarted numerous Sabres chances. The Cats almost came up short but tied the game with :10 seconds left and Bobrovsky pulled for the extra attacker. The 6-on-5 lasted for just under two minutes and had Florida pumping five shots on Ullmark during that span. Much ado was made about Krueger sitting 19 yr. old phenom Rasmus Dahlin for the final eight-plus minutes of the third period as the Sabres surrendered yet another two-goal, third period lead. Krueger said it was much ado about nothing stating yesterday. "This is a process where different players have different responsibilities at different times." True to that he had Dahlin, as well as Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt who were both on the bench for much of he third period, out there for a shift in overtime with Mittelstadt scoring the game-winner as Buffalo's third shooter in the shootout. The Larsson line was the driving force on both Buffalo goals. Larsson scored Buffalo's first goal with assists from Okposo and Girgensons and the duo also had the assists on Marco Scandella's goal. Ullmark was stellar once again stopping 41 of 43 shots for his first win of the season.
Once, today's game against the Stars is at 3 p.m.
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