@boosbuzzsabres
First the Sabres soundly defeated an Los Angeles Kings team on the road and followed it up with a come-from-behind win at Anaheim against the Ducks to finish their five-game road trip 3-2-0. Then Buffalo came home with the dreaded "game after a long road trip" looming large to face a Montreal Canadiens team that was 4-0-1 in their last five games and 5-1-2 on the season. And they were welcomed home with huge patches of red Canadiens sweaters in the lower bowl cheering for the opposition.
The Sabres fell behind a mere 77 seconds into the game last night which certainly put a damper on things to start, but they kept battling back. Buffalo was down by a goal on three separate occasions but managed to tie it before Kyle Okposo rang one in off the post late in the third for the 4-3 victory. It was the Sabres third victory in a row and their 6-4-0 record is their best start to a season since 2011-12.
Despite having to play come-from-behind hockey with the bleu, blanc, et rouge singing Ole', Ole', the famous taunt of Canadiens fans in Montreal, this Sabres team showed some intestinal fortitude and didn't let it bother them. “Last year, we probably would’ve got in our shell and wouldn’t have had a pushback, a fightback,” said 35 yr. old Jason Pominville to the gathered media. Pominville has three goals and three assists since head coach Phil Housley put him on the top line and it seems as if he's rediscovered his 20's since joining Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner.
The "shell" Pominville mentioned actually goes back a lot farther than last year. In fact there were signs of that dubious distinction some 8-10 years ago dating back to his first tour in Buffalo. Rarely when facing difficult circumstances could various editions of the Sabres find it within themselves to overcome adversity. And when they did, it usually didn't last.
It's still way too early in the season to say that this group of players will be any different, but there are some indications that they're heading that way. Eichel is an intense captain who can dominate all three zones and he's got a fight within him that's beginning to really surface in a leadership role. Although he hasn't scored a goal in seven games, he's still drawing the attention of the opposition allowing his linemates to capitalize on their opportunities and the last three games both Skinner (4 goals, 3 assists) and Pominville have been the beneficiaries.
Perhaps a good indication as to the different mindset of this Sabres team lately is the three game-tying goals they scored against Montreal last night. Both of Pominville's goals, and the one by Sam Reinhart, his first of the season, were scored with a strong net-front presence. Reinhart's in particular stood out as he really paid the price for it. The 22 yr. old took a hit well before his goal and took another shot just after he finished the play.
The video from nhl.com begins with Reinhart getting up from one knee just outside the crease then repositioning himself for the tip before getting leveled. What it didn't show was the shot he took from Habs goalie Annti Niemi to the groin area that sent him to his knees. It was Reinhart's first goal of the season and the all-out effort he put in showed as he winced in celebration before skating to the bench gassed.
The Sabres are playing very well right now as shown in their passing, skating and stickhandling, all of which have been great as of late. Add that to some strong support all over the ice and you see a team that has managed to get the ice tilted in their favor for long stretches. And that includes last night when they dominated the third period while outshooting Montreal 15-4. The Sabres hit the teens every period vs. Montreal nearly doubling the Canadiens shots on goal 42-22.
This is a Sabres team is beginning to feel it right now and they're playing with some confidence. “Even if we fall down in a game like tonight, 3-2 late, you don’t see a change in us," said defenseman Jake McCabe post game. "That’s something that’s been a big difference from past years that I’ve been here."
“We just played the same way," added Okposo, who scored the game-winner on the powerplay. "That’s all we did. Sometimes you’re going to lose, but if you just keep playing the same way and not trying to take things into your own hands, you are going to have more success. We stuck to the game plan.”
It's a reciprocal confidence between players and coaches with the players buying into the system and the coaches finding a way to put their players in a position to succeed within their roles. Okposo had been taken off the top powerplay unit when Housley made his sweeping changes three games ago but was back on the ice last night with the Sabres on the powerplay down by one with just over a minute to go. He sent a shot from the slot off the post and in for the game-winner. Of note, Pominville provided the net-front presence.
It's a confidence that's stretching down to the fourth line as well. The trio of Johan Larsson and Patrik Berglund, two prior healthy scratches this year, along with the much maligned Zemgus Girgensons have been playing lights out in their checking role. Housley has had them on the ice late in the game the last two nights to protect one-goal leads. Last night that trio was on the ice protecting the lead along with defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and McCabe. All but Berglund have been with the Sabres dating back to the tank seasons with Girgensons being the longest continuously tenured Sabres player on the team. All four have been through the worst of what Buffalo hockeyhas had to offer but they wre out there protecting the lead and they got the job done for the second game in a row.
Perhaps the best part of last night was Okposo's goal and the on-ice celebration afterwards. When the shot rang in the players on the ice felt the rush of finally breaking through and taking the lead. Their arms went up and you got the feeling that Okposo's goal would stand as the game-winner (here's the vid from nhl.com):
Confidence. What a weird feeling.
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