The sun rose in the east and it will set in the west.
The Buffalo Sabres are 10-1 in their last 11 games.
They continue to be the hottest team in the NHL.
The Sabres win nine one-goal leads during their ten game winning streak. Talk about impressive! No lead is safe when playing against the Buffalo Sabres.
In a potential 2019 Stanley Cup first round playoff matchup, the Tampa Lightning handed the Sabres their first loss since a 3-1 loss to the NY Rangers on November 4.
Sabres-Bolts was a heavy, physical, fast, high skill game that featured dangles, snipes, cellys, jaw-dropping saves, and physicality.
For the second time in two weeks, the spunky, confident, upstart Sabres traded goals, rushes, cross checks and punches with an elite level Lightning team.
In so doing, the Sabres learned that they can skate stride for stride with the best of the best teams in the NHL. The loss to Tampa will serve as a reminder that they can’t take penalties not turn pucks over in danger areas against killers like Stamkos and Kucherov.
It was a see saw affair until the final five minutes of regulation. With the game tied 4-4, Lightning SD’er Cedric Paquette scored the game winner.
The Sabres fought valiantly and had a few chances to tie it in the late stages with Carter Hutton on the bench in lieu of the extra attacker. In the end, the Cardiac Kids could not tie the score and shove it into overtime.
If the Bolts are indeed the playground bully, all credit to the Sabres for stealing Tampa’s lunch money.
Props to the Sabres for scrapping and swinging back on the Bolts. There weee five different lead changes between the Sabres and Bolts on Thursday night. The Cardiac Kids were seemingly telling the experienced Bolts “ anything you can do we can do better”.
The 2018-19 Sabres have some serious swagger. They don’t think they are good. They know they are good. And getting better every game.
Samson Reinhart scored two goals. Zemgus Girgensons and Tage Thompson each scored goals. Reinglhart has scored 4 goals and 9 assists in his last 13 games, including five two-point games during that stretch.
The Sabres are 12-1-0 this season when Reinhart records at least one point and 25-3-3 (.855) in his career when he records at least two.
I call it a great learning lesson for the Sabres, who were the younger, less experienced team.
The great thing about the NHL is that the Sabres don’t have to wait a week to avenge the loss. When Buffalo starts tonight’s game the way they finished the Tampa game, they will be on their way to their next winning streak.
Buffalo’s 10-game win streak equaled the Sabres franchise record set in 1983-84 and was matched during the 2006-07 season.
The streak began on November 8 against Montreal and ended on November 29. In the three weeks between losses, the Sabres established and accentuated their brand as a fast, skilled, gritty, determined team of that will never surrender nor shy away from the battle.
Eichel & Company will jump back into the saddle and start another streak tonight against the Florida Panthers.
"It shows us we can win every night we go out there and I think that should be our mindset no matter what," Eichel said after the game.
"We're going out there to play against the best team in the league at home, whatever it may be. We should expect to win every night we go out on the ice."
The Sabres are sitill in second place in the East, one point behind the Bolts.
"That's kind of the confidence you build through a winning streak like that. We built some camaraderie and some chemistry and I thought, just that never-quit effort. You saw it again tonight. Obviously, we come up short but did a lot of good things."
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Look for Sabres rookie defenseman Lawrence Pilut to make his NHL debut in Sunrise on Friday night. Pilut was recalled on Wednesday as an insurance policy for baked up D-man Marvin scandella l, who has sat out the past two games. Nathan Beaulieu has played in place of Scandella.
In the loss at Tampa, veteran D Jake McCabe was injured and didn’t finish the game.
Pilut is a left shot D. McCabe, Scandella and Beaulieu are also lefties. If McCabe can’t play against the Cats, Pilut will make his NHL debut.
Pilut has yet to appear in a game with the team. He is currently tied for third among all AHL skaters with 22 points (3G,19A) in his first 16 career AHL games and leads the league with a +19 rating.
The Tingsryd, Sweden native signed with the Sabres as a free agent in May following a career year with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League that culminated in his selection as the 2017-18 SHL Defenseman of the Year.
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