The Buffalo Sabres haven’t had many signs of hope this season – but the way they won Saturday is one of them.
In their remaining 17 games, the Sabres still have the chance to salvage something from this season, which is about to be their 14th-straight playoff miss. In their win over the heavily favored Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo found a way to not only come back multiple times but be a spoiler – which is what they need to be for the rest of this season.
For most of the afternoon tilt, the Sabres looked like they would lose their 40th game of the season. The Golden Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead by the first intermission, and they made it 2-0 at the 12-minute mark of the second frame.
In most cases this season, the Sabres would not have closed the deficit.
Before Saturday, Buffalo’s record when trailing after one period this season is 2-15-1 – an abysmal showing. Their 4-23-1 record when trailing after two periods was a bit better in relation to the rest of the league but not exceptional.
Despite trailing after the first and second periods, and watching former captain Jack Eichel give the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead with only 2:33 left in regulation, the Sabres tied the game with 14 seconds left in the third. That came after Tomas Hertl passed up an empty-net goal for Vegas to try to give Eichel a second goal, making that equalizer even sweeter for Sabres fans.
Buffalo then pulled out a 4-3 shootout win to give them their second win in their last three games. That improves their record to 3-15-1 when trailing after one period and 5-23-1 when trailing after two.
Buffalo’s gutsy play Saturday has to be encouraging to Sabres fans. They outshot Vegas 37-19, and they ultimately deserved to win the game. The resilience against the Golden Knights has come too late to get Buffalo into the post-season, but this type of win is exactly what’s needed to build momentum into the off-season instead of wilting away for another year. Perhaps it gives Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams something positive to point to as evidence that he can continue building this Sabres team – and for Lindy Ruff to continue to coach it despite being last in the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo has the second-toughest remaining schedule this season, according to tankathon.com. So it’s unlikely the Sabres will go on a lengthy run of success the rest of the year. That said, the spoiler’s role is there for the taking, and they can do significant damage to other teams’ position in the standings.
Going through another slew of losses to end the season will only create more doubt and cynicism in the minds of Buffalo fans, ownership and management. The Sabres can’t battle for a playoff spot anymore, but they can still become a team that’s ready to turn the corner competitively and set the table for a strong performance next season. Their win over the Golden Knights is one step toward doing that.
Get the
latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by
subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below
the article on THN.com.
Read the full article here
