The Buffalo Sabres rolled into the weekend fresh off a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks and then supposedly took a run at their star defenseman, Quinn Hughes, before he was eventually dealt to the Minnesota Wild.
On Sunday, the Sabres took the ice for the final leg of their six-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken. Despite their road woes this season, the Sabres earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory to finish the road trip on a three-game heater.
Tage Against the Machine
After going dark to start the month of December, Tage Thompson has found the hot hand once again. With his goal in the second period, Thompson has now scored in his last four games, bringing him up to 16 goals on the season.
Over that four-game stretch, Thompson has also registered a total of seven points, giving him 29 in 32 games this season. As Thompson goes, so go the Sabres. He has played with a noticeable fire in his belly this season and he has been a difference-maker.
Thompson has showed continued chemistry with Alex Tuch, but it was nice to see him show some cohesion with Peyton Krebs. Krebs was elevated to top line center and didn’t look out of place. Whether it will equate to long-term success remains to be seen but it is nice to see Thompson continue to drive the offense.
The Sabres Have a Winning Streak…on the Road?!
Not only have the Sabres won their last three, but they’ve done so…on the road?! For a team that could not buy a win on the road, the Sabres have found themselves of late. They beat the Edmonton Oilers, Canucks, and Kraken – three teams that are struggling badly at this point – but a win is a win.
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The Sabres are now 5-9-2 on the road, and the Sabres have some positive momentum. They have a pair of games at home against wild card teams before going back on the road for a pair against the battered New Jersey Devils and the slumping Ottawa Senators.
While it might be a lot to expect them to start ripping off road wins left and right, this might be the stretch they need to at least be competent on road ice. They don’t need to win every game, but they cannot go on these prolonged streaks where they just can’t figure it out.
Alex Lyon Play with a Purpose
After losing his spot to the combination of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis for a bit, Alex Lyon has returned to the crease with a vengeance. He was okay in a win against the Oilers on Dec. 9 but has been exceptional since.
Lyon turned aside 30 of 32 shots in the win against the Canucks and followed it up by stopping 23 of 24 against the Kraken. If the Sabres are going to start stringing together more wins, they need more performances like this out of their goaltending.
Lyon has been a pleasant surprise this season, turning in a .905 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average across his 6-6-3 record. For what was supposed to be a clear backup, it has been nice to see him play above board so often.
Positive Momentum but Can it Last?
Between the Sabres three-game winning streak and the Buffalo Bills pulling off a miracle on Sunday, there is a lot of momentum in the city right now. If the rumors are true and general manager Kevyn Adams is shown the door, it might be the best stretch Buffalo has had in recent memory.
The next two games are very important. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders are a few points ahead of the Sabres, primary road blocks on the path to the playoffs. The Sabres need to win at least one of them before heading back out on the road again.
