3 Takeaways From the Sabres’ 4-1 Game 6 Win Over the Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres had their chances to end the series in Game 5 but fell short in the end. Coming into Friday’s Game 6 in Boston, it was clear what needed to be done in order to send the team forward into the second round.

The Sabres got heroics from some of the usual suspects and played a strong defensive game on their way to a 4-1 victory over their hated rivals. The Sabres walked out of Boston with their third win of the series and advance to the second round for the first time since 2007.

Sammy GWG

There are so many guys that could be talked about in a reverential way after this series. Alex Tuch, with pending free agency hanging in the air, has been the Sabres’ best player in the series and scored again in Game 6, his fourth of the series.

But the guy that perhaps deserves to be recognized most is Mattias Samuelsson. After several injury-plagued and disappointing seasons, there were few in the fan base still on his side. He was booed on opening night and calls to trade him were loud. So for him to score the game-winner in the series clincher felt as poetic as it gets.

Samuelsson has been a pillar of reliability this season. He played nearly 23 minutes of sound defensive hockey and gave the Sabres the edge for good just over 12 minutes into the game. The Sabres are here for a lot of reasons, but Samuelsson’s season just continues to be remarkable.

Lyon King Roars

As stated, the Sabres are here for a lot of reasons but the biggest may be injecting Alex Lyon into the lineup late in Game 2. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen not playing at his best, Lyon came in and became a force for the Sabres.

In his four starts in the series, Lyon has faced 104 total shots. Of those, he has turned aside 99 of them and his lone loss in the series saw him allow two goals across nearly 70 minutes of game time. To say that he has been lights out would be an understatement.

Lyon has given this team the confidence it needs to be its best. He allows them to be aggressive on the forecheck and to take chances because they know that he’s got them covered. He came up huge several times in Game 6, giving the Sabres the time they needed to put the game on ice.

Zach Benson: Rat King

The top line set the tone for the game early, but it was the third line that ultimately ended up putting it away. Zach Benson consistently got under the skin of the opposition once again, visibly frustrating a few Bruins throughout the game.

His hustle, along with an incredible effort by Josh Doan to negate an icing and get the puck to Benson, effectively put the game away with just under six minutes gone in the third period. The Bruins had been pressing the Sabres and this killed all of their momentum.

Benson’s rat side came out late with what looked like a slewfoot on Charlie McAvoy, who had slammed Doan’s head into the glass on the aforementioned goal. An infuriated McAvoy two-handed Benson, earning himself a major penalty and an ejection. Benson is the kind of guy you hate until he winds up on your team and Sabres fans are glad to have him.

Watching Sunday Anxiously

Now, the Sabres sit back and wait. The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their series with the Montreal Canadiens to a seventh game on Friday night, and the winner will head to Buffalo for the semifinals.

This series easily could have become too big for a young team facing all this pressure. Instead, it galvanized them and they rose to the occasion. Whoever is ahead for the Sabres, it’s going to be a fun and exciting series that Buffalo fans have been clamoring for.