The Buffalo Sabres have cooled off a bit and entered Tuesday’s matchup with the Nashville Predators having most recently lost a tight game to the Carolina Hurricanes. The bad news was only compounded as reports indicated that center Josh Norris would be week-to-week rather than day-to-day dealing with an injury.
In need of some regained momentum, the Sabres needed to come out of Nashville with a win on Tuesday. After getting off to a hot start, it looked dicey late but the Sabres managed to get the job done with a 5-3 victory on the road.
Welcome to the NHL, Konsta Helenius!
One of the first things worth noting is the second NHL game for 2024 first-round draft pick Konsta Helenius. For the past two seasons, we have heard positive reports about his play for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (NHL) but we didn’t get a look at him in the NHL until Monday in Carolina.
Helenius wasted no time making an impact in Nashville. He assisted on the first two goals of the game and absolutely sniped one past Predators goalie Juuse Saros for a very memorable first career NHL goal.
All told, Helenius finished with three points and a +2 rating in just under 15 minutes of ice time. Whether he is able to continue his strong play and hold down a roster spot when a few bodies come back from injuries remains to be seen, but its hard to have a better game than the one he had.
The Sabres Need to Work on Closing Out Games
The other thing that immediately jumps out about this game is that it feels like a tale of two games. The Sabres walked into the dressing room after the first period with a 3-0 lead and added to that less than five minutes into the second period. With a four-goal lead, most teams probably feel like it’s all over.
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Within a 1:45 span later that period, the Predators had cut the lead in half. When former Sabre Ryan O’Reilly scored his second goal of the night 9:30 into the third period, Sabres fans had to be sweating. Thankfully, Peyton Krebs added an empty net goal to seal the deal with just under two minutes left, though Alex Lyon did have to add a highlight-reel save in the final seconds.
This has been an issue for the Sabres all season long. They get out to a hot start only to fall apart late in the game. In years past, games like these would end in a loss, so it is definitely progress to still walk away with wins more often than not. Even still, a -6 goal differential in the third period is something that needs to be corrected.
The Kids Lead the Way
The Sabres remain one of the youngest teams in the NHL, but continue to find success drafting in the first round. We talked about Helenius’ big night, but his assists came on the first two goals of the game, both by Noah Ostlund.
The 16th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has been impressive in stretches this season. In 37 games this season, the 21-year-old has nine goals and 17 points, often flashing impressive vision and playmaking ability.
Ostlund, Josh Doan, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and several others who are 25 years old or younger continue to play a massive part for this team. For all the criticism former general manager Kevyn Adams received, he did manage to add a lot of talented, valuable young players to the organization.
Within Striking Distance of the Atlantic
The win by the Sabres came at an opportune time given that the Boston Bruins got blown out in Dallas on Tuesday as well. That puts the Sabres in sole possession of the first wild card spot. Even more important is the fact that the Sabres are just four points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the third spot in the Atlantic Division and five points behind the Detroit Red Wings for second.
Both teams have been playing well over their last 10 games, so it is important for the Sabres to keep pace. The Sabres haven’t played meaningful hockey this deep into the season in a long time. It’s nice to see them have something to play for.
