The Buffalo Sabres are at a crossroads for their season. With the calendar turning over, time is running thin, and the team needs to go on a run if it is to end its playoff drought. Beating a likely playoff team in the Washington Capitals is fine and well, but a single win does not a season make.
The Sabres responded by going on the road and handily beating a team they are in direct competition with for a wild card spot. There are a few things to discuss after the Sabres’ 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, so let’s get into it.
Stick Taps for UPL
He doesn’t get his flowers because the team has largely struggled, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been quietly good this season. On Thursday night, he was exceptional and may have been the difference despite the score being so in favor of the Sabres at the end of the night.
The Sabres were outshot 35-21 on the night, though 16 of those shots came in the final frame when the Senators were attempting to make a late push in order to get back into the game. Luukkonen turned aside all 35 of those shots, calmly locating the puck and making the save as if it were simple routine.
As sideways as things have gone this season, it would be so much worse if not for the efforts of Luukkonen. He gives the team confidence to take chances offensively, something that may be part of the formula going forward. It’s nice to see that the Sabres have found consistency in at least one position.
The Real Jack Quinn?
Perhaps the real story of the night was Jack Quinn for more reasons than one. A handful of Sabres have had success in the face of failure this season, but Quinn remained a glaring reminder of the failed potential of the offseason. He was supposed to be the breakout star for the Sabres, but was virtually invisible for much of the season.
Related: Sabres Fans Need to Acknowledge Jason Zucker’s Impact
On Thursday, Quinn was a defining factor. Yes, he took a pair of questionable penalties that landed him in the box. That said, he came out and immediately buried a pair of absolute snipes, shots that reminded us all why Quinn was everyone’s breakout pick in the first place.
Over his last 11 games, Quinn has six goals and four assists for 10 points. Considering he had just one goal and five assists over his first 24 games, it’s definitely something to hang his hat on. Consistency is something every Sabre needs to work on but it is nice to see that Quinn still has some of the potential we all saw over the past two seasons.
Playing with an Edge
There was an underlying positive from this game that won’t show up on the stat sheet and that is the fight they showed throughout. Watching players like Dylan Cozens, that sense of dread feels like it’s gone. They get their hands dirty in scrums that previous Sabres teams would have withered away from.
One moment, in particular, stands out. Late in the game, looking to give his team a spark, Brady Tkachuk got into it with Dennis Gilbert. The young defenseman didn’t back down and got into a decent scrap with one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. The fight wasn’t anything to write home about, but it showed that this Sabres team has a little bit of an edge.
They aren’t going to bully anyone but that’s not the point. The Sabres need to show that they aren’t going to back down and that they are willing to get into the muck with other teams. Against a team they are directly competing for a playoff spot with, it is definitely a bright sign.
Keep This Effort Going
Every game is a big one from this point forward. Getting a pair of wins is nice, but this is the time when the Sabres need to walk away from each game with at least a point. The margin for error has been cut down exponentially, something the Sabres did to themselves.
Not to end on a negative note, but this shows that if the Sabres give their full effort, they can beat good teams (the Senators are at least in the playoff race). It’s cliché, but this was the kind of 60-minute effort that needs to become the norm. Take this and build on it, use it to propel the team forward.
