To say that it has been a bizarre season for the Buffalo Sabres would be an understatement. Though they currently sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they have been one of the hotter teams in the conference, coming into this game against the Tampa Bay Lightning having won five of six, including sweeping the season series against the Ottawa Senators.
Playing against a contending team like the Tampa Bay Lightning, it is always tough to expect a win. But when all was said and done, the Sabres got the job done in the shootout, beating the Lightning 3-2 and dealing them a blow in the latter’s hopes of winning the Atlantic Division. Let’s get into the most important takeaways.
Reimer’s Run Continues
Perhaps the most improbable part of the Sabres’ recent run of six wins in seven games is the performance of goaltender James Reimer. The 37-year-old Reimer hadn’t been very good this season, even getting released at the beginning of the season to make room on the roster for Devon Levi.
He was re-acquired and has found his game in the last month or so. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggling to find his game, Reimer has stepped in and gone on one of the best runs of his career to date.
Reimer was excellent against the Lightning, though the Sabres were suffocating in the first and third periods. He turned aside 22 of 24 shots on the night, even making a few big saves. He’s now won his last six starts and has given up more than three goals just twice in his last 14 starts. Stick taps to the veteran goalie for picking his game up.
Forty Tucks for Tommer
Despite their place in the standings, a few things have gone right for the Sabres this season. The signing of Jason Zucker has been outstanding. The trade for Ryan McLeod in the offseason has proven to be a home run so far.
Related: Ryan McLeod Has Been Everything the Sabres Have Hoped For
It has also been a pretty good season for Tage Thompson, who netted his 40th goal of the season to kick off the scoring for the Sabres. It feels like so long ago that Thompson scored a career-high 47 goals, but this season has been a nice reminder of what a dynamic scorer he is.
Thompson now has 40 goals in 69 games, the second-best total of his career. He’s also on pace to finish with the second-most points of his career, though he is a ways off from the 94 points he registered two seasons ago. Hats off to Tage for hitting this milestone, moving into a tie for fourth in the NHL in goals in the process.
Noah Ostlund’s Debut
The young talent in the Sabres’ organization is still as good as anyone’s, and that talent has been a major part of the success experienced by the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). On Saturday night, the 21-year-old Noah Ostlund finally made his NHL debut.
The 16th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Ostlund has been enjoying a quality season with Rochester. His 19 goals and 36 points in 44 games show that, despite his youth, he can be an impactful player and play important minutes.
His debut in the NHL was unremarkable, but head coach Lindy Ruff used him sparingly. If anything, this is likely to be an extended audition to see if Ostlund could potentially be ready to take a run at a full-time spot for 2025-26.
At Least It’s Fun
By this stage in the season, Sabres fans are just trying to find some positives. The Sabres have now won six of seven and seven of 10. They’re not in the basement anymore, sitting above their hated rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins, in the Eastern Conference standings.
While a great draft pick would normally be desired by a team this bad, it’s nice to see the Sabres playing well. The hope is that maybe they can bring some momentum with them into the offseason and actually turn it into something positive for next season.
