The last time we saw the Buffalo Sabres, they lost a close one to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 4-3. Despite that, the Sabres still have a big week ahead of them, beginning with a visit from the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they entered the night tied with in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Sabres didn’t put a ton of shots on net, but they didn’t need to. The Sabres scored on two of their first five shots and needed just 14 shots to score five on the night, grabbing a big two points in a 5-2 win over the Flyers.
The Power Play is Back (for Now)
Entering the game against the Flyers, the power play had been a point of contention. The unit had connected on just one of their previous 21 opportunities. Despite that, the Sabres continued to be the hottest team in the league. That said, it felt like a matter of time before the power play cost the team in the standings.
On Wednesday night against the Flyers, the power play came through. They had six opportunities on the night, connecting on a pair of goals from Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin has had a bit of a rough stretch of late so it was nice to see him not only get on the board but provide the power play a boost.
If there is one gripe, it’s that the Sabres had a chance to put the game away with a late power play opportunity and looked totally uninspired. Still, it’s hard to complain about a 2-for-6 night with the man advantage when the unit had been struggling so badly.
The Penalty Kill is Elite
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the penalty kill came into the game as one of the best units in the league and continued to show why that was the case. Granted, the Flyers power play came in as one of the worst in the league, but the 4th-ranked Sabres penalty kill looked outstanding.
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Though Trevor Zegras managed to score a late power play goal, the Sabres penalty kill really stifled the Flyers power play all night. Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod continue be among the best defensive forwards on the team, limiting the Flyers’ ability to set up and develop consistent puck movement.
If you want to be a good team in the NHL, you need solid special teams. On Wednesday night, the Sabres got major contributions from both units. That will make the Sabres a tough team to overcome on any night.
Luukkonen Continues to be Excellent at Home
Coming into the Flyers game, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen entered the night an impressive 7-1 on home ice. His 2.11 goals against average and .924 save percentage highlight just how good he has been in front of the KeyBank Center crowd.
Though the Flyers only had 22 shots on the night in what was generally a tough go for the forwards, Luukkonen still had to come up huge on a few occasions. Just over six minutes into the game, he had an absolutely ridiculous save on Matvei Michkov to keep the game scoreless.
Luukkonen’s resurgence has been a revelation for the Sabres. Though he may not be the upper-echelon no.1 goaltender that many envisioned a few seasons ago, he has rebounded to become a dependable, if not very good, goalie.
A Massive Game Against Montreal
Though there are rumblings that the Sabres may make a splashy move, the focus needs to be on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens. As it stands, the Sabres enter the game five points back of the Canadiens for the third spot in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have been playing well of late, and it would be a great chance for the Sabres to show that they aren’t going anywhere.
It has been a long time since the Sabres played meaningful hockey on this consistent of a basis. The schedule will be getting tougher going forward, but the Sabres have shown that they belong in the thick of this playoff race.
