The Buffalo Sabres came into the game against the struggling St. Louis Blues, riding a seven-game point streak. The Blues, not to be mistaken with their early-season form, toppled the Sabres in a 3-0 stunner at KeyBank Center on Thursday night.
Trailing 2-0 entering the final frame, the Sabres pressed St. Louis’ defense, as desperation mounted for the home team. Despite bombarding the net with shots, the Sabres came up empty as Joel Hofer anchored the pipes on a night where he made 27 saves, snagging his first shutout win of the season.
Game Recap
The game opened with both teams crashing on the boards as they tried to establish their offense in the early stages of the contest. Captain Rasmus Dahlin gained possession of the puck from a neutral zone battle as he threaded the defense, backhanding a shot, which Hofer saved. On the other end, the Sabres’ defense managed to block St. Louis’ attacks. Defenseman Justin Faulk unleashed a shot, which Buffalo’s defense thwarted.
The Blues responded by earning most of their opportunities from keeping pressure in their offensive zone and nabbing pucks from Buffalo’s clear-out attempts. Forward Alexey Toropchenko rushed on a breakaway, but alternate captain Mattias Samuelsson kept up, effectively slowing down the former as he fired a shot. The Sabres countered with their own odd-man rush as Jack Quinn fed Josh Doan the puck, and Cam Fowler committed a hooking penalty on Doan, giving Buffalo their first power-play opportunity of the night.
The Sabres, chasing the first goal of the night, only tallied a single shot on goal on the man advantage with Quinn sliding the puck between his legs to Doan for a tip-in, which Hofer grabbed. A neutral zone turnover from Quinn proved costly as Mathieu Joseph went in on a breakaway, beating his man on the way to burying the first goal of the game, 1-0.
Eager to earn the equalizer, Buffalo untucked shots from all cylinders. Josh Dunne blasted a shot before Thompson rifled the puck from the high slot, hitting the post. In their last-ditch effort to end the first period, defenseman Michael Kesselring flicked a shot from the far side of the right faceoff circle, but Hofer made the save.
Despite putting up fewer shots on goal in the first frame, St. Louis made it count when they gained their opportunities. Nick Bjugstad drilled a goal from the left faceoff circle off a neutral zone takeaway to stretch the lead to 2-0 for the Blues. St. Louis got their first chance at the man advantage after Alex Tuch’s tripping warranted a penalty. Buffalo’s penalty kill thwarted the Blues’ power play as they sought their momentum-changing goal.
The Sabres applied pressure to St. Louis’ net, letting go shot after shot, with some nailing the post while others were caught. Buffalo kept their foot on the pedal as the game switched periods, still unable to will the puck past the goal line. In what seemed to be the dagger, the referees overturned Jimmy Snuggerud’s goal, disallowing the kicked puck that slid past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. A tripping call on Luukkonen sent the Sabres to another penalty kill situation as they leaned on Tuch to deliver a shorthanded goal to put them back into the game.
Tuch jumped on a 2-on-1 breakaway opportunity, but Faulk deflected the puck as he covered the passing lane. Then, in the succeeding play, he scored an empty-netter to seal the win for his team in a 3-0 shutout.
What’s Next?
The Sabres will be travelling for a four-game stretch on the road starting on Saturday as they will take on the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other hand, the Blues will head home to face the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night as well.
