Eight Buffalo Sabres contributed at least a goal as they cruised past the Chicago Blackhawks, 9-3, at KeyBank Center on Friday.
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The Sabres jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and held on to their advantage, as they fended off any hopes of a comeback for the Blackhawks. They chipped away with goals, bouncing back from a loss against the NHL-worst Calgary Flames.
Game Recap
The game started out with both teams sharing the neutral zone, utilizing the dump and chase technique to create opportunities in the offensive zone. Center Colton Dach went on a breakaway opportunity, racing against defenseman Conor Timmins, where the latter kept up with the former to alter his shot, as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made the save. The Sabres earned their first power play after alternate captain Connor Bedard committed a tripping penalty.
With the man advantage, Buffalo managed to let go of four shots, with Arvid Soderblom denying all of them, and the penalty kill stepping up with active stick checking to clear possessions. Chicago gained their first chance on the man advantage. In the two-minute frame, Bedard unleashed a shot that went wide, followed by Ryan McLeod stifling Tyler Bertuzzi’s shot. Alex Tuch also used his body to block a bouncing puck, preventing it from going past the goal line.
The Sabres killed the Blackhawks’ first power play, as they countered with offensive zone time thereafter. Owen Power rifled a quick shot from the right faceoff circle, which Soderblom stopped. Jordan Greenway and Peyton Krebs fired successive shots, but both were denied. With persistent shooting in front of the net, Buffalo finally broke even after alternate captain Tage Thompson fed the puck to Josh Doan, who dumped the puck after a rebound from his own shot, nabbing his sixth goal of the season, and giving the Sabres a 1-0 lead.
This goal started Buffalo’s surging offense after Jason Zucker snapped a shot from Jack Quinn’s interception to extend the lead to 2-0. Then, Bowen Byram tipped in a shot from Tuch’s long-range shot to provide the Sabres a comfortable 3-0 cushion. Bertuzzi put the Blackhawks on the board, as he responded with a backhander, putting the score to 3-1 at the end of the first period.
The start of the second period saw a one-sided shooting contest, with the Sabres outshooting Chicago. McLeod dished a pass to Byram for a shot, while Greenway slid the puck to Malenstyn as he wristed a shot, both of which Soderblom turned away. Buffalo struck again with two quick hitters as the Sabres won the puck from battles on the wall, dishing the puck to open guys before burying the goals, furthering the gap to 5-1, courtesy of McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson.
The two teams traded tirades as McLeod jumped on a 2-on-1 opportunity, firing a shot that Soderblom rejected, as Bertuzzi released a shot that went wide. The Blackhawks answered after Alex Vlasic slapped a one-timer from the point, trimming the deficit to three, 5-2. This goal would start a trend where the Sabres struck back at Chicago’s blows. Josh Doan notched his second goal of the game after bodying his way to drill the puck into the back of the net, 6-2.
The Blackhawks got themselves into a power-play situation to close out the second frame and to start the third period. Bertuzzi deflected the puck from Bedard’s shot from the high slot, scoring a goal and bringing the score to 6-3. Thompson would pull the Sabres away again after weaving the puck to sneak it past Soderblom, swaying the tides further on the Sabres’ side, 7-3.
Buffalo kept their foot on the gas pedal as they tallied two more goals from Jack Quinn’s shortside goal and Jacob Bryson’s threading the puck to nail it past Soderblom, romping away with a 9-3 victory.
What’s Next?
The Sabres will look to weather the storm as they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thanksgiving Sunday. On the other hand, the Blackhawks will travel back to Chicago as they take on the Colorado Avalanche for a Sunday showdown.
