As perhaps the streakiest team in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres entered Sunday’s matinee against the St. Louis Blues looking to win their third in a row. This, of course, followed a 13-game losing streak that left everyone feeling that the season was over.
Here we sit, 60 minutes later, and the Sabres have their third win in a row, a 4-2 win over the Blues. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but they found a way to get the job done. Let’s get into the three main takeaways from this one.
UPL Was the Difference
Let there be no doubt: the Sabres won this game because of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He stopped 35 of 37 Blues shots on the afternoon, some of which would have directly swung the momentum if they had gotten behind him.
There have been few bright spots this season so far, but UPL has been one of them. His numbers don’t necessarily show just how good he’s been this season. If the team could give him consistent help on a night-to-night basis, he would be among the league leaders in most categories.
If anything, it just goes to show that the Sabres can’t put together a full team in any given season. They had the offense in 2022-23, but no defense or goaltending. Now, they have goaltending, but the offense is sporadic at best. Put it together for UPL, guys.
The Power Play Was…Good?
The power play has been one of the hot topics this season and rightfully so. Given how abysmal it was a season ago, something had to change. Yet the season started and the power play looked just as pathetic as it did last season.
Related: Sabres’ Kid Line Reunited, Reignited in Hopes of Giving Team a Spark
The Sabres have gotten something of a spark lately from reuniting the “kid” line of J.J. Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn, the latter having a big impact on the power play against the Blues. His two assists did not go unnoticed as the unit went 2-for-3 on the day.
The second goal, in particular, was a beautiful display of puck movement that ended with Jason Zucker burying his 10th of the season. That’s what we want to see more of, not the stifled zone entries that never go anywhere.
Jiri Kulich Is Going to Be Something Special
Jiri Kulich has shown flashes of major potential this season and Sunday might have been his brightest flash. In the third period, with the Sabres holding a one-goal lead, he broke out of his own zone, banked it off the wall past the defender, and scored the backbreaker on Jordan Binnington in an impressive display of speed and skill.
Kulich’s ice time has fluctuated this season but he is starting to find his game. He has five points in his last five games, including a two-goal, one-assist performance against the New York Islanders. He’s not going to make a run for the Calder Trophy, but it is clear that the potential is there.
The 28th overall pick in 2022, Kulich has had to fight to get into the lineup but is starting to make the most of his time there. His ability to move up and down the lineup is proving valuable and he has more than enough skill to make an impact as he continues to develop.
We’ve Been Here Before
Three wins is great; it certainly beats 13 losses in a row. Having said that, the schedule is about to get brutal. In the next seven games, the Sabres play the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights on the road only to host the Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken, and Carolina Hurricanes.
This is going to be the stretch where the Sabres prove they can salvage the season or where they shrivel and die like most people expect. If there is any realistic shot of saving the season, they need to come out of this next seven-game stretch with at least nine points out of a possible 14. Anything less and it’s “status quo” for the Sabres.
