How the Sabres set their own terms in win against Tampa Bay
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2, and aim to regenerate consistency in the final four games of the regular season, in preparation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Buffalo Sabres stood toe-to-toe with a persistent opponent that wasn’t afraid to push or to push back.
They found that out in the last meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This time, the Sabres had to dictate the tone on their terms in the final regular-season meeting between the two teams.
This was a more controlled affair Monday night at KeyBank Center. Sure, there were still 13 penalties called, and more than a few scuffles between the Sabres and Lightning. But composure became key for the Sabres in a 4-2 win against Tampa Bay, in a game that better resembled a playoff matchup than a free-for-all.
Buffalo Sabres left winger Jason Zucker (17) celebrates his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with teammates during the
second period at the KeyBank Center on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)
“Tonight, we raised our level of urgency in our game, in all three zones,” said Sabres left wing Jason Zucker, who scored the go-ahead goal at 7:38 of the second period Monday. “I thought Upie (Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) was fantastic. I thought our ‘D’ were great. They were moving pucks quick, closing plays quick, and our forwards were skating tonight. I think that makes it tough on our opponents.”
Now, the next step is to carry that consistency into the final four games of the regular season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a phase the Sabres haven’t reached since the spring of 2011.
There was some concern over the previous two-plus weeks, a span in which the Sabres lost five of seven games, including three losses in regulation. The Sabres rose to the occasion against the Lightning, one of the Eastern Conference’s perennial playoff contenders.
Josh Norris’ goal at 14:04 of the first gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead going into the second, but Jake Guentzel tied the game at 2-2 at 3:56 of the second on a shot from the top of the slot, just inside the right circle.
Zucker gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead when he redirected Bowen Byram’s shot from the right point past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Quinn’s empty-net goal with 1:54 left sealed the win.
“We’ve got to take this and take the confidence that we get from wins like this and we’ve got to roll with it, honestly, because when it comes down to the playoffs, it’s usually the hottest team that makes it the farthest, and the team that has a really good base and structure, and some of the deepest teams,” Sabres right wing Alex Tuch said. “I think we can check off all those boxes. I’m really excited. I’m really proud of our group tonight.”
The Sabres qualified for the playoffs Saturday afternoon, by virtue of the New York Rangers’ 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings but then lost 6-2 Saturday night at Washington, the fifth loss in a stretch of seven games that dated back to March 22.
Now, the aim is to regenerate consistency in the final four games of the regular season and carry that into the playoffs.
“I don’t think we necessarily lack consistency, as much as we just went on a bit of a tough stretch,” defenseman Bowen Byram said. “We’ve shown consistency over the last three, four months, so I’m not really worried about it.”
The Sabres also didn’t succumb to the emotions that came with the previous meeting between the Lightning and Sabres on March 8 at KeyBank Center. The Sabres won, 8-7, in a game that finished with 28 penalties, including 15 in the first 12 minutes of the game. At one point, the penalty boxes reached standing-room-only capacity, and in the end, it became one of the epic games of the NHL’s season.
In fact, Sabres defenseman Luke Schenn, after Monday’s morning skate, labeled it as “the game of the year.”
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, to be honest,” Zucker said. “They were missing a couple guys but for us, that’s what’s great about our team, right now, is we feel that we can play in any type of game. We showed that.”
While there were still 13 penalties, including four each assessed against the Sabres and Lightning in the first period, the game didn’t come with the fireworks that many anticipated in a rematch, save for a few scuffles between the two teams.
“For both teams, it was a big game, standings-wise, too, and we’re getting closer to the playoffs,” said Luukkonen, who made 23 saves. “I think we were skating well today. We didn’t get dragged into, kind of, the muddy game today.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff boiled it down.
“It didn’t seem like they wanted to be animated,” the coach quipped. “It was a game, I think, both teams knew the importance of winning a hockey game.”
Schenn’s return
Schenn skated with Logan Stanley on the Sabres’ third defensive pairing, and this was Schenn’s first game since March 14, a 3-2 shootout win against Toronto. Schenn had nine minutes, 44 seconds of ice time, including 3:10 of shorthanded time, had two hits and blocked a shot.“We needed his heaviness,” Ruff said of Schenn. “His penalty killing was good. He knocked a few people over, and I thought, overall, his puck play was good inside the game, and he kept the game in front of him, like any good veteran player would do.”
Almost, but not enough
The Lightning pulled Vasilevskiy twice in the final 4:04 of regulation, and with the net empty, Luukkonen attempted to shoot the puck down the ice, with the hopes of scoring a goal. The puck, though, didn’t exit the zone, which kept Luukkonen off the scoresheet until he got an assist on Quinn’s empty-netter – Luukkonen’s first assist of the season.“I said to him, ‘hell of a try,’ ” Ruff said.