Sabres’ dominant win over Lightning shows they can hang with East’s elite: 5 thoughts
Buffalo moved to within 4 points of Atlantic-leading Tampa Bay; the teams meet twice more this season.
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Defenseman Zach Metsa scored the Sabres' fifth goal, which drove the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy from the net less than two minutes into the second period.
Morgan Tencza / Imagn Images
A month ago, Alex Tuch made it clear the Buffalo Sabres weren’t trying just to squeak into the NHL playoffs and end the drought. They were thinking about chasing a Stanley Cup.
It’s one thing to say that. It’s another to back up those words with games such as the 6-2 win the Sabres registered over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. The playoffs haven’t started yet, but wins like this one should send a clear signal to the rest of the Eastern Conference about what type of team Buffalo is.
The Lightning came into the game in first place in the Eastern Conference and with a plus-60 goal differential. They were on an 11-game winning streak at home. Nikita Kucherov was on a run with 28 points in 12 games. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a nine-game winning streak, had allowed six goals combined in his previous three starts and was 17-0-1 dating to Dec. 20. On top of that, this was the Sabres’ third game in four nights on this trip and the second half of a back-to-back that started with a hard-fought game against the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
And despite all of that, the Sabres dominated the Lightning from the start of the game. Buffalo had three goals on its first five shots. The Sabres ended up with five goals on their first 14 shots before the Lightning ended up pulling Vasilevskiy from the game with Buffalo up 5-0. It was the quickest hook Vasilevskiy has gotten since December 2017.
“It just shows that we’re a really good team,” Sabres forward Josh Norris told reporters after the game. “We’ve known that for a while. We just reset. Today is a new game. We go out there and do our thing. We have a lot of belief in ourselves right now.”
The Lightning are a team full of stars. Kucherov might win the Hart Trophy. Vasilevskiy could win the Vezina. Eleven of their players were selected for their countries’ Olympic teams. But in this game, Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel didn’t get a point. Meanwhile, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin had a 3-point night, including the game’s first goal. Norris had two goals. Tage Thompson scored and now has 4 points in three games since returning from the Olympics.
You never know what a team will look like after a lengthy break such as the one the Sabres had in February. The Sabres had positioned themselves as a playoff contender before the Olympics, but in the last three games, they look like more than that. The idea of catching the Lightning for first place in the division has seemed far-fetched for most of the season. It’s still not likely, but after this win, the Sabres are only 4 points behind the Lightning. Tampa still has two games in hand, but the Lightning come to Buffalo two more times this season.
Regardless of how the division race shakes out, what really matters is the Sabres look like a team that can hang with anyone in the Eastern Conference. The gap between the Sabres and the elite teams in the conference has closed a lot quicker than many expected. Perennial contenders such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Panthers are outside the playoff picture, which has left the Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes as the experienced elite teams in the East.
The way the Sabres played Saturday was another indication they are more than just a good story. They’re a legitimately good team capable of making a run in the playoffs. Maybe Tuch was on to something in January.
Quick hits
1. A few weeks ago, I was talking to Zach Metsa about how he managed to turn his early-season call-up into a consistent role on Buffalo’s bottom pair. He said all season he’s been focused entirely on making the simple, correct play over and over again. He’s not the biggest, fastest or strongest player. Those will always be limiting factors. But he is smart, and against the Lightning, he got rewarded for it.First, Metsa had an impressive rush up the ice to get a zone entry and start the play that led to one of Norris’ goals. That put the Sabres up 2-0. Then Metsa got the goal that put the Sabres up 5-0 when he picked off an Anthony Cirelli pass and dragged the puck before ripping a shot by Vasilevskiy. During Metsa’s five-on-five minutes, the Sabres are outscoring teams 17-2 this season. Most of all, Metsa, who won a national championship at Quinnipiac, is happy to be winning.
“Right or wrong, I’ve seen the beating this group has taken over the last couple of years,” Metsa said before the break. “It’s super nice to see them have success and have a lot more fun at the rink and just enjoy it. Selfishly, I like being a part of teams that win, so it’s a lot of fun for me.”
2. Even though the score was lopsided, it shouldn’t be lost that this was another quality start from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Lightning actually had an 8-5 advantage in high-danger chances in the first period, and Luukkonen needed to make 14 saves. In two starts this week, Luukkonen has allowed a total of three goals and stopped 63 of 66 shots.
“I put it in the category of a silent, really good game by him,” coach Lindy Ruff said.
3. Peyton Krebs had another perfect pass to set up Thompson’s goal. He has 12 points in his last 12 games. The chemistry with Thompson looks legitimate every time Krebs is on that top line. He’s always had the energy and willingness to battle. Some of his offensive skill is starting to emerge again lately.
4. Zach Benson returned to the Sabres’ lineup and took Josh Dunne’s place on the fourth line. Anton Wahlberg got sent back to Rochester to make room for Benson. The fourth line might not be an ideal long-term spot for Benson, but his game fits anywhere in the lineup, and the rest of the lineup has been working for the last few games. Benson ended up with the most five-on-five ice time among Buffalo’s forwards.
5. Noah Östlund showed something to his teammates when he didn’t hesitate to defend his captain. Dahlin cross-checked Point, which prompted Point to get up and slash Dahlin over the top of his skates. Östlund immediately jumped in. And though his attempts to throw punches weren’t effective, the intent matters to his teammates on the bench. This game got heated as the Lightning tried to turn it into a mess, but Östlund didn’t back down.