The unexpectedly entertaining preseason for the Buffalo Sabres continued tonight, as they routed, demolished, and crushed the Washington Capitals by the score of 6-1.
It was a great game for the Sabres in so many ways, so let’s go through the highlights one by one.
– Buffalo’s top offensive threats were very, uh, threatening tonight, as Moulson, Ennis, and Stafford all scored tonight, with Stafford’s coming on the power play, Moulson adding a second goal later in the game, and Ennis with two assists and first star honors. With the very thin offensive depth on this Sabres squad, they’ll need their top dogs to play like it all season in order to keep up with the rest of the league.
– Sam Reinhart scored a goal. Oh, thank heavens, we can now all stop arguing about the amount of bust he is and just chill. In all seriousness, it was nice to see Reinhart get on the scoresheet, especially with such a strong shift. The odds still point to him heading back to juniors, but his strong game tonight may have earned him one more crack at the NHL lineup against Carolina.
– It was another strong game for Jhonas Enroth, who will almost certainly be the starting goaltender at this point come opening night. Enroth had his preseason shutout streak broken at 102:38, and has looked strong giving up only one goal in two preseason games. Even if Neuvirth pitches a shutout of his own against Carolina, I can’t imagine anyone but Jhonas starting in net.
– Chris Stewart continues to impress with his energy and production – he had an assist tonight and another dominant fight, his second of the preseason. If he can keep this level of play up for much of the season, the Sabres may not want to trade him after all.