The Buffalo Sabres only have nine games left in the shortened 2013 season. With those nine games left though, the team is going to end up making a valiant charge for a playoff spot. That charge continued with a 3-2 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night. The Sabres are now four points behind the idle New York Islanders with two other teams to leapfrog.
The Fourth Line Contributes
It’s not often that the fourth line of the Buffalo Sabres are a deciding factor in a Sabres victory but that was the case against the Devils. Patrick Kaleta scored his first goal of the season off a tip from a Jochen Hecht pass. It wasn’t just the goal scoring contribution from Kaleta that made them one of the best lines on the night. It was the overall play from all three players, John Scott, Kaleta, and Hecht that kept the Devils on their heels at times. Scott played a season high 9:11 and registered his first plus game of the season.
Steve Ott Continues To Score
Steve Ott has stepped up big in the last couple of games and continued his goal scoring streak with a second period goal against the Devils. Ott has now registered a goal in each of the last three games and has eight goals total on the season. The Ott goal was setup by a nice feed from Cody Hodgson in front of the net:
Ryan Miller Stands Tall
The Buffalo Sabres continue to have puck possession issues that were readily apparent against the Devils on Sunday. At times, the Devils controlled play in the offensive zone for minutes at a time. The Sabres were good at being able to limit the shots that Miller faced, but Miller still made 37 saves in the winning effort.
Die By The Blade Three Stars
1. Ryan Miller (37 saves and kept the Sabres in the game for the whole night)
2. Steve Ott (Scored once and made a few more chances along with throwing the body around)
3. Patrick Kaleta (Overall a good game with an early goal as a cherry on top.)