Shots: BUF 35 | ANA 18
Buffalo Sabres Goals:
- Peterka (Cozens, Power)
- Tuch (Cozens)
- Jokiharju (Quinn, Cozens)
Anaheim Ducks Goals:
- McTavish (LaCombe, Terry) (PPG)
- Carlsson (Mintyukov, Lundestrom) (PPG)
Plus 1: Dominant Performance
To say Buffalo controlled nearly the entire game would be an understatement. The Sabres put the Ducks on their heels from the opening puck drop. The Ducks couldn’t handle the Sabres forecheck and got pinned in their zone on multiple occasions. Lukas Dostal had to stand on his head at times to keep it close. Buffalo also rang the puck off 4 posts in the first period. Quinn and Dahlin rang it off the same post on the same powerplay seconds apart. Buffalo eventually broke through, but it was their relentless pressure that gave them enough opportunities to win.
Minus 1: Nearly Killer Penalties
The notable flaw in Buffalo’s performance was their penalty kill. The Ducks were 2 for 4 on the night and held a two-goal lead heading into the third solely due to their powerplay. With as aggressive as Buffalo was playing, it was inevitable that penalties were going to be called. However, Buffalo cannot afford to compound the problem by giving up 5-on-3 opportunities to opponents like they did in the first period. This will nearly always come back to bite them, and it almost cost them this one.
Plus 2: Third Period Comeback
Buffalo was finally rewarded for their hard work in the third period. They had been knocking on the door all night, but Peterka finally broke through after ripping home a feed from Cozens. Only a few minutes later, Tuch stuffed in his own rebound that was sitting on the goal line to tie the game. Jokiharju channeled his 4 Nations Face-Off performance and ripped home the eventual game winner from a tough angle near the midpoint of the period. For a Sabre team that has been on the wrong side of blown leads many times this season, it was great to see them complete the comeback and secure two points.
Final Thoughts
Alex Tuch said it best in his post-game interview when he said that three months ago this would have been a 5-1 loss. The Sabres have seemingly found their stride and played a mostly dominant game against a Ducks team that had been on a roll. Cozens had one of his best games of the season with three assists including two primary assists. Dahlin and Byram may not have shown up on the scoresheet, but they were dominant all night. Buffalo has their work cut out for them to drag themselves out of the Eastern Conference cellar, but performances like this inspire some hope.