The Buffalo Sabres got off to a good start tonight in Detroit against the Red Wings. They picked up a rare first-period goal about four minutes into the opening period. A harmless looking wrist shot from the point from Rasmus Ristolainen got through a screen to beat Jimmy Howard.
About halfway through the period, the Sabres started to have a few issue defensively. The Red Wings had some opportunities, but Robin Lehner was up to the task. After the first 20, the Sabres held a 1-0 lead and 14-10 lead in shots on goal.
The second period didn’t start so well for the Sabres. A miscommunication behind the net between Lehner and Josh Gorges resulted in the puck bouncing out front to Jonathan Ericsson to tie the game at one.
The Red Wings controlled the first half of the middle frame, but the Sabres took back control in the latter half of the period. Evander Kane gave his team the lead back with just under seven minutes in left in the second. He had a nice rush down the wing and beat Howard to the far post on a wraparound.
The goal was reviewed for goalie interference because Jason Pominville was in the crease, but the goal would stand.
Buffalo went into the final period with a 2-1 lead. Neither team seemed that interested in playing the third. Halfway through the period, the two clubs had four shots combined.
Then late in the period the movie, we’ve seen a few times this season started to play out. Johan Larsson took a late penalty. The Red Wings would capitalize on the opportunity to tie the game with just over a minute left off the stick of Justin Abdelkader.
The movie script says that the Sabres finish off the late collapse with an overtime loss. However, we got a twist on this night. The overtime was entertaining with Lehner and Howard making some nice saves.
We appeared to be headed for a shootout, but Marco Scandella beat Howard with 0.2 seconds remaining the extra session. It was finally nice to see a few bounces go the Sabres way and not add another frustrating loss to a disappointing season.
Final Score: Sabres 3, Red Wings 2 (OT)
Shots on Goal: Sabres 30 | Red Wings 37
Sabres Goal Scorers: Ristolainen (6), Kane (20) and Scandella (3)
Red Wings Goal Scorers: Ericsson (3) and Abdelkader (10)
Three Stars of the Game
1. Marco Scandella (1 G, GWG)
2. Robin Lehner (35 saves on 37 shots)
3. Johan Larsson (2 A)
Comment of the Game
Like the lunar eclipse
Lars generates offense roughly once every 1.5 years.
2012 Amazin’ Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place | 2013 Amazin’ Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place
2014 Amazin’ Avenue Offseason Plan: Finalist | 2015 Amazin’ Avenue Offseason Plan: Finalist
2016 Amazin’ Avenue Offseason Plan: 3rd place
by Ogre39666 on Feb 22, 2018 | 10:22 PM reply rec flag actions