Huh? Is the game over? Sorry I wasn’t really paying attention. Neither were the Buffalo Sabres tonight, apparently, as they mustered only 15 shots though three periods and an overtime as they fell 1-0 to the New Jersey Devils.
The Sabres had only three player record more than one shot tonight – Matt Moulson led the team with a whopping three, while Girgensons and Ennis had two apiece. Three shots each in the first and third periods led to long stretches of boring hockey (Hi, New Jersey!) and aside from a Marcus Foligno brawl (more on that below) and some nice saves by Jhonas Enroth (also below) there wasn’t really anything that happened in this game at all.
The Sabres power play, which worked so well last night, was very ineffective tonight despite getting three chances in rapid succession in the second period. Their PK was solid, so I guess that’s something, but overall this game was generally a snoozer.
On to the interesting stuff…
Foligno’s big right hand
Early in the game, Marcus Foligno got in to a scrap with Ryan Carter, and while the fight started slowly, Foligno ended it with one punch. An absolutely MASSIVE right hand leveled Carter so badly that Foligno felt compelled to cradle his head as the Devils forward crumpled to the ice, and it was all over. Check the video below, Foligno’s right is one of the hardest jabs you’ll see this year.
Flynn’s crazy streak comes to an end
Brian Flynn took his first penalty tonight – not of the season, of his career. It was Flynn’s first trip to the box in 53 NHL games, setting a team record for most games to start a career without a penalty. Bench him, Ted!
Three Questions
1. Will Luke Adam and Ville Leino continue to build on their run of strong games?
Kinda. Both players had their small moments over the course of the game, but they combined for a grand total of zero shots. Of course, the team as a whole combined for just 15, so we won’t be too judgmental, but tonight was a far cry from their Friday performances.
2. Who will lead the team in TOI?
Perhaps last night was an outlier, as this evening Christian Ehrhoff dominated the TOI discussion with over 25 minutes compared to just under 23 for Tyler Myers. Still, both players performed very well tonight, and helped in limiting the Devils to just one goal.
3. It’s been two weeks since Jhonas Enroth played. Can he deliver another strong performance?
Oh yes. Jhonas made 23 saves on 24 shots and included a few very nice ones. Considering the Sabres couldn’t muster any kind of offense, he was the only thing holding them back from oblivion tonight. It was a much better effort than his first game under Ted Nolan, and should garner him more playing time as the season progresses.
Three Stars
1. Cory Schneider – should a 15 shot shutout even get a star?
2. Steve Bernier – scored a goal, no one else did
3. Jhonas Enroth – a good effort in the loss
Comment of the Game
You don’t want a murder on your hands, not even in Jersey.
– derp ferguson
Good advice for hockey, and life.