Score: Blues 5 | Sabres 3
Shots: STL 23 | BUF 38
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Dylan Cozens, Kyle Okposo, Tage Thompson
St. Louis Blues Goals: Jordan Kyrou (2), Jake Walman, Colton Parayko, Brayden Schenn
Minus-1: Sorry, Casey
Casey Mittelstadt has been struggling this season in many ways. Obviously, the injuries don’t help, but he’s been inconsistent when he is in the lineup. On Friday, he had a critical turnover that directly led to a St. Louis goal.
Buffalo tied it, but Colton Parayko got the lead right back! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/ibYlzSJK9o
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 26, 2022
Minus-1: Can’t Hold On
The Sabres could’ve stayed it in on Friday, honestly. They scored the first goal of the game, but held onto the lead for only about five and a half minutes before letting the Blues tie it. Later in the game, Tage Thompson scored against his former team to tie the game at three. Great, right?
If only the Sabres could’ve held on. The game was tied for only 1:23 before Buffalo gave up a go-ahead goal, the aforementioned tally by Parayko. It’s as if things aren’t exactly terrible, but the Sabres aren’t doing themselves any favors and just keep getting in their own way.
Final Thoughts
If nothing else, it was nice to see Tage Thompson a) score again, as he’s looked really good this season and b) score against his former team. Although I never like to ask the question of “who won the trade?” it’s always nice to see the Sabres’ pieces contribute like that.
Yes, it’s another loss, but the Sabres didn’t play badly overall and did their best to keep pace with a strong team in St. Louis. Buffalo outset the Blues by a decent margin and had their chances, but in the end, it is another loss.
Comments of the game go to Jedi13 and T McGee, because this exchange literally made me laugh out loud when I read it:
Jedi13: WTF Jesus, we can never not give up a goal a minute later after scoring.
T McGee: Don’t blame Jesus, he didn’t turn it over at the blue line.
The Sabres will be back at it on Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. matchup against the Dallas Stars.