A solid offensive effort, fluid teamwork, and excellent goaltending contribute to road victory
Score: Sabres 4 | Senators 0
Shots: BUF 21 | OTT 35
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Jack Quinn (6, 7), Dylan Cozens (9), Ryan McLeod (7)
Ottawa Senators Goals: N/A
Plus-1(2, 3, and 4): Much Needed Momentum
Clearly the Sabres have been struggling this season, but with team struggles have come individual struggles. These have included Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens, to name a few. Both seem to slowly be gaining a bit of offensive momentum lately, though, and the night seemed to go their way almost immediately as they set out to battle Ottawa.
While Buffalo managed zero shots in the first five minutes, the momentum shifted after a few line changes and a power play opportunity. The man-advantage was short-lived, though, as Quinn was charged with a hooking penalty to make it four-on-four. However, a nice breakaway later materialized with him and Ryan McLeod, who selflessly passed the puck over and allowed Quinn to snag the first goal of the game. It came after some quick thinking and a nifty wrister to give the visitors the lead, but it would not end there. Quinn found himself on another breakaway just two minutes later as he left the penalty box for the second time to give the Sabres a more comfortable lead of 2-0.
As the second period clock began to count down, Cozens found himself in the right place at the right time as the Sens gave the puck away in their own zone. The Sabres forward buried it, top shelf (“where momma hides the cookies,” of course) to widen the lead to three goals. Halfway through the second period, history repeated itself with another goal. While it was not as pretty as the others, it was a goal nonetheless. McLeod’s pass – intended for Zach Benson – hit the skate of a Senator and bounced into the net as Buffalo found themselves with a familiar four-goal lead.
Final Thoughts
Large leads can swing either way as the Sabres have shown us this season. However, it swung in the right direction tonight with a 4-0 victory against Ottawa. In addition to the solid offense, there was a fun fight for fans to watch thanks to Dennis Gilbert as well as some top tier goaltending by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen all night who stopped 35 shots. The latter was perfect tonight and had plenty of saves that could have easily been goals to keep the game more competitive.
Three Stars:
1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (35 SV, shutout)
2. Jack Quinn (2G, +3)
3. Ryan McLeod (1G, 2A, +3)