Buffalo extended it’s winning streak to eight games
Shots: BOS 22 | BUF 34
Buffalo Sabres Goals:
- McLeod (Quinn, Samuelsson)
- Krebs (Thompson, Samuelsson)
- Samuelsson (Quinn, Byram)
- Norris (Krebs, Thompson)
Boston Bruins Goals:
- Pastrnak (Geekie)
Final Thoughts
Buffalo came out of the holiday break flying en route to a statement win against a division rival. They played with speed, were aggressive on offense, and suppressed the Bruins attack.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had a relatively quiet night, but he stepped up when called upon. The star of the night was Mattias Samuelsson. With Rasmus Dahlin out visiting his fiancee back in Sweden, the Sabres needed others to step up and Samuelsson responded with one of his best games as a Sabre. He factored on each of Buffalo’s three second period goals with one goal and two assists.
His defensive presence and physical game were key as well. A 10 second snapshot in the second period perfectly encapsulates his performance. Sammy eliminated his check behind the goal line, picked off a pass as he rejoined the play, and led the rush that Ryan McLeod was able to tie the game on. There is no replacing Dahlin, but performances like this show this team has the depth that can step up when called upon.
With their 8th straight win, Buffalo is on their longest winning streak since 2018 and are tied with the Panthers, Devils, and Rangers for the second wild card spot. More importantly, their success looks sustainable as long as the goaltending holds up.
The emergence of their 4th line as a true momentum-shifting workhorse line allows them to roll lines and keep pressure on opponents. This game shows their defensive depth is finally where it needs to be to relieve pressure off their goaltenders.
New GM Jarmo Kekäläinen had talked about wanting the team to be relentless in his first press conference, and that message appears to have been received by the team.
Better days seem to have finally come for the Sabres. Let the good times roll.