The Buffalo Sabres three-game skid in which they went 0-1-2 served to be a bit of a wake-up call for a team that has been grooving since early December. They haven’t been necessarily getting high on their own supply, but teams who plan on contending sometimes need a reminder that things aren’t always going to go their way and this recent dip has done that. Against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, a reversal of fortune wasn’t necessary, but it would’ve been good to get one.
Final: Buffalo wins 3-2 in a shootout (2-0)
The Game: The Kraken got out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, the second goal came less than 30 seconds after the Sabres thought they tied the game, but Sam Carrick’s shot went off both posts but not across the goal line. Bobby McMann’s rush up the wing caught Buffalo off guard, and he put a great shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
That kind of thing happening would usually be a glowing red indicator that “it’s not your night.” The game had been tough sledding. The Kraken’s defensive brand of hockey made the game a tough slog in the first place, but goalie Philipp Grubauer was also on top of things as well. Being positionally sound goes a long way and Seattle was doing just that. It certainly didn’t help that the Sabres were, again, a bit loose with the puck and some of the decisions made with it were questionable.
Seattle was eager to force turnovers and were positioned to turn and burn when they happened. It’s a much simpler brand of hockey, but when elite athletes play that way it can be effective and it’s a big reason why the Kraken are in the playoff race in the Western Conference. Traditionally, these kinds of teams give the Sabres fits and for most of the game, that was true.
A couple minutes after McMann’s goal, however, Adam Larsson was called for slashing and on the power play, Rasmus Dahlin let a wrister from high in the slot go and beat Grubauer to the blocker side and gave them a much-needed jolt.
The third period started to play out about as well as their third period did against Detroit. The Kraken were effective at defending and pushing Buffalo away from the net and when they were able to get looks, Grubauer was there. But midway through the period, Zach Benson carried into the zone and drew a double team high in the zone near the wall. Forward Jordan Eberle followed him and defenseman Vince Dunn jumped up to help. Peyton Krebs used the open space from Dunn’s departure to get free for Benson’s pass and created an instant 2-on-1 with Josh Norris against Larsson. Krebs fired away and beat Grubauer to tie the game 2-2.
Benson’s smarts and creativity with the puck drew the Kraken out of position and Krebs made the correct read to pounce.
“A great play,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He’s made some really good plays down the stretch for us, a lot of games. Especially to tie this game. Taking the hit in the L.A. game for the game winner. Just big plays.”
The roll Benson has been on the past few games is really encouraging and with Noah Östlund banged up, it’s helped move him up a little bit in the lineup. Not that the lines are necessarily cemented in place, but Benson doing a lot of these “little things” that help flip a game around in Buffalo’s favor is beyond encouraging. He’s a damn good player, he’s in his third year in the NHL, and he’s not old enough to drink in the States yet. It’s kind of crazy.
With the game knotted up, both teams tightened up a bit and when it came to pushing for a win in regulation, neither team was really trying too hard to make that happen. Points are gold when the schedule is nearly up. If anything, Seattle pushing hard for a regulation win would’ve made more sense. They’re in a fight for the second wild card in the West with Los Angeles and Nashville. One point is good, but two is preferred.
In overtime, possession was the priority. Seattle’s one good chance came on a sneaky play in which they had what was basically a moving screen but they were unable to get anything on goal. The Sabres, meanwhile, forced Grubauer to make a couple of saves but couldn’t score.
Even though Buffalo hasn’t had to go to shootouts too often this year, they’ve been lights out at them thanks to having Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch as their first three shooters. They wouldn’t need Tuch on Saturday as Thompson and Quinn scored on their turns and Luukkonen stopped Freddy Gaudreau and Kaapo Kakko for the win.
“I feel like we have a lot of young guys, skillful guys, we have a lot of options,” Luukkonen said. “We have a lot of guys who have found their groove in the shootout. It’s just fun to watch. I feel like Quinner’s a good example. I’ve done so many shootouts in Buffalo and Rochester with him and has helped me, and I probably helped him too.”
With the losing skid over, the Sabres knocked their magic number to clinch a playoff spot down by two and now get to gear up for a matchup against the Islanders at home on Tuesday. It wasn’t pretty, but it was an example of the kinds of games they’ll need to find a way to get through in the postseason.
“I think it’s that time of year where you have to be ready,” Ruff said. “It’s stressful, it’s unpredictable, you can get good calls, you can get bad calls, you can get borderline calls against you. There’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to fight through. I thought our guys did. They stayed together, the bench was good and they just kept talking about getting back in the game.”
What’s new: Tanner Pearson came out of the lineup and was replaced by Tyson Kozak on the fourth line. Michael Kesselring took warmups but didn’t get into the lineup but you can’t help but wonder if maybe he’ll get in against the Islanders.
Buffalo’s third pairing of Logan Stanley and Conor Timmins had another interesting game. Stanley was noticeable throughout for various reasons. He wrecked Shane Wright with an open-ice hit that appeared to daze Wright and it upset the Kraken a bit. Stanley had to answer the bell early in the second period with fellow giant defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. He also was called (perhaps wrongly) for goaltender interference in the third period when he took the puck to the net for a chance and appeared to get pushed into Grubauer by defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Officials didn’t see it that way, however.
Timmins had some mistakes and decisions that were noticeable immediately and seem to indicate he’s eager to prove himself after returning from injury. Crimes of passion like this are understandable in that light, but it’s those sorts of plays that got Kesselring into trouble when he’s come back from his various ailments this season. Part of what allowed Zach Metsa to play so well on the third pairing was how he kept everything simple. He wasn’t trying to do too much and with the amount of competition for that spot in the lineup, guys might try to do exactly that and it’s not at all what they’re looking for on the third pair.
I wondered if Timmins had to keep things quieter after his clearing attempt on Friday on the PK turned into a Lucas Raymond goal after Moritz Seider snatched it at the blue line. There were a couple of other decisions like that by Timmins against Seattle that, fortunately, didn’t end up in the back of the net, but they did up the stress level regardless.
As for Östlund, Ruff said during pregame availability that it was difficult to pin down how much longer he’d be out, if at all, because of the upper-body issue he’s dealing with. He said it could be better on Monday when they return to practice and allow him to be ready for Tuesday’s game or it could still hinder him and keep him out of action. It all depends on how he feels and if it’s good enough for him to play. He skated Saturday morning, for what it’s worth, so… we’ll see.
Standings: The Sabres win puts them at 98 points for the season, the most points they’ve had since the 2009-10 season when they had 100. Tampa Bay beat Ottawa so they remain two points behind the Sabres with 96, although the Lightning still have two games in hand. Carolina also beat New Jersey and remains equal to Buffalo in points but they too still have two games in hand.
Ottawa and Detroit both lost in regulation, the Red Wings fell to Philadelphia 5-3. With the Sabres winning and those two teams losing in regulation, Buffalo’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is seven points. Thanks to the weirdness of the schedule, Buffalo, Ottawa and Detroit each next play again on Tuesday night and then each team plays again on Thursday, so magic number permutations make Sabres game nights also scoreboard watching nights as well.
Because of that, the soonest the Sabres could clinch a playoff berth is Thursday. To do that, they’d have to defeat the Islanders on Tuesday while both Ottawa and Detroit each lose. The same thing would have to happen again on Thursday when Buffalo plays in Ottawa and the Red Wings face Philly yet again. The Sabres going to the playoffs will happen but making it official will understandably be a very big deal. It’s been 15 years after all.
All of these things hinge upon the Sabres taking care of business and winning, of course, but losses by Ottawa and Detroit would also help knock their magic number down even if Buffalo lost games in the meantime.