Quick Strikes Propel Sabres to Victory Against Senators

If you weren’t in your seat or in front of your TV at the start of each period, you missed a lot of the action. The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1 in a game that entertained the home crowd. The Sabres brought the physicality out of the gate, setting the tone for the game.

Buffalo struck first on the powerplay as Jason Zucker fed JJ Peterka at the side of the night for the finish. It was the only goal of a scoring chance-filled first period for the Sabres.

They struck again just 17 seconds into the second period, as Ryan McLeod saucered a perfect pass to Bowen Byram for the one-timer. Ridly Greig answered on an odd sequence, which resulted in Ottawa’s only goal of the game.

Byram scored again 21 seconds into the third period, as his point shot trickled through the Senators’ Linus Ullmark. 16 seconds later, Tage Thompson drove to the net, was taken down, and then had Alex Tuch’s shot glance off of his shoulder in the crease for Buffalo’s fourth goal of the game.

The powerplay added one more before the end of the third, as a wide passing lane opened up for Thompson to find JJ Peterka for the hard one-timer.

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Sabres Powerplay

The obvious two goals aside, the Sabres are seeing increased zone time and better puck retrievals on the powerplay. The new-found success with the man advantage is proving to be a huge lift for Buffalo, with Peterka and Zucker at the center of it.

What Zucker adds to the powerplay is more than just his goals and assists. His headiness to go to the right areas, his poise with the puck down low, and his aggressiveness in regaining puck control have been huge assets for the Sabres’ top powerplay.

Add that to the skill of Thompson, Dahlin, and Peterka, and it finally looks like Buffalo may have something here.

Thompson Line Dominant Again

Same story, different game. Thompson, Peterka, and Tuch are proving again and again that they are one of the best lines in the NHL. The active sticks of Tuch and Thompson were obvious, and the offensive zone time was immense.

They faced Josh Norris, Claude Giroux, and Drake Batherson for most of the game, and the matchup wasn’t even close. The Senators were caught running around in their own zone throughout most of the game when those three were on the ice, as the Sabres consistently controlled the puck.

New Defense Pairings Working

Head coach Lindy Ruff moved Bowen Byram with Rasmus Dahlin last game, and it resulted in a great game from both of them. Byram cashed in with two goals today, as the duo correlated with Ryan McLeod’s line in a shutdown role throughout most of the game.

Owen Power and Jacob Bryson played together for the first time this season, and the two worked the puck well with Thompson’s line to add to the sustained zone pressure.

Finding that synergy between the defense and forwards is important, and the cohesion of the five-man Sabres units was evident against the Senators in the win.

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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Outstanding

It would be a mistake not to mention the stellar play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net for the Sabres. Luukkonen saved 2.8 goals above expected per Evolving Hockey, marking his best game of the season. He had one save in particular on a 2-on-0 in tight, denying the Senators a chance to tie the game in the first period.

Compiling games like this will have Luukkonen garnering a heavy majority of the starts this season. The big timely saves, especially, are something the Sabres have been dearly lacking.