3 takeaways from Sabers nail-biting failure vs. Bruins – Hockey Writer – Buffalo Sabers
The Sabers were struggling to find their first goal of the game and season, but came back with energy after Mathias Samuelsson scored from the neutral zone, passing the puck to Jason Zucker, who patiently controlled it before firing a wrist shot from the middle of the left faceoff circle to cut the deficit to 2-1.
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The tone of the game suddenly shifted and Buffalo rode the momentum from the first point. The Sabers fired the puck at full speed, with Thompson shooting from the left faceoff circle, then had their best chance to tie the game when the puck hit the legs of Nikita Zadorov, who bounced off the right wall and nearly found the net. Despite the missed offensive opportunities, their defense held the game to just one point, preparing fans for a tense ending.
Fans held their breath when coach Lindy Ruff pulled goalie Alex Lyon late in the third inning. Buffalo’s fighting spirit was evident as they rushed from one end to the other to deny the Bruins scoring opportunities, including Ryan McLeod’s save of a rolling ball heading into the goal. The game entered the final round, and due to errors, the Bruins won 3-1.
relative first period story
At the end of the first quarter, the Bruins defeated the Sabers 17-2. While the Sabers struggled to generate offense, the Bruins’ consistent shot creation ultimately earned them a point. Boston’s early chances came mostly from its superstar David Pastrnak. Pastrnak had a strange play, but a body check from Connor Timmins allowed Lyon to get to the puck and stop the play.
The Bruins struck again, this time with a three-on-one opportunity between Tanner Jeannot and Fraser Minten until Minten shot but was blocked by Lyon. After pummeling the Sabres’ net with their offense, Pavel Zacha stepped up from Bowen Byram’s back to the middle of the left faceoff circle and drained a wrist shot from defenseman Andrew Peake to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Lyon put the game within reach
The silver lining to this team’s defeat came from Lyon’s solid defence. The Bruins fired from the gate, sending a barrage of bullets into the Sabres’ net. Lyon stifled six Boston shots in the first ten minutes of the game. At the end of the first, he caught a slap shot from Pastrnak and beat him with a loose puck that the skater cleared.
Lyon made another fine save, reaching forward to dive on striker Elias Lindholm’s backdoor shot. His offensive style is very evident, in part because of the environment in which he plays. He made another save against Pastrnak after Rasmus Dahlin struggled with the Bruins’ standout player.
Special forces are half as good
The Sabers’ penalty kills have prevented seven power-play scores so far. On the other hand, their manpower superior units didn’t even seize the opportunity. Their performance in the shootout featured crisp defensive execution, quick rotations and full use of the stick. Justin Danforth stepped on Pastrnak to buy time for the team to recover, ultimately frustrating the Bruins.
However, Boston had its chance with the personnel advantage. Minten intercepted the puck and passed it to Geno for a shorthanded breakout chance, but Lyon blocked their chance. Although they failed to capitalize on those chances, Lyon’s continued efforts paved the way for goals. Mark Kastelic flipped a wrist shot off the wall near the top of the right faceoff circle that deflected in front to extend the Bruins’ deficit to 2-0.
What’s next?
The Sabers return to Buffalo for a tough three-game stretch at home against the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators and defending champion Florida Panthers. The team will continue to work hard on the basis of this game and finally find the direction of victory.
