BUFFALO, N.Y. — In the modern era of the NHL, only 13 teams have started a season 0-4 or worse and gone on to make the playoffs. It’s happened only twice since 2000. So the 0-3 Buffalo Sabres at home against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday was as urgent a game as you’ll find on Oct. 12 of the NHL calendar.
Throw in the fact that the Panthers were without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, arguably their two best players, and gave star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky the night off, and this was a game the Sabres needed to win. They treated it accordingly. After falling behind 1-0, the Sabres scored four straight goals on the way to a 5-2 win. At five-on-five, the Sabres had a 25-10 advantage in scoring chances and ended up with 73 percent of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“That was a huge game for us tonight,” Sabres center Tage Thompson said. “We knew we needed to win that one. I think everybody stepped up. It would be easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself and cave and kind of panic, especially when you’re down one early, and we didn’t do that. We had a lot of composure, and that speaks volumes to the guys in the room and the confidence and belief we have in each other that we’re going to win. Just keep playing the game the right way, play it hard, and the results will follow. That’s something we have to continue to do every night and not take any off.”
Jordan Greenway got the Sabres going. With just over three minutes left in the first period, Greenway grabbed a loose puck in front of the net and lifted a backhand over Panthers goalie Spencer Knight. Greenway was on the ice for four of the Sabres’ goals and not on the ice for a single goal against.
“I think his night showed what we’re trying to be about,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.
Greener celly on point! 🎯#LetsGoBuffalo | #sabrehood pic.twitter.com/LlrxouwkqP
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 13, 2024
Less than a minute after Greenway’s goal put a charge into Buffalo’s home crowd, Thompson snuck a shot through Knight’s pads, and the Sabres were playing with a lead. Knight wasn’t sharp for the Panthers, and the Sabres took advantage in the second period with goals from Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju to pad the lead. Thursday, the Sabres had a tough-luck loss to the Kings in which they had plenty of chances but couldn’t beat Los Angeles goalie Darcy Kuemper. Goals were easier to come by Saturday, and the Sabres got the needed relief of the season’s first win.
“This one was like a stress reliever,” Ruff said. “When you don’t win the previous one, you hope your team doesn’t tighten up. We talked about just staying with the program and we’re going to continue with the program. We know we’ve got work to do. But I thought our guys were focused in.”
Peyton Krebs got a chance
Ruff decided to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen so he could dress defenseman Dennis Gilbert. Ruff wanted to have Gilbert’s physical edge available against the Panthers in case the game took on that tone. He also knew with three days off between games that he could play three forward lines and his top players would have plenty of time to recover.
Ruff ended up shortening the bench a little more in this game because he noticed Zach Benson wasn’t playing at 100 percent. Benson has been dealing with an ankle injury since a few days before the start of the season. He’s played through it in a few games, but that’s not the easiest injury to skate through. With Benson’s ice time limited, Peyton Krebs got a chance to play left wing with Thompson and Alex Tuch. He fit in well, getting an assist and adding three hits. That line wasn’t on the ice for a single scoring chance against at five-on-five.
Krebs is showing his value as a utility forward who can play on any line. So far, he’s making the most of his chances.
“I love Krebsy,” Thompson said. “He works his nuts off. Very deserving. He’s always putting in extra work before and after practice. I liked his confidence. He gets an opportunity to play and he’s not afraid to make plays. That’s what you want to see. You don’t want to see him nervous or gripping his stick. I thought he had a great game.”
Second line showing signs of life
Coming into this game, Ruff wanted to get Jack Quinn more puck touches, and the Sabres managed to do that. Quinn had seven shot attempts and three individual scoring chances. He still hasn’t scored this season, but that was an encouraging game from Quinn and the entire second line. Jiri Kulich just missed connecting on a power-play one-timer and also got stopped on a breakaway. Ruff sounded pleased with what he’s seen from Kulich, who has played in three straight games after starting the season as a healthy scratch. The line of Kulich, Quinn and Dylan Cozens gave the Sabres a 9-3 advantage in scoring chances and a 4-0 advantage in high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five. They needed a game like that. Now they need some production.
Connor Clifton a bright spot again
Connor Clifton has been solid to start the season for the Sabres. Buffalo had 73 percent of the scoring chances when he was on the ice at five-on-five and got his first point of the season with an assist on Thompson’s first-period goal. Clifton has been much more decisive jumping into the play this season, and he is still among Buffalo’s most physical players. He seems comfortable playing within Ruff’s system. He’s giving the Sabres exactly what they need out of a depth defenseman, and he’s done it while his partner, Samuelsson, has struggled through four games.
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)
