BUFFALO, N.Y. — Given the way this season has gone for the Buffalo Sabres, the scene on Friday night was a palate cleanser for the home fans and players.
A recent 13-game winless streak has the Sabres in last place in the Eastern Conference. Their home record is among the worst in the NHL. And they hadn’t won at home since Nov. 14.
So the fact that the Sabres’ game against the Blackhawks was the first sellout since the home opener was significant. More important, though, was that the Sabres got the fans on their side early. Buffalo scored four first-period goals and outshot the Blackhawks 11-2 in the first period. That was the start of what ended up being a low-stress, 6-2 win for the Sabres, who have now won two straight games and outscored their opponents 13-3 coming out of the winless skid.
“It’s awesome,” said Tuch, who had three of Buffalo’s six goals. “I’m glad we were able to win and get a lot of goals for them, too. I heard them chanting for seven, so that’s always a good sign when they’re asking for more. But I mean, it’s been a tough road the last couple of months for us. To see the crowd and the city stick with us is huge. That really meant a lot to all of us. Hopefully there will be a lot more wins in this building going forward.”
The scene at KeyBank Center had been a demoralizing one in recent weeks. Maple Leafs fans filled the arena for Buffalo’s home game against Toronto last week. Prior to that, fans were bringing palm trees and chanting, “Fire Kevyn!” and “Where is Terry?” as the losses piled up.
Friday was completely different. For one, the arena was packed, a reminder of what used to be the norm in Buffalo. The “Let’s Go Buffalo” chants were loud right from puck drop. There was energy in the arena that hadn’t been there all season. It helped that the Sabres scored early and often. Zach Benson got things started just over nine minutes into the game on a slick feed from Rasmus Dahlin. Then Tuch and Jack Quinn scored goals 15 seconds apart. Dylan Cozens rounded out the first period scoring in the final minute of the period.
“We can’t be cheating for offense,” Cozens said. “We have to let them make mistakes and transition quick. That’s when we’re at our best is when we’re moving quick in transition and attacking off the rush.”
The Sabres knew the Blackhawks had an early morning flight because of the NHL’s travel restrictions during the holiday break. That left an already beatable team more prone to start slow. Buffalo took advantage with a 12-4 advantage in scoring chances in the first period, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Blowing out a bottom-feeding team doesn’t change the Sabres’ outlook for the rest of the season. They’re still 29th in the NHL in points percentage with a 13-19-4 record. But it doesn’t hurt the current players to get a reminder of what this arena looks and sounds like when the Sabres are rolling. That felt badly needed after the last month.
Quick hits
1. Dahlin is massively important to how the Sabres function. Prior to this game, Dahlin had missed eight of Buffalo’s previous 10 games with a back injury he aggravated in early December. Lindy Ruff said this is as good as he’s looked all season.
He’s efficient at getting the puck out of the zone, and the Sabres are a much better transition team when he’s on the ice. He assisted on Buffalo’s first goal of the game, and the Sabres had a 15-5 advantage in scoring chances and a 9-2 advantage in high-danger chances when Dahlin was on the ice at five-on-five. The Sabres’ drop-off without Dahlin out of the lineup was apparent during their winless streak.
“There was a time in the first period where he was just a one-man breakout machine,” Ruff said. “He just kind of took the game into his own hands and said, ‘Here, I’m going to lead the way.’ I think we all realize what he can do and that he has been struggling all year with his ailment. Now he’s starting to feel real good.”
2. The line of Peyton Krebs, Jiří Kulich and Zach Benson had a standout game. Benson had five shots on net, seven individual scoring chances and three high-danger chances at five-on-five, all team highs. The Sabres had a 15-2 advantage in scoring chances when he was on the ice at five-on-five. If that line can build on this, that would be a huge development for this team going forward.
3. Just as important for the Sabres is that Cozens and Quinn both scored in this game. That line wasn’t as dominant in terms of possession and on-ice shot share, but the Sabres have needed Cozens and Quinn to find their scoring touch for a while. Regardless of what happens with the rest of the Sabres’ season, the best-case scenario for the franchise is to have Cozens and Quinn reach their ceiling. They’ve been showing more signs of doing so in recent games.
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)
