The Buffalo Sabres no longer need validation. Games like their 2-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday have become more of an expectation than a statement. This team has made enough of those over the last three months. By now, the rest of the league knows Buffalo’s NHL-record playoff drought is all but certain to end.
But with Tuesday’s win, the Sabres hit another benchmark. Because of the Carolina Hurricanes’ loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier in the night, the Sabres are now tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with 90 standings points. The Hurricanes have one game in hand, but the Sabres, who were in last place in the Eastern Conference in the middle of December, have closed the gap on Carolina, a team that has gone to the Eastern Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons.
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The Sabres have 14 games left to jockey for position and ensure that the franchise’s first playoff game since 2011 is played in front of a home crowd in Buffalo. That’s what they’ve been playing for, and along the way, they’ve shown some of the ingredients that could make them a successful postseason team. A few of those showed up against the Golden Knights.
For starters, the Sabres got an elite performance from goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who stopped all 27 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. He made five high-danger saves in the game, controlled his rebounds well and was locked into his reads the entire night. He finished the game by stopping Jack Eichel on a one-timer moments before Josh Norris’ empty net goal provided the final margin.
If Buffalo is going to go anywhere in the playoffs, goaltending will be essential. The Sabres have the best save percentage in the NHL since Dec. 9, the day their first lengthy winning streak started. Alex Lyon has played a big role in that. Among goalies with at least 30 starts, Lyon has the highest quality start percentage in the NHL at .733.
But Luukkonen has been excellent for the Sabres since they turned their season around. Since Dec. 9, he has a save percentage of .919 and a goals against average of 2.28. His high-danger save percentage of .861 is third best in the NHL during that span. He was again that guy against the Golden Knights.
“When he plays like that, we can beat anybody,” Sabres forward Josh Doan told reporters after the game.
Luukkonen doesn’t get the shutout or post any of those numbers without the team in front of him playing another steady and mature game defensively. The Sabres allowed a total of 11 high-danger chances, with eight of those coming at five-on-five. They blocked a ton of shots, limited second opportunities and cut down on the turnovers. An opportunistic goal from Doan, who beat a Vegas defenseman to a misplayed puck by Adin Hill and banked it in, was all the breathing room the Sabres needed in this game.
That’s the formula that has allowed the Sabres to go 10-0-1 in their last 11 games away from home, a franchise record road points streak. This team’s ability to play on the road is one of many reasons the season turned the way it did. But it’s also a reason the Sabres can stay in the fight in April. No environment and no opponent seems too big for them.
The Sabres are only two points away from their best point total since the 2010-11 season. And they have a real chance to finish with the franchise’s best point total since the 2006-07 team that won the Presidents’ Trophy.
“They’re believing in how we need to play and how we need to play with a lead,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ve proven that we can win a lot of games by playing that way.”
Josh Doan (91), Josh Norris (9) and Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrated after Sabres latest win. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Here’s what else we saw in Buffalo’s latest win.
1. Since acquiring defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn at the NHL trade deadline, the Sabres have been sorting through a crowded competition for minutes on their third pair. In his Sabres debut against the Sharks, Stanley got some time with Michael Kesselring. He played with Schenn, his defensive partner in Winnipeg, for the next two games. And on Tuesday, Stanley was with Zach Metsa, the 27-year old rookie who has exceeded expectations since getting called up from Rochester earlier this season.
Stanley and Metsa were plus-one in this game. During Metsa’s five-on-five minutes, the Sabres had a 4-1 advantage in high-danger chances. Metsa again made quick decisions with the puck and his passing was on-point. Stanley, meanwhile, led the Sabres with four minutes of ice time on the penalty kill. Ruff said he thought Metsa steadied Stanley’s game a bit. We’ll see whether Ruff sticks with that pair for another game, or tries to get Kesselring or Schenn back into a game at some point. As of now, though, it would be tough to take Metsa out of the lineup.
2. In the third period, Zach Benson took a late hit from Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb after getting a shot off in the offensive zone. While Benson was down in pain, Noah Östlund immediately jumped in to defend him. It’s the second time this season Östlund has gone after a tougher opponent after a line was crossed. The hit was initially ruled a major before officials reviewed it and called it a “clean check.” Benson ended up being fine, but it was a notable moment for Östlund, a 22-year-old rookie who has grown up fast for the Sabres this season. Ruff called out that moment in his postgame speech to the team.
3. Alex Tuch was out with an illness in this game, providing an opportunity for others to step up. Beck Malenstyn helped ease the burden of losing Tuch on the penalty kill with a huge blocked shot in the third period, and led the Sabres with four hits. Tyson Kozak, who stepped in for Tuch, also had four hits. And Sam Carrick got a good shot in on Eichel.
Meanwhile, the line of Norris, Doan and Peyton Krebs had a 5-0 advantage in high-danger chances during its five-on-five minutes. And Benson led the team in shots while proving some key minutes on the penalty kill. Last week when Tuch missed a game, the Sabres had a tough time replacing him. On Tuesday, they did so with a collective effort.