The Buffalo Sabres kept hounding the Calgary Flames until they finally broke through in their 4-1 victory. With the game dead even in most aspects – including the scoreboard – after two periods, the Sabres were determined to find a different fate than in Edmonton on Thursday.
The Sabres struck first in Calgary, as Alberta-native Peyton Krebs scored on a wrister from the faceoff dot. It took until the second period for the Flames to answer, as Jonathan Huberdeau attempted to find Andrei Kuzmenko backdoor and found Owen Power’s stick to paydirt instead.
Half of the third period went by with the back-and-forth game able to go either way. Finally, a nice Tage Thompson pass from behind the net found JJ Peterka for the goal with 8:56 remaining in the game.
Thompson and Connor Clifton took advantage of the vacant Flames net in the final minute, sealing a Sabres win.
Impact Players
Seven different Sabres registered a point in the game, but their biggest impact players did so off the scoresheet. Zach Benson was perhaps the most noticeable player on the ice Sunday, using the forecheck, backcheck, and puck battles as his way of contributing.
Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram were also dominant from the backend. The duo split up in the third period, but both had on-ice expected goals for percentages over 74% at even strength.
The Difference
Timely scoring was the difference in this game. The Sabres blew the third period against Edmonton and were determined not to do so against the Flames.
It’s times like that when you need your best players to step up. Peterka had two goals in his first game on Thompson and Alex Tuch’s line and answered the bell again.
Peterka, Thompson, and Tuch form a dangerous offensive combination of skill, speed, and offensive awareness. Any opposing defenders are in for a challenge if the Sabres’ top line stays together.
What’s Next
The Sabres are headed home. The next five games are at home, including Wednesday’s contest against the Ottawa Senators. The Senators are tied for second-last in the Eastern Conference and are an abysmal 11-20-2 on the road. They are coming off two straight wins this weekend, so the Sabres will have to be ready for a rallying opponent.
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