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Sabres Beat Blues to Win 9th-Straight Game
St. Louis Blues right wing Jimmy Snuggerud is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Buffalo Sabres (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

The St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres faced off on Monday night for the second and final time this season. The Blues were seeking a second win in a row and a season series sweep of the Sabres. The Sabres, meanwhile, were seeking a ninth-straight win. The Sabres took home the two points, winning 4-2. Let’s jump into the recap and see how we got here.

First Period

After being shut out by Joel Hofer and the Blues in their first matchup, the Sabres were seeking a fast start. They got that, taking advantage of a Logan Mailloux turnover. Noah Ostlund scored on a one-timer, giving the Sabres the first goal of the game.

The Blues struck back just under three minutes later. Captain Brayden Schenn skated down the left side and wristed in a shot to tie the game. Three minutes later, Jimmy Snuggerud, in just his second game back from injury, scored his sixth of the season to give the Blue Note its first lead of the game.

The Blues outshot the Sabres in the period, 9-7.

Second Period

The Sabres thought they had tied the game early in the period when the puck went off Alex Tuch and into the net. The goal was disallowed, however, as it was deemed that Tuch had kicked the puck in.

The Sabres would stick with it, dominating the majority of the period. Tuch would get the goal back, shooting one off the post and in at 15:17 of the period.

The Sabres outshot the Blues during the second period, 14-7.

Third Period

The Sabres regained the lead 1:46 into the period on a goal by Zach Benson.

With the Sabres on the power play, Tyler Tucker managed to clear the puck out of the defensive zone. Robert Thomas found himself on a shorthanded breakaway with an opportunity to tie the game, but his shot missed the net entirely.

The Blues pulled the goaltender in an attempt to tie the game. A puck was dumped in and took a weird bounce off the boards, came right to Jake Neighbours, who fed it in front to Snuggerud with an open net, but he whiffed on the scoring chance. Seconds later, Peyton Krebs iced the game and the Sabres’ ninth-straight win with an empty-net goal.

The Sabres outshot the Blues, 12-2, in the third period. They also outshot them for the game, 34-18.

What’s Next?

The Blues hit the road for a New Year’s Eve date with the Colorado Avalanche. The Sabres, meanwhile, will remain on the road and play the Dallas Stars on New Year’s Eve.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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