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Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov cannot make a save against a shot on goal by Buffalo Sabres left wing Beck Malenstyn. The Sabres have been more willing to battle in front of the net at the other end of the ice. Sam Navarro / Imagn Images
SUNRISE, Fla. — These aren’t the same old Buffalo Sabres.
The same old Buffalo Sabres couldn’t handle the heavy forechecking, in-your-face style teams such as the Florida Panthers play. They couldn’t handle the pressure of tight games and couldn’t reliably protect leads. Those old Buffalo Sabres wouldn’t have been comfortable in the game the Sabres and Panthers played Friday night.
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Yet, something has changed with this Sabres team. It’s been almost three full months since the Sabres turned their season around, and this 3-2 win over the Panthers is more evidence the turnaround isn’t a fluke.
“I think we’re a stronger team now,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think physically we’re a stronger team.”
Ruff referenced winning battles along the wall and pointed to undersized rookie Noah Ostlund as someone who punched above his weight. The Panthers tend to dominate there, and they had every reason to come into this game desperate. Florida is 8 points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It is desperate for points and played like it in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
However, the Sabres were ready to match that energy. Through the first two periods, the Sabres had the advantage in shots, scoring chances and high-danger chances at five-on-five. Alex Tuch’s power-play goal in the first period was the only chance that ended up in the back of the net, though.
Then, late in the second period, the Panthers converted on a power play. Michael Kesselring got turned around while defending a rush and ended up taking a hooking penalty. The Panthers scored right away on the power play when Matthew Tkachuk walked in with too much space and lifted a shot into the tightest of spots in the top corner.
That goal tied the score at 1 and set the stage for a high-stakes third period. The Sabres have talked a lot about playing in tight games and learning to handle “playoff-style” hockey. Well, playing in a 1-1 game against a Panthers team that has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles and is desperate for points certainly fits that description.
Two years ago to the day, the Sabres and Panthers played in this same arena, and after the Panthers won, then-Sabres captain Kyle Okposo lamented, “You have to put your big-boy pants on to play a hockey game like that.” He was traded to the Panthers a few days later and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
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It took a while for those words to sink in, but in the two years since, the Sabres have added a few pairs of big-boy pants to their wardrobe. The Sabres put them on in the third period of this game. They out-chanced the Panthers 7-3 at five-on-five. Beck Malenstyn thinks the Sabres have improved in these games because the defensemen have handled the opposing team’s pressure well on the breakout, and the Sabres have been more willing to battle in front of the net at the other end of the ice.
That showed up on Buffalo’s second goal. Malenstyn ripped a shot from the points, and Mattias Samuelsson crashed the net to create just enough traffic to score a goal.
The goal ended up a controversial one. The Panthers challenged for goalie interference because Samuelsson’s stick made contact with the glove of Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov. However, Samuelsson’s stick and Tarasov’s glove weren’t in the crease. The goal was upheld because the league ruled it incidental contact that occurred outside the crease. Panthers coach Paul Maurice was livid on the bench, and Tarasov was beside himself after the game, saying, “I don’t know what these guys are smoking there.”
The Sabres didn’t score on the ensuing power play, and Malenstyn’s goal ended up being critical. Peyton Krebs got a late empty net goal, but a Sam Bennett goal cut the Sabres’ lead to 3-2 with 34 seconds remaining. Still, the Sabres managed to hang on for another close win despite a hectic final few minutes. The Sabres are 9-2-6 in one-goal games and 7-1-3 in one-goal games on the road. A year ago, the Sabres were 16-8-7 in one-goal games, including 4-4-4 on the road. Malenstyn said last year the Sabres tended to panic when protecting leads, but that has vanished.
“We’re comfortable and confident in those scenarios that our team is going to do what we need to do to win hockey games,” Malenstyn said. “That only comes from experience, and it comes from doing those right things consistently.”
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That’s one of the reasons the Sabres climbed into second place in the Atlantic Division on Friday night. Another is that they have points in eight straight road games. After starting the season 2-9-2 on the road, the Sabres have a 17-11-3 road record. And next up is another away game against the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sabres worked their way into the playoff race before the Olympic break. And with back-to-back wins coming out of the break, they’ve made it clear they’re here to stay.
“Every point matters down the stretch,” Malenstyn said. “That’s consistent every single season, but it’s really apparent this year, especially in our division.”
1. Alex Lyon was steady for the Sabres on Friday. He stopped 28 of 30 shots, including nine high-danger shots. Lyon has won nine straight games on the road. He’s only the ninth goalie in NHL history to win nine straight games on the road, and the league record is 11 straight road wins for a goalie. The Sabres are getting a great run of goaltending, including back-to-back quality starts from Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming out of the break. The two are healthy and have been a major factor in Buffalo’s success coming out of the break. Since the Sabres started their initial winning streak on Dec. 9, the team has the best save percentage in the NHL.
2. Defensive depth is still the Sabres’ main need heading into the deadline. Zach Metsa played just over six minutes Friday. He’s handling those minutes fine, but that Ruff doesn’t trust him with more is a sign that another defenseman is needed. Kesselring also had a tough night. He played just over 12 minutes, and the Panthers had a 5-0 advantage in high-danger chances during his five-on-five minutes. He also took the penalty that led to Tkachuk’s goal. Jarmo Kekäläinen’s top priority over the next week should be finding another option on the blue line.
3. Zach Benson started skating with the team again Friday and has a chance to play Saturday when the Sabres visit the Lightning. Benson injured his shoulder before the Olympic break and then dealt with a “viral thing” that took a while to clear up. That caused him to miss the last two games. But he’s feeling better and should be back in the lineup soon.
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Matthew Fairburn is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Buffalo Sabres. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he previously covered the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills for The Athletic. Prior to The Athletic, he also covered the Bills for Syracuse.com. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewFairburn
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