Sabres’ win over Lightning a statement to fear them come playoff time
One of the wildest games we have seen in a long time could serve as a launching pad for one team to go from playoff hopeful to legitimate threat.
The Buffalo Sabres came away with a spirited 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to take over first place in the Atlantic Division. It was a crazy game that saw five fights, 105 penalty minutes and a partridge in a pear tree. The Sabres gave up a 3-0 lead early in the game, trailing by two in the third period twice. Yet, the team showed grit that it hasn’t possessed in a long time to beat one of the best teams in the NHL.
Now, with the team in position to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011, Buffalo proved that it has the mettle to not only overcome adversity but beat up its opponent in the process.
On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton explain how Sunday’s win shows what the Sabres could be capable of come playoff time.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Since December 1, they are number one in the NHL with a .769 points percentage. Second in that stretch is Colorado, all the way down at .716. … This run by Buffalo has been, I mean, everyone knows it’s been unbelievable. In this stretch since December 1, they’re outscoring teams by an average of 1.05 goals per game. That’s wild. They’re the only team in the league over that stretch who has a goal differential per game above one. Everything’s buzzing their way and when you look at like the energy in the arena, the passion they’re playing with, like the way they’re kind of embodying that fan base, I don’t want to play them in the playoffs if I’m another team in the East.
Carter Hutton: That’s something that’s important to talk about is, I don’t think anybody does right now. Momentum is such a powerful thing. It’s so hard to predict it’s so hard to generate on your own. You see those swings and teams coming in with the right kind of momentum, it’s unbelievable to watch. … Again, a crazy game. When you see that crowd rocking, you don’t want to go into Buffalo playing them game one of the playoffs. I can’t imagine what that would be. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…