You know things are going well for the Buffalo Sabres when the talk has shifted from on-ice performance to potentially trading away one of the core pieces of the team. That said, it’s mid-November and there is a lot of hockey to play, the hope being that the Sabres can still find a way to dig themselves out of the hole they have created.
If the last two games are any indication, the Sabres have found some momentum. Facing an Edmonton Oilers group that is itself struggling to find its place in the standings, the Sabres came out with good energy. They never gave the Oilers a chance to get in the game, dominating to the tune of 5-1.
Noah Ostlund Looks Like the Real Deal
The thing that immediately jumps out is the performance of 21-year-old Noah Ostlund. Thrust into the lineup because of the litany of injuries, Ostlund was brought along slowly before having more responsibility and ice time thrust upon him in recent games.
Buffalo Sabres center Noah Ostlund celebrates his goal with teammates against the Edmonton Oilers (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
He has responded fairly well, but Monday night felt like a breakout game for him. He started the scoring with a nifty little move on the goal line, transitioning from backhand to forehand before putting it past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. In the third period, he essentially iced the game with a nasty wrist shot to make it 4-1.
Obviously, this is a small sample size. Through 11 games this season, Ostlund has five points, but he has shown flashes of potential. Hopefully, this season is more about his development than anything else but it is nice to see him flash the skill that made him a first-round pick in the first place.
Colten Ellis Continues to Impress
Another key factor in the victory over the Oilers is the performance of goaltender Colten Ellis. He was impressive in the comeback win over the Detroit Red Wings, but he stood out in all the right ways against the Oilers. For a goaltending situation that has been more trouble than help, it has been nice to see him play so well.
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Ellis was outstanding on Monday night, turning aside 32 of 33 Oiler shots, especially a third period that saw the back-to-back Western Conference champions register 16 shots. No one expected much when he was claimed off waivers, but Ellis has done well.
The Sabres need any measure of stability they can find throughout the lineup. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been disappointing since returning from injury and no one can expect Alex Lyon to remain as hot as he has been this season. If Ellis can add another dimension of stability, it is more than welcome.
Tage Thompson Emerging as a Leader?
The Sabres have long felt like a rudderless ship. Leadership has more or less been in place, but it has become tough to pinpoint which players truly “lead” the team. Tage Thompson has shown over the last few games that he may be ready to be that guiding hand.
Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Thompson has played with fire over his last five games. In that span, he has four goals and seven points, but it is the intangible things that really have drawn notice. In overtime against the Red Wings, he absolutely bullied Alex Debrincat en route to setting up the game-winning goal from Mattias Samuelsson. Against the Oilers, cameras showed him heatedly chirping at star center Leon Draisaitl.
These aren’t earth-shattering moments, but they show a fire in Thompson that had been previously missing. This team needs to be visibly tired of losing and Thompson has embodied that in the last two wins. His tenacity and production are beginning to line up, which is what the Sabres have been looking for.
Some Positive Momentum
The “one game at a time” mantra can feel a bit cliché, but it should apply to the Sabres season. Given the litany of injuries, it has been hard for them to find any real momentum. Beating the second-best team in the Atlantic Division and a perennial Stanley Cup contender in back-to-back games is a nice start.
For now, the focus can only be on the next game. There can’t be any worries about where in the standings they are or what the schedule looks like. They simply need to come out and play with the fire they have shown in the last two contests. They don’t need to rip off a dozen wins in a row, but stringing together positive streaks and mitigating the negative ones is crucial.
