Buffalo Brings It Early and Often

Score: Buffalo Sabres 5-1 Winnipeg Jets
Shots: BUF 30-22 WINN

Buffalo Sabres Goals: Zucker 7th PPG (Doan, Norris) Byram 5th (Quinn, Timmins) Norris 1st (Thompson, Benson) Tuch 9th (Doan) Norris 2nd (Benson, Dahlin)
Winnipeg Jets Goals: Connor 13th (Morrissey, Scheifele)

Plus 1: Sabres Strike Strong

The Sabres had themselves a hell of a start in this one. An early power play goal by Jason Zucker got it started but a quick follow up on the rush had Bowen Byram cashing in as well. It was 2-0 Buffalo just over 3 minutes into the game. Back in his first action since opening night, Josh Norris made a nifty pass in tight to Josh Doan which Eric Comrie blocked. The puck fell into the crease though and Zucker came flying in and jammed it home. 15 seconds later Buffalo was right back at it, with Byram firing home a nice pass from Jack Quinn.

The Sabres impressively killed off a Dahlin penalty a little later and the score stayed the same until Josh Norris chipped in again. This time directly, going to the net and backhanding a shot that pinballed past Comrie. Tage Thompson dished him a sweet give and go pass on the play. Buffalo was the better team by far in the first period, controlling the flow and outshooting Winnipeg 14-8.

Even 1: One For You, One For Me

Thomas Milic came on to replace Comrie in the 2nd period for Winnipeg. It was more of a defensive middle frame for 10+ minutes until the Jets finally got on the board. Kyle Connor got his 13th of the year as he beat Ukko Pekka Luukkonen. But Buffalo would answer right back as Alex Tuch banked a shot in from just behind the goal line to push the lead back to three goals. Josh Doan got the only assist on the play, his second of the night. It was Tuch’s 9th of the year.

The Sabres outshot the Jets again but it was a much closer margin, 8-6. Buffalo’s D was playing some sound hockey, blocking shots and moving the puck out. Milic for the Jets made a great save late in the period to keep Winnipeg within striking distance.

Plus 2: Norris Punch Out

Josh Norris wasn’t done yet. He took a nice tip-pass from Zach Benson to go in all alone on Thomas Milic. He slipped a sweet backhand past the goaltender, a true goal scorer’s goal, to push the lead to 5-1. Winnipeg’s flight was officially cancelled at that point. Benson would take a high hit soon after as the Jets’ frustration grew. The Sabres on the ice responded appropriately as a skirmish broke out.

UPL then made his best save on the night, stretching out to make a great pad stop. Winnipeg got a power play halfway through the period but Buffalo held firm. The Jets would finish 0 for 2 with the man advantage, while the Sabres went 1 for 3. Peyton Krebs threw a nice, clean hit on Cole Perfetti late in the contest and Logan Stanley attacked him. All the players on the ice got involved and the Sabres emerged with a power play. Skip to the final horn and Buffalo wins this game impressively, 5-1. They got another strong effort from everyone, a welcome theme for the fans. Back to .500 once again for the Blue and Gold, let’s see what they do with it THIS TIME.

Final Thoughts:

The Sabres came to play tonight, showing a team-wide work ethic. Josh Norris was fantastic and more importantly, he survived the game unscathed. He finished with 2 goals and 3 points, just what the doctor ordered for Buffalo. Josh Doan chipped in with 2 assists and continues to impress. Luukkonen picked up the win and looked pretty good, stopping 21 of 22 shots.

Buffalo next plays on the road at Philly on Wed, Dec 3rd at 7:30 pm.