The second period saw the Sabres consistently win puck battles, outshoot New Jersey 12-6 and spend the bulk of their shifts in the offensive zone. Much like in Thursday’s win over Philadelphia, a different Buffalo team had returned from the first intermission.
“We talked in between periods about the level of compete; we had to hit a new level,” Ruff said. “We weren’t supporting the puck enough, we weren’t winning enough footraces. I thought the guys really dug in.”
So, for a fifth straight game, Buffalo headed to the third period with a one-goal lead. Besides for a couple early Devils chances, things remained mostly calm in the defensive zone, and Luukkonen was quick to freeze pucks and get tired defenders off the ice.
And Peyton Krebs won the last, most crucial footrace, closing it out with his first goal of the season. After Tage Thompson’s 200-foot floater just missed the empty net, Krebs outskated Luke Hughes up the ice and cashed in.
“I was hoping it went in first for Tommer, but then it came (with a) nice, perfect bounce for me, and I slammed that thing probably through the net,” Krebs said.
“… It felt good to get that one out of the way. It’s been a little too long, for sure, but just glad we got the win.”
The six-game streak marks Buffalo’s longest since December 2022. And the Sabres are now three games above .500 (17-14-4) for the first time since the end of that 2022-23 season. Their rebounding from subpar periods and defending late leads, Benson feels, speaks to the “maturing” they’ve done.
“Compete and will, want,” Benson continued. “We’ve got a lot of skill in this room, and I think it just comes down to competing every night, being consistent. And I think we’re doing that as of late, and it’s paying off for us.”
Here’s more from the win.