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Before he retired final season, goalie Craig Anderson was the oldest participant within the NHL. He spent a lot of his time with the 2 groups who clashed on Tuesday night time in Ottawa – the Buffalo Sabres and the Senators. Ironically, on an evening that honoured the veteran goalie, the sport was something however a type of shut, tightly-played, well-goalied video games. Instead, each groups’ offenses had been entrance and middle in a high-scoring contest the place targets got here quick and furiously.
The two groups that Anderson as soon as performed for placed on an offensive show. The outcome was a 6-4 Sabres win over the Senators.
Anderson holds the Senators’ franchise record with 202 wins – he signed a one-day contract to shut out his profession with the group.
Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson every scored twice for the Sabres. Anderson, who now serves as a hockey liaison for the Sabres, watched his new group take a commanding 5-1 lead. Then, immediately, the sport turned tense and the Sabres desperately held on for the win. Given his historical past, I think about Anderson may need been conflicted about who to root for final night time.
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In the top, the Sabres endured a late-game push by the Senators who narrowed the rating to 5-4 with simply 35 seconds left on the clock. However, Thompson’s empty-netter stopped the bleeding. In addition to Skinner and Thompson’s targets, the Sabres’ offense bought scoring assist from Zemgus Girgensons and Alex Tuch.
Item One: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Gave Up Four Goals, But Was Good
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made his season debut on Tuesday. Although he gave up 4 targets, he nonetheless had a powerful sport. The Sabres’ late-game struggles weren’t on him. His group’s protection merely collapsed.
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Funny sport. On the night time, Luukkonen made 34 saves and held a snug 5-1 lead till the sport’s closing minutes. It turned rather less snug when, with simply over 4 minutes left within the third interval, the Sabres’ meltdown left their goaltender scrambling.
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In a fast three and a half minutes, the Senators potted three targets. With Ottawa on an influence play and urgent within the dying minute, Thompson scored a shorthanded aim into the empty web. The sport was that shut.
Item Two: Jeff Skinner Is on a Nice Little Scoring Streak
Skinner is on a pleasant little sizzling streak. In the primary interval, he opened the scoring by changing a cross-ice cross from Tuch on a two-on-one to beat Senators’ goalie Anton Forsberg. Early within the second, he banked a shot off Forsberg’s skate from behind the aim line.
In Skinner’s current goal-scoring streak, which now spans three video games with a complete of 4 targets, he’s put up 5 factors. In his previous 5 video games, Skinner has scored 5 occasions.
Item Three: Tage Thompson Is Emerging from a Slow Start
Thompson registered his first multiple-goal (and multiple-point) sport of the season. His first aim got here late within the second interval when he redirected an Owen Power shot into the web. It was the eventual game-winner.
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However, Thompson’s second aim was the one which allowed Sabres followers to exhale.
After a breakout 94-point season in 2022-23, Thompson’s gradual begin is stunning. That stated, final night time’s sport provides followers a way that he may lastly be rising from this funk. If he can get going, he can assist elevate his group out of the Atlantic Division basement, the place they sit with a 3-4-0 (.429) report.
What’s Next for the Sabres?
The Sabres’ struggles have sunk them to the underside of their division. They have to string collectively a couple of wins to elevate themselves again into rivalry. They get their subsequent likelihood on Friday night time on the street in opposition to the New Jersey Devils.
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Which goalie will begin is the large query for the Sabres. Rookie Devon Levi, when wholesome, appears to be the teaching employees’s consensus. Yet, each Eric Comrie and Luukkonen have performed nicely sufficient in current video games. I do not know which of the group’s three goalies head coach Don Granato will go together with on Friday. I’m guessing Luukkonen.
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