The Sabers entered the third period against the Predators tied at three. Once again, they were locked in a close game while playing in a challenging environment on the road. And as they did in Las Vegas, Boston and other rowdy arenas away from home, the Sabers rose to the occasion, beating the Predators 5-3.
“Our guys used it to their advantage,” coach Don Granato said. “They felt extremely comfortable in it.”
This road win couldn’t have come at a better time. The Sabers entered this game having lost three straight games to close out a homestand. But the road has been where these Sabers have had the most success this season. They’re now 12-7 on the road compared to 9-11-2 at home. As young as they are, travel and hectic arenas don’t seem to bother them.
“Our youngest guys were incredible down the stretch,” Granato said.
Here’s what we learned about the Sabers in this game.
1. Earlier this week, when Granato decided to rest JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn for a few games, he noted that they looked like they’d hit a wall. They had combined for just two points in the nine games before Granato removed them from the lineup. As it turned out, a few games of rest was just what they needed.
Back playing on either side of Dylan Cozens, Peterka and Quinn played a big role in the Sabres’ win. Peterka had an assist on a Cozens goal, while Quinn had a goal and an assist. His goal put the Sabers up 5-3 late in the game. As a line, that group generated nine scoring chances at five-on-five and allowed only three. Peterka had four high-danger chances on his own, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“They looked fresh, mentally and physically. They were dangerous all night,” Granato said.
It shouldn’t be lost that Cozens was a huge part of that. He scored his 14th goal, a career high, and closed out the first half of the season with 40 points.
2. The Sabres’ third line was a sore spot earlier this season, but Tyson Jost seems to be the right player to unlock some potential in Casey Mittelstadt and Victor Olofsson. Olofsson, in particular, has found a groove. He scored again against the Predators, his fourth goal in the last five games. Olofsson has 17 goals at the midway point of the season. Olofsson has gone through some slumps this season, but he’s now on pace for 34 goals and is clearly an asset to Buffalo’s offense.
Sabers right wing Jack Quinn celebrates after scoring a third-period goal against the Predators on Saturday. (Mark Zaleski/Associated Press)
More importantly, though, the entire line is impacting games. At five-on-five, the Sabers had a 63 percent expected goal share when that trio was on the ice. Jost, Mittelstadt and Olofsson have been above a 63 percent even-strength expected goal share in four of the last five games.
“We’re playing simple, too, and then when we get the puck we’re using our skill, using our playmaking abilities and our skill sets,” Jost said this week. “I think it starts kind of with those small fundamentals of hunting down the puck, being aggressive. We like where our chemistry’s at and we keep saying to each other we just want to get better and better. And we still think there’s a higher ceiling we can get to. We want to do everything we can to help this team win.”
3. Ilya Lyubushkin continues to cost the Sabers with untimely penalties. He had another two against the Predators, and one of them led to a Nashville power-play goal. The other came after the Predators had just scored two quick goals.
Lyubushkin made up for it with a timeline assist on the game-winning goal. It was a heads-up play to find Kyle Okposo, who tipped the shot between his legs and into the back of the net. That moment was a reminder of Okposo’s skill around the net. And it also illustrated the importance of getting contributions from everyone over the course of an 82-game season. Lyubushkin hasn’t been great for the Sabers this season, but he came through in a big moment.
Early in the season, Lyubushkin took a shot to the foot, and he missed games and then some practice time for the next few months. It’s fair to wonder if there are still some lingering effects from that injury. But he hasn’t been limited in practice since the Sabers got an extended holiday break due to the storm. Whatever the reason, Lyubushkin hasn’t been what the Sabers hoped for when they signed him over the summer. What stings, even more, is that his presence is part of the reason the Sabers felt pressured into waiving Casey Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wasn’t perfect when he was in Buffalo’s lineup this season, but the Panthers saw enough potential to claim him. Now Fitzgerald and the Panthers head to Buffalo on Monday.
4. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got his second straight start, another sign that the Sabers are willing to give him as much time as he earns. He let in a pair of goals early in this game. The first was a point-blank shot for which Luukkonen was set and had a clear view. But it still snuck under his pad. He later let in a goal on a deflection and had another clear shot sneak through under his arm. What mattered, according to Granato, was the way Luukkonen was able to shake off those goals. He came up with a few huge saves down the stretch and finished with 38 saves, including nine on high-danger chances.
5. Zemgus Girgensons didn’t travel with the team because he was under the weather. Peyton Krebs didn’t play in this game because the Sabers sent him down to Rochester as a paper transaction as part of the daily roster management required as they continue to keep three goalies on the 23-man roster.
(Top photo of Sabers goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen making a save against the Predators: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
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