Senators 5, Sabres 3
Note to SabreNation: The 07-8 version of our guys are not Stanley Cup contenders. Tonight was just another example of this truth. A solid team, yep. A playoff team - at the moment. Elite NHL team….forgetaboutit.
The Sabs came into tonight’s game playing the best stretch of hockey of the season having won six in a row and thirteen of their last seventeen. With the run putting them into the postseason hunt, tonight’s game was expected to be a game to show exactly where they stood against the conference’s best team.
Pffffffft…..nope. Not there, that’s for certain as Buffalo drops a 5-3 decision to the Sens in front of another boisterous packed house downtown. The Sabres outshot the Sens 32-24 and got three markers from Jochen Hecht, Brian Campbell and Adam Mair. But a shaky outing from Ryan Miller doomed the Sabres, putting them into a hole three goals deep in the third period that they weren’t able to rally from.
The game was iced when Ottawa’s Dany Heatley added an empty netter in the game’s final tick of the clock.
The game’s opening period went by without much incident, save for Tim Connolly’s “welcome back” moment where he tagged Sens goaltender Martin Gerber with a slapshot off the head. Gerber was shaken but able to continue.
In period two things began to heat up with the two clubs trading goals early in the period, then the Sabres had a wild stretch for about a minute or so where Ottawa consistently turned the puck over in their own zone giving Buffalo multiple glorious opportunties without success. So of course shourtly thereafter Wade Redden finds an open net on the power play to give the Sens the lead.
Towards the end of the period the Sens began to take over the play and sure enough Mike Fisher would clean up a mess in front of the net with a rebound into it for a 3-1 lead with less than two to go in the period.
With the third period beginning it seemed that Buffalo scoring first would be imperative, didn’t happen as Alfredsson put one past Miller in the first minute of play. And while the Sabres would rally to within a goal, they weren’t able to convert a critical power play opportunity in the game’s final minutes and the Sens would hang on for the W.
Afterward the frustration seemed centered on the inability to play a complete game tonight. Quipped Pominville about the third period: “We got our legs moving, we got pucks deep, and when we do that we can play with anyone.” Tim Connolly added that “we match up well with them, they played well at times and we played well at times. We’ve just got to put it together for a full sixty minutes……”
Lindy seemed very matter of fact about things. When asked about the goaltending: “You’re going to need great goaltending to beat that team.” And may have hinted at the Christmas break being a factor for some, noting that “some players react differently” to the time off.
Sabres now face a thirteen point gap between them and the Sens and now head off to Jersey Friday night. The next Sabres home game….do I really need to discuss that one????
