The Sabres couldn’t afford to come back to Buffalo after a three-game trip with a 1-5-1 record. After two avoidable losses in Pittsburgh and Columbus, Buffalo needed a win in Chicago to get back home with 3 points out of a possible 6.
That’s what the Sabres managed to do Saturday with a white-knuckle, less-than-pretty win over the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks outshot the Sabres 37-22 and had twice as many high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, but Buffalo managed to grab an early 2-0 lead and hang on to win 4-2.
When you’re in a slump the way the Sabres have been to start the season, you need your best players to pull you out of it. Buffalo’s top line did that in this game. Tage Thompson opened the scoring with a snap shot off a smooth feed from JJ Peterka. Later in the game, after the Sabres had coughed up a 2-0 lead, it was Thompson setting up Peterka with a perfect pass for what ended up being the game-winning goal.
That line was Buffalo’s best Saturday. The Sabres had a 5-1 advantage in scoring chances with Thompson, Peterka and Alex Tuch on the ice at five-on-five. Tuch was engaged on the forecheck and had three shots on net, and Thompson and Peterka continued their strong scoring streaks to start the season. That type of performance from the top line, some solid goaltending from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and a greasy goal from Beck Malenstyn were enough for the Sabres to edge a still-rebuilding Blackhawks team.
Here are some other takeaways from Buffalo’s win.
1. The power-play drought continues for the Sabres. The Sabres came up empty on four power-play opportunities against the Blackhawks and are 0-for-21 to start the season. Here’s another power-play stat: The Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester has an identical 0-for-21 start on the power play this season.
Coach Lindy Ruff said before the season he thought work ethic could solve a lot of problems for the Sabres’ power play. But the power play has lacked urgency. The Sabres almost allowed another short-handed goal, too. Nick Foligno got an easy break to Buffalo’s net thanks to a casual effort from Rasmus Dahlin.
UPL save on Foligno #sabrehood #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/qhkT5UZbV4
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 20, 2024
Dahlin only has 2 points through seven games and is the quarterback of the team’s league-worst power play. The Blackhawks also had almost 90 percent of the expected goals when Dahlin was on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Sabres were outshot 15-6 when Dahlin was on the ice. Buffalo needs its captain to be a lot better.
2. Mattias Samuelsson continued his rough start to the season Saturday. On Chicago’s second goal of the game, Samuelsson’s poor breakout pass helped the Blackhawks keep possession. Then he put up hardly any resistance as Craig Smith crashed to the net to score on a rebound.
Craig Smith again, 2-2 #sabrehood #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eaYmPLHf2V
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 20, 2024
Samuelsson hasn’t been sharp to start the season, and he’s making too many glaring mistakes in Buffalo’s end. But Ruff is still showing faith in him. He’s not only kept Samuelsson in the lineup, but he also had him on the ice at the end of the game while the Sabres had a one-goal lead and the Blackhawks had the extra attacker on the ice.
3. Luukkonen was locked in early in this game, stopping the first 15 shots he saw including some quality scoring chances for Chicago. But the first goal the Blackhawks scored was an easy one. Smith beat him clean with a shot that Luukkonen would want back. It ended up being the only mistake Luukkonen made in this game. He stopped 35 of Chicago’s 37 shots and came up with a few key saves in the closing minutes of the game while the Sabres were clinging to a one-goal lead. It wasn’t Luukkonen’s flashiest game, but it was the best game he’s played this season and should earn him another start when the Sabres host the Dallas Stars.
4. Jiri Kulich and Ryan McLeod were once again standouts for the Sabres. Kulich led the Sabres with seven shot attempts and five shots on goal. He was also reliable away from the puck and continues to be active on the forecheck. McLeod, meanwhile, extended his goal streak to three games with an empty net goal that was hard-earned. Dylan Cozens forced a neutral zone turnover and then McLeod had to outmuscle a defenseman to gain the zone and get the shot off. Ruff has shown he trusts McLeod to play tough minutes with a lot of defensive zone starts. And he was one of the players on the ice at the end of the game protecting the lead.
5. Jordan Greenway did not play in this game. Ruff said after the game he’s dealing with a lower-body injury. Zach Benson skated in Greenway’s spot on the line with McLeod and Jason Zucker, and Jack Quinn got back into the lineup playing with Cozens and Kulich. From a lineup standpoint, it’s also worth pointing out that the line of Peyton Krebs, Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty had to match up often against Connor Bedard’s line. That wasn’t an easy assignment, and Ruff was pleased with how they handled it. Bedard’s line was scoreless.
(Photo of Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
