The Buffalo Sabers looked in good shape to bounce back from the loss that ended their 10-game winning streak in Columbus on Saturday, leading the last-place Vancouver Canucks 4-1 midway through the third period, but two goals in 39 seconds cut the lead to just one goal and forced head coach Lindy Ruff to call a timeout to blunt the Canucks’ momentum.
The Sabers managed to calm the waters and responded with an empty net to earn their 11th win in the last 12 games, 5-3 over Vancouer at KeyBank Center on Tuesday night.
Advertisement
Ruff spoke to the media after the match:
On the effort, the battles along the boards and the penalties?
Overall, there were some good things there, I thought some side plays on the entries didn’t like, when we were turning pucks over, but for the most part, after a long road trip and practice, I thought we played pretty well.
Were you happy with how comfortable the club was when the game got tight late in the third?
Yeah, we just talked about it. All I said is that we have been in this position many times and we will be in it many more times. Just play our game. The system is locked. Be prepared…..I thought the execution after that was pretty good. (Vancouver) put a little pressure.
Advertisement
Other Sabers stories
Six former Sabers who signed elsewhere
Were you happy that Zach Metsa was able to score his first NHL goal for the game-winner?
Every time a guy scores his first goal, you can see his excitement. You play the game, you want to get on the board at some point, and that turns out to be a huge goal. (It was a) pretty good play, where he jumped and and I think he just got inside (Evander) Kane for the goal and a great shot… He defends well, I think his numbers speak for themselves.
How satisfied are you with the club’s situation after 41 games?
There were a ton of injuries. When we go into the locker room after the game, there are still six or seven guys standing. We’ve had to kind of work our way through the year, you see Kulich being our No. 1 center, Norris, and those two guys are out for a long period of time. I think we did a good job of finding a balance and asking guys to play and play and help us win hockey games. We had a good run. I thought during the period where we lost a few in overtime we played pretty well without capitalizing on a one game mentality, we fought for a good place with 48 points in 41 games. Usually 96 points, if you do this over the next 41 points we will put you in the playoffs.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
THN.Com/Free
