Mar
5
Last night was yet another two-goal scoring plateau for the Sabres, as they rushed out to an early lead. Predictably, the Flyers came storming back to tie the game up at 2-2 and force Buffalo to focus on the importance of winning the game in the third period. Something happened during that second intermission, though, sending the Sabres into a goal-scoring frenzy for the first six minutes of the final 20 minutes. Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Max Afinogenov each netted a goal in the third to seal the win, and send Philadelphia into a tailspin… Finally! Seeing the guys ensure a win prior to overtime and the dreaded shootout was quite exciting! It was a full team effort, with pretty much every line doing something or other to put themselves out front. This win put the Sabres just one point behind the Flyers for the final playoff spot: Still a precarious situation, but much better to be in striking distance!
On a bit of a random tangent, is it just me, or do the Versus announcers absolutely hate the Sabres? Every goal we scored was blamed on Biron being out of position… But how common is it for a guy to get a puck through a six-inch area?! There was more talent than the announcers cared to share. Or maybe I was just going through withdrawal without my Jeanneret-Neale team.
The Sabres next play tonight at 7:30 PM against the Washington Capitals. Both of these teams are hovering around the bottom of the playoff rush, with the Sabres ahead of the Capitals by a somewhat comfortable three points. Fatigue might be a factor for Buffalo, after coming off of last night’s rough and tumble match. One thing is true, though: This is another must-win situation that can be achieved.