The first installment of Sabres after dark saw them travel to Edmonton to face the Oilers. This St. Patrick’s Day game gave fans plenty of reasons to go to bed early. So let’s talk about what happened with the Sabres after dark.
Buffalo has come off of two huge back-to-back wins and were looking to have their first three-game win streak in regulation since January of 2020.
Both Zemgus Girgensons and Colin Miller made their long-awaited Sabres return, and you could tell they were a step behind for most of the night.
First Period
Edmonton wasted no time taking control of this game, as Kailer Yamamoto scored just seven minutes into the affair. A broken play in the Sabres’ end resulted in the explosive Oiler offense capitalizing; this was a common theme throughout the night.
Edmonton had 19 wins and ZERO losses when they scored first this season; so not really an ideal start for Buffalo.
I’m not sure if you all have heard of this Connor McDavid guy, but he is pretty damn good. He controlled the game every single shift he was on the ice, and I am so glad he is in the Pacific Division.
McDavid had the puck on a string for the Oilers’ second goal of the night. Number 97 is known for his skill, but he just worked harder than every Sabre, which resulted in the puck ending up behind Craig Anderson.
While this period was hectic in the Sabres’ end, they found a way to put up seven shots against a very hot Oilers team at home.
Second Period
Buffalo needed a big spark in this period to get them back into this game, but instead, they got a Leon Draisaitl goal. The German scored his 40th goal of the season and gave his squad a 3-0 lead.
A massive “dang-it” off a defensive zone faceoff win for Buffalo gave Draisaitl an open net to shoot at and score. Another Sabres mental lapse, another Oilers goal.
Just five minutes after this goal, Edmonton found another goal scorer. A shot from Darnell Nurse snuck through several bodies and upped his team’s lead to four.
Edmonton controlled every aspect of this game; they showed just how far this team needs to go in the next few years to be a real contender.
Third Period
For those of you who saw the 4-0 lead and decided to stay up for the final period, you were rewarded.
Victor Olofsson continues his scoring resurgence three minutes into this final frame. The Swede rips home a one-timer from Rasmus Asplund. The Sabres started to gain some life after this goal and began to play with some moxie.
Casey Mittelstadt draws a powerplay for the Sabres and they could cut the lead to two with a powerplay marker.
Instead, Devin Shore got a shorthanded breakaway and snuck it five-hole on Anderson. This goal ended all hope for a Sabres comeback.
Edmonton continued to dominate the rest of this contest with numerous odd-man rushes.
However, it was Tyson Barre on the powerplay to give Edmonton their final goal of the night. The Sabres penalty kill has been very solid this last stretch of games, but the Oilers were just too much.
Thankfully for the blue and gold, this game is behind them. This was a big learning curve for this club on where they need to be in the future. It was a nice stretch beating both Vegas and Toronto in passionate games, but his game has brought the Sabres back down to Earth.
Craig Anderson did all he could tonight with several huge saves, no goalie in the world would have won this game for Buffalo.
There is little rest for this squad as they continue their western road trip with a game on Friday against the Flames. Puck drop is at 10 p.m. est as the Sabres look to get back on their recent winning ways.