SABRES BEAT PANTHERS FOR FIRST WIN THIS SEASON
The Sabres earned their first win of the season Saturday night, as they defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers 5-2. While the power play remains a major concern for the blue and gold, their depth and grit paid dividends at KeyBank Center.
Both teams were without starters. The Sabres were still without JJ Peterka and Nicholas Aube-Kubel, who suffered injuries in their opening weekend in Czechia. Florida, on the other hand, was without their captain Sasha Barkov, and arguably their best player, Matthew Tkachuk.
When dealing with injuries, the reinforcements of each lineup were tested, and it was the Sabres depth that delivered for them. Coach Lindy Ruff went with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, so he really only had three regular forward lines to roll out. I intently watched Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn, and Jiri Kulich, all 23 years old and under, shift after shift, generating successful breakouts and some of the best scoring chances the Sabres had all night. While they did not score, that speedy line helped the Sabres create sustained pressure numerous times. Rolling out the more veteran line of Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, and Jordan Greenway to follow added much more size and tenacity to throw off the Panthers’ defense. When it comes to physicality, the Sabres lead the league, averaging 28 hits per game thus far.
Despite the Sabres getting their first win on the season, their power play still remains scoreless in their 14 opportunities on the year, going 0/3 vs Florida. The biggest issue seemed to be their inability to enter the offensive zone with the man advantage. When I asked Coach Ruff why there was seemingly a reluctance to dump the puck in and create a battle in the offensive zone, Ruff had this to say:
“Tonight, against a team that is really good at denying entries, we made some poor decisions. The plan was if we don't get in on the first attempt then the next one was going to be a rim and you go to work. I think they saw something a little different a couple times and it's just something we’ve got to keep working on.” - Lindy Ruff on the Power Play vs Florida
Buffalo’s power play last year was bottom five in the NHL, a key reason they missed the playoffs.
The Sabres got 5v5 goals from Jordan Greenway, Tage Thompson, Henri Jokiharju, and Mattias Samuelsson, before Alex Tuch added an empty netter to secure the win. Devon Levi made 23 saves for Buffalo, defeating the team that drafted him for the first time in his career.
Now at 1-3, the Sabres have a golden chance to get back on track with a three-game road trip this week, in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Columbus on Thursday, and Chicago on Saturday. All three missed the playoffs last season.
BILLS AT JETS PREVIEW
From one team that found their winning ways to a team that equally as badly needs to find theirs: the 3-2 Buffalo Bills are in New Jersey tonight for the first of two meetings with the 2-3 NY Jets this season.
There will be plenty of “new” for the Bills opponents tonight, not just the fact the stadium is in New Jersey. The Jets will play their first game under Interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich, who took over on Tuesday following the firing of Robert Saleh. Some of the statistics that support the change at HC are the Jets’ historically slow starts and their sheer number of penalties taken under Saleh. Those two areas will surely be points of emphasis for the Bills’ opponent tonight.
This will also be just the second time the Bills face the Jets with Aaron Rodgers in the NY lineup, with the quarterback suffering season ending injury less than 10 plays into his start vs Buffalo last year in week one. Throughout his career in Green Bay, Rodgers is 2-2 vs Buffalo, 1-1 since McDermott has become the Bills Head Coach.
McDermott and Buffalo, they’re dealing with injuries across the board. Defensive Tackle Ed Oliver is officially ruled out for the game, while Running Back James Cook and top Wide Receiver Kahlil Shakir are both listed as questionable. Without Shakir last week, the Bills offense, statistically, had the worst start through the air during the Josh Allen era. A microscope will be on Buffalo’s offensive ability to start in rhythm, staying “ahead of schedule.”
Kickoff tonight is just before 8:30 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
UB BULLS KNOCK OFF TOLEDO, MOVE TO 2-0 IN MACTION
UB Stadium was the place to be Saturday afternoon, as the University at Buffalo Bulls football team knocked off the highly touted Toledo Rockets 30-15. After defeating then-ranked NIU three weeks ago, UB moves to 2-0 in Mid American Conference play, with both wins coming against the two top teams in the MAC.
4-2 Buffalo hosts 3-3 Western Michigan for Homecoming this Saturday afternoon.
DODGERS POUR IT ON METS IN GAME ONE OF NLCS
The New York Mets lost the NLCS opener last night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers took game one 9-0 in LA. The Mets gave up two runs in the bottom of the first inning and were never able to find their groove, ending the game with 3 hits. LA finished with 9 runs on 9 hits and 2 NY errors. Game two is this evening, with first pitch at 4:00 eastern.
YANKEES OPEN ALCS VS CLEVELAND TONIGHT
On the other side of the country, the New York Yankees host game one of the ALCS vs Cleveland tonight in the Bronx. Alex Cobb and Carlos Rodon are the expected starting pitchers for the Guardians and Yankees respectively. First pitch at Yankee Stadium is at 7:30.
NY LIBERTY EVEN WNBA FINALS VS MINNESOTA IN GAME TWO
In Brooklyn, the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in game two of the WNBA Finals, evening the series at one game a piece. The Lynx took game one 95-93, to which the Liberty responded with an 80-66 win on Sunday. Breanna Stewart led the way for a balanced NY attack with 21 points, adding 7 steals and 8 rebounds. Game three is in Minnesota on Wednesday night.
LANCASTER SHOWS RESILIENCE AND GRIT IN WEEK SIX WIN OVER JAMESTOWN
Two of the best coaching staffs went head-to-head on Friday Night Lights in week six, with the Lancaster Legends overcoming injuries to key players to defeat Jamestown 20-13 at Foyle-Kling Field. Lancaster seniors Justin Hartwig and John Gang plus junior Daniel Ahearn punched in scores for the Legends. The scores from Jamestown’s Ayden Samuelsson and Chase Bonta were not enough for the, now, 2-4 Red & Green.
Lancaster moves to 4-2 on the year, securing a decade of dominance, winning their 9th straight meeting over Jamestown.
