BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Sabres are winners of two straight games following a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night. Four different players scored in the win including Captain Jack Eichel (more on his accomplishment below). Linus Ullmark made 29 saves. The Sabres are back on home ice Thursday when they host the Nashville Predators.
5 Observations from tonight's game
The Captain's streak continues
Look up the word fire and you'll find Jack Eichel's name. After the Blues tied things up 2-2 in the third period, Eichel had a response in a big way. With 14:14 left in the game, Eichel was given all the time in the world and a wide open lane for that matter as he put the Sabres back up by a goal. He added his second of the night, an empty-netter, with just seconds left in regulation. Eichel now has 20 goals and 24 assists this season for 44 points. He's well on his way to surpassing his performance last season and possibly reach the 100 point mark before the season is up.
A first in nearly two months
With their win tonight over the Blues, the Sabres have won back-to-back games for the first time since October 19th and 22nd. They had a long stretch last season and the last thing they needed was to have a streak like this extend into the new year. Getting two straight wins has been a long time coming and to get back on the right side of a streak could go a long way for a team needing any kind of spark.
Wanted: the power in power play
Here's a startling stat thanks to our friend John Vogl of The Athletic. Since November 1st, the Sabres are 4-for-56 on the power play. Just take a minute and think about that. Entering tonight's game, the Sabres ranked 21st in the league with a 17.8 power play percentage that includes 18 PPG on the season (12 of those from Eichel and Olofsson). When you have the extra man, you HAVE to capitalize at least some of the time. That hasn't been the case for the Sabres as of late.
Shot, DING, repeat
It's a sound you either love or hate to hear: the ding of the puck hitting the post. For the majority of fans inside KeyBank Center, it was a sound they would've loved to hear all night long. Tonight, the Blues hit the post not once, not twice, but three times within a seven minutes of game clock in the second period alone. The Sabres have been on the wrong side of the "ding" many times during this season and for once, the unluckiness of the missed shot benefited them.
Seven of Ten
Through five games this month, the Sabres have grabbed seven of a possible ten points with nine games left before the new year. That's a huge improvement considering they only grabbed nine points during the entire month of November. The two points tonight are huge, especially coming against the defending Stanley Cup Champs, and even better, with their win on Tuesday night the Sabres own sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division.
