You know what they say -- defense wins championships, or in this case, regular season games against the Montreal Canadiens. On Saturday the Buffalo Sabres rallied from behind just like they did on Friday, tying the game at two late in the third period and then earning the win in overtime 3-2.
What a game.
Five observations from Saturday's win:
Unreal goaltending at both ends of the ice
We just have to start with this. In less than ten minutes we saw two save of the year candidates from both goaltenders.
Price save on Ristolainen pic.twitter.com/b1Dl1CecM7
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 22, 2017
Here's the first unbelievable save from Carey Price. I have a feeling we'll see this one this one on SportsCenter Top 10 tomorrow morning.
I'm not going to lie when Price caught Ristolainen's shot I jumped out of my seat. What a save!
Lehner makes a ridiculous save of his own!! pic.twitter.com/2M8mr4NMkP
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 22, 2017
But not to be outdone, Robin Lehner with the Dicky V "ARE YOU SERIOUS" save in overtime. I'm not sure which save was better, but both were out of this world.
Yes, these two saves will be what everyone talks about, but both goaltenders played exceptionally well from start to finish. Lehner concluded the evening with 36 saves, one more than Carey Price who finished with 35.
Defense wins championships
Obviously, I'm kidding, but the Sabres defensemen deserve some serious credit.
A VERY depleted defensive unit held a high-powered Montreal team to only two goals.
When Cody Franson and Zach Bogosian both score and the #Sabres win. Wow. pic.twitter.com/qrcmMCAPzG
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 22, 2017
What was even more impressive? Their ability to contribute offensively. Let's not kid ourselves, this is something we haven't seen happen yet this year but on Saturday Cody Franson and Zach Bogosian stepped up. Talk about the perfect time for Bogosian to get his first goal of the year, eh?
Klutch Kane
Evander Kane finished the night with two assists, and for my money, was one of the Sabres best players. He generated a lot of pressure and always seemed to be creating chances.
While he didn't find the back of the net, he made his presence felt and continued his last few weeks of really solid hockey.
Oh captain, my captain
On Saturday Brian Gionta scored his 10th goal of the season against his former team. Not bad, especially when you consider that last season Gionta finished the year with 12 goals.
Lately, the Sabres 38-year-old captain has cooled off, but barring an epic collapse he'll surpass his 2015-2016 total. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Gionta as the trade deadline approaches. Usually, veterans who are having solid seasons are dealt to help teams making a playoff push unless of course, the Sabres are still in the mix.
Crucial defensive lapses
Lehkonen goal pic.twitter.com/w7lPgTW48m
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 22, 2017
Here's Montreal's first goal. Two things to notice here:
1) the massive rebound
2) How Ryan O'Reilly fails to pick up his man, who in this case is Artturi Lehkonen, who is able to get off a clean, uncontested shot on Lehner.
Danault gets his stick on a Petry point shot. 2-1 #Habs. It was Danault's 10th of the year. pic.twitter.com/ykuGRoktd7
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 22, 2017
Montreal's second goal featured another bad defensive play
1) Phillip Danault's redirection beats Lehner, but Jack Eichel needs to tie up Danault's stick. There's a screen in front so this is already a tough spot for Lehner especially, but if Danault is tied up it would've been a lot harder to redirect that shot.
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