BUFFALO, N.Y. [WKBW] — Don't let the standings fool you, on Tuesday night the Buffalo Sabres looked like a much better team than the Detroit Red Wings. The Sabres offense exploded scoring four goals in the first period, en route to a 7-3 win spoiling Patrick Kane's homecoming.
5 Observations from the Sabres win:
Bo Knows
How to play hockey. I knew Bo Byram had potential, but I didn't think he would immediately make such an impact. It's easy to look at the box score from Tuesday's game and see his two goals, but his play at both ends of the ice is calm and opportunistic. He knows when to jump into a rush but when defending his end he shows poise.
Dude, Byram is really good.
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) March 12, 2024
Playing alongside Rasmus Dahlin certainly doesn't hurt, but since joining the Sabres Byram has been their best player. That pair has ridiculous potential for the Sabres for years to come.
Offensive explosion
When it's your night everything seems to go in. The Sabres lit up both Red Wings goaltenders, but a lot of their goals probably should've been stopped. Hey, you still need to score them and plenty of times this season they haven't, but this will be a nice test to see how they respond on Thursday.
At times this season, we've seen a huge game from the offense and then they go cold. The good news for the Sabres this time around is they had a big game and that didn't even include goals from guys like Tage Thomspon or Dylan Cozens.
Benson's bright future
I am constantly impressed with Zach Benson's game. He doesn't play like a rookie, let alone one who is 18 years old. HE WAS BORN IN 2005.
1) Very high because he already does a lot of the little things well. He's good defensively and the offense will come. Probably like 70-80. https://t.co/buXtkJLCs8
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) March 12, 2024
Benson's attention to detail is refined and I'm not just talking about someone his age. I just keep wondering how good he can be in a few years. With his goal on Tuesday, he now has seven on the season but I have no doubts the offense will come.
Minor gripes
Listen, they dominated this game but I have a few gripes. This is me being nitpicky.
When Luukkonen was run over in the second period someone should've responded. I know it wasn't intentional but I don't care. Don't let anyone touch your goalie. At that point you're up five goals, you can afford to give up a penalty.
I didn't think Peyton Krebs had a very good game. The first Red Wings goal was a result of him not tying up Ben Chariot's one-timer. He also had a few turnovers at his blue line. It's just one game, but I thought he was trending in the right direction but took a step back on Tuesday.
Also the power play is still very uninteresting.
Can they pull it off?
At the time of this article's completion, the Sabres are five points out of the final playoff spot. With two more games against Detroit on the schedule, the Sabres could catch the slumping Red Wings. But the issue for the Sabres is the other teams in the mix. The Islanders for example are red-hot. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and look dangerous. If Buffalo can beat the Islanders on Thursday, the playoff outlook looks a whole lot more promising. With two more games left this week, the Sabres need a minimum of three points. If they can get that, their trip to the West Coast next week will be worth staying up late for.
Do I think they do it?
No.
But as many of you like to tell me on social media I'm usually not right.
