The Buffalo Sabres successfully navigated the California portion of their four-game road trip by securing a sweep of the state’s three NHL teams. Following an earlier overtime loss against Washington, the team shut out the San Jose Sharks, outlasted the Anaheim Ducks in a 7-6 thriller, and topped the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Saturday.
Scoring and Goaltending
Buffalo’s leading scorers provided all the offense in the victory against Los Angeles. Jack Quinn netted his eighth goal of the campaign, while Tage Thompson recorded his team-leading ninth and tenth tallies of the year, breaking a 2-2 deadlock late in the third period. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 27 shots to earn his first victory in more than two weeks, lifting the Sabres’ record to 7-4-3 with 17 points overall.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff evaluated the trip by saying, “(It was) a good road trip, we played some good hockey. There’s areas we still want to improve, but there were a lot of good things. The power play got a couple big goals.” Ruff also highlighted specific contributions, noting, “You look at the power play. the zone time, our entries. The loose-puck recovery by Östlund on the goal tonight was huge. The play that Quinn made to find (Tage). You put the work in, and we’re starting to see results.”
Standings and Upcoming Schedule
Claiming seven out of eight possible points allowed the Sabres to recover from a sluggish opening month. Buffalo sits with 17 points, trailing the first-place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division by four points and the third-place Ottawa Senators by two. Outside of the Carolina Hurricanes at 11-2-2 with 24 points, twelve teams in the Eastern Conference are separated by just six points.
The tight conference standings place added significance on the team’s upcoming four-game homestand, which kicks off against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
