Jhonas Enroth led the Sabres at home as they looked to be playoff spoilers against the Winnipeg Jets. He owned the first period, stopping all 14 shots fired at him. Evander Kane was awarded a penalty shot after being tripped down, but failed to fool Enroth.
After a scoreless first period, Buffalo came out strong with an aggresive shift by Vanek, Ennis, and Hodgson, but they continued to not find the back of the net.
After a penalty on John Scott, the Jets counter-attacked the Sabres surge with some powerplay pressure. Buffalo was scrambling in their own end, but Enroth was able to find the puck every time it was shot at him.
The first goal of the night came from Winnipeg. Aaron Gagnon scored his third career NHL goal and second against the Sabres as he tipped the puck past Enroth after getting the feed from Meech.
Buffalo did not take long to answer with a goal of their own, this one coming on the power play. Good puck movement opened up Ennis, who was able to slip a pass over to Thomas Vanek. He tipped the pass in past Pavelec to tie the game up at one.
The latter part of the period was filled with Enroth making saves whether facing forwards or backwards, and then Steve Ott sticking up for a Erhoff by getting in a fight with captain Andrew Ladd.
The first half of the third period did not belong to either team as both goalies stopped whatever was thrown at them. With 7:36 remaining in regulation, Winnipeg took the lead back as Evander Kane got in Enroth’s field of vision which was just enough for the Miettinen shot to find its way into the net.
At the other end of the ice, Pavelec made a spectacular save on Vanek’s toe-drag shot and kept the Jets in the lead. He continued to stand tall as the Sabres brought their full offensive force towards the end of the game, leading the Jets to a 2-1 victory and keeping them in the playoff race.
This was not a terrible loss for the Sabres; Enroth shined in net and stopped all seven powerplays against. Steve Ott expressed after the game that it was tough knowing they cannot win the Cup this year, but the team still has pride.
The Sabres next game is tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, where the puck drops shortly after 7:30 PM. The game will be broadcast on MSG.