Sabres (16-7-2) vs. Rangers (13-13-1)
Miller vs. Lundqvist
Two former Sabres, Chris Drury and Ales Kotalik, made a visit back to HSBC arena on Saturday night. It was Kotalik’s first game in Buffalo since going to Edmonton a couple years back.
Buffalo began the first period with all kinds of pressure in the offensive zone. The Rangers cashed in on their scoring opportunity when Christopher Higgins scored on a 2 on 1. It was Higgins’ third goal of the season.
Buffalo continued to put pressure on, especially in the third period. They came close numerous times, but were unable to get the puck past Henrik Lundqvist.
The Sabres made too many turnovers and the Rangers took advantage of it. Ryan Callahan made it 2-0 in the third period.
Finally, with the goaltender pulled, Jason Pominville broke the shutout. With less than a minute remaining, the Sabres got on the board.
During the final minute, Buffalo scrambled to get pucks to the front of the net, but would not be able to score again. The Rangers escaped Buffalo with two points.
For the third time this season, Buffalo has lost after winning four in a row. The Sabres still have three games left on this homestand, an opportunity to get another winning streak going.
Buffalo outshot the Rangers 19-8 in the 3rd and 37-32 overall.
Buffalo and Boston have been switching spots between 1st and 2nd in the conference. The Sabres now trail the Bruins by one point.
The Sabres have three tough opponents ahead of them as they will play New Jersey, Washington, and Chicago.