[tab: Recap]
Friday night ended with a huge victory for Buffalo. The Sabres went into Ottawa and defeated the Senators, 2-1.
Derek Roy scored Buffalo’s first goal of the season on a nice move to beat Ottawa goaltender Pascal Leclaire. Tyler Ennis and Shaone Morrisonn assisted on the goal.
In the last minute of play in the second period, Chris Kelly connected on a one timer to tie the game at one.
The Sabres outshot the Senators 16-3 in the second period, but Ottawa scored the only goal.
In the third, on the power play, Roy banked the puck in off of Leclaire from behind the net to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead.
Buffalo made it interesting by taking two penalties in the last five minutes of the third period. The Sabres managed to hold on and win the season opener.
The Senators had 14 shots in the third period, but couldn’t beat Ryan Miller again. Miller finished the night with 25 of 26 saves, earning his first victory of the season.
Buffalo will head home to face the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
Full recap and analysis to come shortly, along with video highlights of the game.
In Washington, Atlanta’s goaltender Ondrej Pavelec passed out and collapsed on the ice and was taken off on a stretcher.
“Preliminary tests were negative,” the team said in a statement. “He’s awake, alert and asking about the score of the game but will be kept overnight for observation.”
Here is the video below:
[tab: Preview]
Buffalo Opens Up the 2010-2011 Season in Ottawa
Hockey is officially back as the Sabres will visit Ottawa tonight for its first game of the season at 7:30. Buffalo did not fare well against the Senators last year, going 1-4-1.
Tonight, the Sabres have a chance to claim revenge and start off the season with a victory. However, Ryan Miller has struggled against Ottawa throughout his career, winning just nine of 24 starts.
This is a big test for the Sabres, especially since they only defeated Ottawa once last season. A season-opening win on the road against their division rivals would be a huge win and a great way to start off the season.