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You cannot win them all

Sabres1 – Blue Jackets 5 (en) Sometimes the other team’s goaltender just shuts the door as was the case last night as Columbus (G) Greaves faced 33 Buffalo SOG with only one getting past him.

For Buffalo, goaltending was not the only inconsistency; the Sabres special teams had five power plays that fizzled and were even scored against shorthanded, there are no real reasons or excuses, there are games that get away from you, no shame.

On the bright side Buffalo launched over 30 SOG and won most of the faceoffs and (RW) Doan continues to shine for the Sabres as he knotted the game at one apiece before the Sabres skate blades came off altogether.

Buffalo has two days off before hosting the Vancouver Canucks this coming Tuesday night at 7 pm EST.

New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers

Rangers 5 – Panthers 1 (en) This game had nearly everything, the Classic’s first Hat Trick, power play goals, a disallowed goal, and a short-handed empty net goal, the only thing missing were the fans.

Can you imagine going to Florida where it does not snow to attend an outdoor ice hockey game where the fans pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars to sit in the front row seats that are literally 20 to 50 yards away from the playing surface?

Once the Rangers (C) Zibanejad completed his hat trick the announcer commented that if a fan could throw a hat onto to the ice celebrating the hat trick it would be a world’s record, this remark highlights how far away the fans were from the game.

The Rangers are undefeated (6-0) in Winter Classic games, have scored 5 goals in three of them and not only did Rangers (C) Zibanejad score the first hat trick of the Winter Classic games but he also earned a Winter Classic record 5 points.

The defending two-time Stanley Cup champion Panthers outshot the Rangers with an almost 2-1 advantage (37-20) but could only score during the third period on the power play with the goaltender pulled creating a 6 on 4 Florida man advantage.

The game’s outcome places both Florida & New York in a tie with Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference standings behind Buffalo for the second wild card seeding.

10th Consecutive Win for Buffalo

Sabres 4 – Stars 1 The Buffalo Sabres are the second wild card seeded team in the Eastern Conference after winning ten in a row which includes an unprecedented seven road victories.

The game started off on the wrong skate as the Stars quickly took the 1-0 lead just 15 seconds after the opening faceoff and carried it into the second period as both teams combined for 28 SOG during the first period alone.

The second period belongs to Buffalo, and they proved it again last night taking a 2-1 lead on goals by Sabres (RW) Doan and (D) Byram with (C) Thompson and (C) Ostlund earning the primary assists then these four players continued their offensive contributions in the third period.

During the third period Buffalo (C) Thompson scored twice with (RW) Doan, (C) Ostlund, and (D) Byram earning assists as the Sabres took a 4-1 stranglehold on Dallas with eight and half minutes remaining in the game Buffalo also held Dallas to 7 SOG during the period and Sabres (G) Luukkonen was a brick wall throughout the game assisting in Buffalo beating Dallas 4-1 on the road.

The Buffalo Sabres next travel to Ohio preparing for a road contest versus the Columbus Blue Jackets this Saturday afternoon at 3 pm EST, endeavoring to continue their current winning streak.

Sabres win ninth consecutive game

Sabres 4 – Blues 2 (en) The Buffalo Sabres have earned a nine-game winning streak that also includes six road victories, the Sabres last victorious six-game road streak was accomplished in 1976 led by the French Connection during Christmas.

Buffalo began the game on a high note, controlling play and scoring first, but the Blues bounced back with two goals in five minutes before the first period was half over, then St Louis went on the power play against one of the premier penalty killers in the NHL and could not score.

During the second period with Buffalo down two goals, the Sabres (RW) Tuch scored twice with his first score ruled a “no-goal” because he directed it with his skate, but his second goal counted and tied the game at two heading into the third period.

Before the third period was two minutes old, Sabres (LW) Benson demonstrated superior eye-hand coordination while at the side of the St Louis net as he batted in the puck giving Buffalo the 3-2 lead early in the period.

The Sabres held the Blues to only two shots on goal during the third period and Sabres (C) Krebs scored the empty net goal with 76 seconds remaining in the game for the 4-2 victory.

New Year’s Eve finds the Buffalo Sabres dueling the Dallas Stars in Texas at 8 pm EST, and afterwards there should be enough time to celebrate the countdown to Midnight.