Author: Buffalo Winter

First Place Overall

I did not earn the highest total for the week but won my weekly matchup, additionally, I have moved into sole possession of my Division and the League lead, momentarily, with only six weekly matchups played there is plenty of time for playoff seedings to be earned and lost between now and March 15th the end of the FHL regular season.

I have snatched up (RW) Hyman who made his return Saturday and contributed immediately, so with a fresh batch of seven waiver wire moves the first thing I did this morning after noticing Edmonton’s winger was back, was make room for him on my roster.

I have seven players for tonight’s six game NHL schedule which includes four in the Sabres vs Oilers contest, PSA remember to move players from the bench to the active roster and as obvious as this reads people can become busy and not get to this task before the games start, in a FHL there are few things that can be as frustrating to a team manager than watching a player on the bench earn monster points.

INTERESTING GAME FROM LAST NIGHT

Canucks 6 – Lightning 2 (en) Tampa Bay took the 1-0 lead late in the first period where the Lightning outshot Vancouver 13-1 and did not score until their 13th shot with 35 seconds remaining in the period, and nearly five minutes into the second period Tampa Bay scored again for the dreaded, “Two Goal Lead”, (eventually the Lightning had one goal taken back for a high stick) which they lost mightily as the Canucks also scored in the second period earning Vancouver a 1-2 deficit going into the third period.

After taking one SOG in the first period the Canucks fired 11 SOG in the third period and it was glorious for Vancouver as the Canucks scored five times in 13 minutes including the empty net when Tampa Bay was down by three with three minutes remaining in the game to crush the Lightning for a convincing road victory.

Buffalo earns first road victory

Sabres 5 – Red Wings 4 (OT) Buffalo is the number one Penalty Killing team in the NHL, and last night they stopped four of five Detroit man advantages and scored shorthanded.

The Sabres (RW) Doan after getting cross-checked from behind to the ice, got right back up and passed the puck backwards and between his legs to (C) Thompson who then proceeded down the ice around and underneath both Detroit defensemen to score the third goal while flying over the goaltender’s pad in the blue ice.

Buffalo (C) McLeod while killing a Detroit powerplay stole the puck from a Detroit defenseman at the Sabres blue line, skated down the right dasher boards then cut in towards the front of the Red Wings net and just blasted a wrister right past the netminder shorthanded to tie the game at 4-4 nearly halfway through the third period.

Buffalo Captain (D) Dahlin in his first game back dished out two assists, Sabres (G) Ellis in his second start earned his first NHL point assisting on (C) Thompson’s goal, and both (C) Thompson and (RW) Doan each scored and earned an assist.

The cherry on top last night was (D) Samuelsson in the slot scoring the OT winner from the (C) Thompson assist who flatten his man to the ice as he took the puck giving Buffalo it’s second win versus Detroit in their three-game series this season with game three scheduled next year March.

Monday night Buffalo hosts Edmonton at 7 pm, the first of a three-game homestand.

Ostervala Overtime

Predators 2 – Penguins 1 (OT) The 47th NHL regular season game outside of North America was played in Ostervala, Sweden and the game had Pittsburgh scoring first, sort of, the Penguins were credited with 2 SOG for the second period, but realistically they took just one, as a Penguin player endeavored to shoot the puck out from underneath the goal line towards the front of Nashville’s net the puck took an errant deflection off of Predators winger stick blade and into the net for a Pittsburgh 1-0 lead.

With 70 seconds remaining in the third period of a 1-0 game Nashville’s Swedish native (LW) Filip Forsberg with a deadly backhand scored to tie the game 1-1 forcing overtime, it was his eighth of the season.

It took the Predators a mere 44 seconds into overtime before Nashville’s 35 years old (C) Stamkos skated down the right side unmolested and snapped a blistering shot from near the right faceoff dot to the upper left corner over the goaltender’s shoulder for the win.

Nashville and Pittsburgh play game two in Stockholm, Sweden Sunday morning beginning at 9 am Eastern Standard Time.

Early deficit buries Sabres

Sabres 3 – Avalanche 6 (en) Buffalo killed off both penalties and scored on the power play, (D) Byram working on his second full season with Buffalo scored on his former team, (D) Greenway scored his first of the season to get the Sabres within one at 3-2 to end the first period.

The Sabres (C) Thompson scored on the power play for his seventh of the year to tie the game at three apiece late in the second period, but the empty net goal ended the two-game 2025/26 regular season series between these two teams with Colorado sweeping the Sabres.

This Saturday night the Sabres play the Red Wings in Detroit at 7 pm for the final game of this four-game road trip.

Buffalo has yet to beat the new franchise Utah

Sabres 2 – Mammoth 5 (en) The Sabres killed off both Mammoth power plays, both (RW) Quinn and (D) Byram each earned their fifth assist of the season, and (RW) Rosen had his first multiple-point game by scoring twice giving Buffalo the 2-0 lead nearly seven minutes into the second period.

During the third period as Buffalo took only 3 SOG Utah scored three times to take the 4-2 lead, both (C) Krebs and (C) Dunne each were whistled for game misconducts with 23 seconds left in the period as Buffalo desperately tried to score twice by pulling the goalie towards the end of regulation.

No time to rest as the Sabres continue tonight in Colorado to take on the Avalanche at 9 pm in game three of this five-game road trip.