HOLEEE CRAP.
The Buffalo Sabres capped an absolutely amazing 3rd period comeback with a solid shootout performance to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 tonight.
I thought tonight would be a comedown from the Sabs draining victory in Carolina the other night, but they proved they have the endurance to win consecutive overtime games. Ryan Miller appeared to struggle, letting 4 goals by even though he faced only 27 shots, but I have to say Montreal has some pretty damn good scorers, so I’m not too surprised.
The Sabres offense, however, was merciless. After a slow start, with Montreal dominating shots on goal early on, the Sabres absolutely terrorized Cristobel Huet through the second and third periods. Huet even looked good, stopping 33 shots, but late in the game the Sabres team speed took over.
Max Afinogenov, Daniel Briere and Thomas Vanek were the NHL’s three stars tonight, but I’d have to say Vanek, Briere and Jaro Spacek were mine. Vanek showed he’s got the skills to dominate, but Spacek seemed to be involved with everything good the Sabres were doing tonight.
The turning point of the game seemed to be the middle of the third period, with the Sabres being penalized left and right while the officials seemed to ignore some serious Montreal violations. I’ll let BFLOBLOG commenter Val sum it up:
They got pissed. After they were all in the box and we were jipped out of a penalty shot- I think they decided then and there that they were gonna win…
What magic – the Sabres are proving last year was no fluke, and they’re built to dominate in the new NHL.
