BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres forward Tage Thompson likes how Buffalo has responded after losses this season. The next challenge for a franchise in the midst of an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought is how it handles a taste of success.
Modest as Buffalo’s three-game winning streak is after a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday, the Sabres have an opportunity to win four in a row for the first time in 21 months when they host Montreal on Monday.
“It gives you some confidence. It’s nice to see you get rewarded for the process that you put forward,” said Thompson, before noting how Buffalo's past struggles were in part the result of veering away from the process.
“It’s easy when things don’t go your way to try to do individual stuff out there, myself included,” he added. “I think we’ve learned, obviously, the hard way. You just have to commit to playing the game the right way and trusting even when you’re not feeling great or things aren’t bouncing your way.”
The win against the Flames was an example, and followed a 5-1 win against Ottawa on Tuesday and 6-1 victory at the New York Rangers on Thursday.
Against Calgary, the Sabres maintained their composure after squandering a 2-0 lead, with Mikael Backlund forcing overtime with 4:18 left in regulation. After spending the final 80 seconds of overtime successfully killing off a too-many-men penalty, JJ Peterka scored the lone shootout goal and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen secured the win by stopping all three shootout attempts.
“It wasn’t our prettiest game by any means, but found a way to get the job done,” Thompson said.
The three-game win streak is Buffalo’s second of the season, matching the team’s total last year. And the team hasn’t won four straight since a five-game run spanning Jan. 19-26, 2023.
Though the Sabres have the same 7-7-1 record through 15 games as last year under coach Don Granato, Buffalo has shown encouraging glimpses of being more competitive under Lindy Ruff, who returned for a second stint after being hired in April.
Slow starts are no longer an issue. After ranking tied for 27th among NHL teams in allowing the game-opening goal 46 times last year, Buffalo is tied for second in falling behind 1-0 just four times. Goal-scoring is up with Buffalo entering Saturday tied for eighth in the league with 49 goals after being 23rd last year.
And special teams are finally making a difference. After opening the season failing to score on their first 22 power-play opportunities, the Sabres are 7 for 23 over the past seven outings. And Buffalo has killed off 10 straight power-play chances and not allowed a man-advantage goal in its past six wins.
Ruff has also introduced accountability, something numerous players said was lacking under Granato after his dismissal.
After a three-game skid, Buffalo’s winning streak coincided with Ruff shaking up his lineup by benching defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju and fourth-line checking forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
“I’ve probably been more patient than I’ve ever been just trying to figure these guys out. But there’s a standard you have to play to and the standard, it hasn’t been good enough,” Ruff said, referring to his benched players. “I like the way the group has played, but knowing that we’re going to need the other guys, too.”
The key for Ruff and the Sabres now is to sustain what they’ve been doing right.
“Every team finds pockets of the schedule where they gain momentum. We’ve put two nice games together, and we’d like to continue that,” Ruff said, during his pregame availability on Saturday.
Ruff’s message didn’t change afterward, by saying: “When you get on a roll, you want to stay on a roll.”
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John Wawrow, The Associated Press
