‘It’s the best place to play’ | Buffalo keeps rolling with another home win

The Buffalo Sabres treated another sellout crowd at KeyBank Center to yet another win on Saturday, beating the Anaheim Ducks 5-3.

A sixth straight home win puts the Sabres (52 points) in the first Eastern Conference wild card spot, at least for the night, and they’re now 14-5-2 at home this season. They also made a bit of franchise history, having won 13 times in a 14-game stretch for the first time ever.

“It was sick,” first-year Sabre Josh Doan said of Saturday’s atmosphere. “… You can feel the energy off every play. We were told coming here that, when you’re winning, it’s the best place to play, and you’re starting to feel that.”

“I think the players rewarded the fans for the energy they put in the building,” added coach Lindy Ruff.

The offensively minded Ducks made for a fast-paced game in both directions, and a 2-on-1 rush resulted in a Jack Quinn goal just 2:03 in. The winger snapped a nine-game drought with his first of two goals on the night.

Quinn’s line was buzzing all night, especially in the first period. Ryan McLeod set up the opening goal and was a constant threat on the rush. Zach Benson had two early breakaway chances, the second resulting in a penalty shot, but Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal stopped all three backhand attempts. Benson still picked up two assists in the win, and Buffalo led 8-1 in scoring chances with that trio on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick.

“I felt like our line was really good tonight,” said Quinn, who’s up to nine goals this season. “We were all over it. We’re having a lot of fun, and I feel like the high-paced game kind of suits our line.”

Ruff has raved about his team’s depth contributions recently, calling it something of a competition between lines, and the first line one-upped Quinn’s midway through the second period.

Doan, whom Ruff called “a hound around the puck” on Thursday, stole it from an unaware Tim Washe at the Sabres’ offensive blue line and handed off to Peyton Krebs. Krebs found an open Tage Thompson for a backdoor tap-in, his 22nd goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.

“Pure effort,” Ruff said of Doan’s steal. “… That’s just determination. That’s not quitting on a play. That’s tracking back, getting under his stick. It was just a great play.”

Krebs notched the primary helper on the Thompson goal and registered another assist in the third period, hitting Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson with an ankle-breaking deke to help set up Bowen Byram’s 10th goal.

A fixture on the top line for nearly a month, Krebs hasn’t looked one bit out of place, complementing his usual skating and tenacity with some playmaking touch. He’s got eight points (3+5) since joining forces with Thompson and Doan.

“Playing against him last year, he’s someone you hate playing against and someone you want on your team,” Doan said. “… He’s someone that I think drives our line a little bit with how he gets in on the forecheck, and his speed pushes guys back. I think it took a couple games for us to kind of mesh, but now that we’re going, it’s fun to find him and use his speed as an advantage.”

On any given night this last month, the Sabres have seen different guys step up and put their stamp on a winning effort. Saturday was Quinn’s and Krebs’ turn.

Here’s more from the win.

Another late lapse

Like on Tuesday versus Vancouver, a comfortable late lead quickly got uncomfortable for the Sabres.

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was again just minutes from a shutout, but three Ducks goals in a four-minute span – a dangle alone in front, a deflection off a Buffalo stick and an uncovered cross-crease pass – gave Anaheim a chance.

“That’s on us; that wasn’t good enough,” Ruff said. “We let our goalie down. That is not up to par for our club. Our club can’t accept that. We’re a better club than that. We played well to that point. What we did in that last five minutes isn’t good enough.”

“It’s not perfect, but it never is,” added Luukkonen, who finished with 31 saves and improved to 9-6-1 this season. “I feel like, as long as we keep winning, it doesn’t matter how we do it.”

More offense from Buffalo helped overcome that Anaheim surge. Quinn scored his second of the game with four minutes remaining, and Josh Norris added an empty netter with 11 seconds.

Doan drops the gloves

The energetic crowd grew louder thanks to a third-period fight. Doan grabbed at Ducks forward Ryan Strome behind the play, Strome retaliated with a slash, then they dropped the gloves at center ice for Doan’s first career fight. Buffalo’s contestant got the quick takedown.

“He plays a hard game, and I play a hard game,” Doan said. “… He’s never gonna back down from anyone, so respect to him, and that’s just part of the game.”

Added Thompson: “Sometimes tempers get high and you’ve got to take care of your own business, and I thought he did a great job.”

Up next

A four-game week begins Monday at 7 p.m. versus the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center. MSG’s pregame coverage starts at 6:30.

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