Byram’s ‘unbelievable performance’ lifts Sabres to 7th straight win

OTTAWA, Ontario – Bowen Byram hardly got his best shot off, but it did the trick. His fluttering one-timer fooled Linus Ullmark in overtime and gave the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at Canadian Tire Centre.

“Rocket of a shot, huh?,” joked Alex Tuch.

“He’s probably expecting something – I don’t want to criticize Bo – 80, 90 miles an hour,” added a smiling coach Lindy Ruff, “and he got one probably in the low 50s.”

Like Byram’s mishit, not everything has been pretty in the last two weeks, but the Sabres have still managed to string together seven consecutive wins, their longest streak since a 10-gamer in November 2018.

Buffalo now enters the three-day Christmas break just two points out of the second wild card spot. That deficit was eight points after the games of Dec. 8, when the Sabres suffered their most recent loss in Calgary.

“We have everyone contributing, we have everyone playing real good defense, we’re not giving up too much, and it’s winning hockey,” said Tuch, who feels the team’s belief in itself “hasn’t wavered” during this stretch.

While many guys contributed to win No. 7, Byram was on another level, recording two goals and an assist for his second career three-point night. His dominance began late in the first period when he crashed the net, tapped in Jordan Greenway’s backdoor feed and gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead.

The defenseman played a chief role in Buffalo’s pulling ahead 2-1 in the second period, too. Byram received a pass on the left half-wall and circled behind the net before tossing a waist-high shot in Ullmark’s direction. Noah Ostlund, posted up in the slot, deflected in his sixth goal.

With eight goals, Byram has already exceeded his seven from last season and is rapidly approaching his career-high 11 from 2023-24. When he’s jumping into the play so regularly and handling the puck so confidently, as he was Tuesday, the 24-year-old is a serious offensive weapon.

“It’s been a big part of our offense with our D getting involved, from [Rasmus Dahlin] to him to [Mattias Samuelsson], you name it,” Ruff said. “Our D have been able to jump up. You even look at Ottawa’s D, they’re dangerous every time they come up ice, and I think that’s just part of today’s game.

“I really liked [Bo’s] game in New Jersey, and I thought his game tonight was even better.”

Added Tuch: “That’s one of his best games of the year, and cap it all off (with an) OT winner. Really happy for him; it was just an unbelievable performance by him tonight.”

Byram rejected the notion that this was his most involved game, offensively, and like Tuch he credited the whole team for another closely contested win. But there’s no question he was feeling it.

“Sometimes the puck just seems to find you, or situations open up that you can join, and that’s just how it worked tonight,” he said. “I’m just happy that we can go into the break with a smile on our faces and enjoy our time off.”

Here’s more from the overtime win.

PK comes up clutch

Ottawa had quickly answered both of Byram’s regulation plays, and the game remained tied through the third period. With 1:51 remaining, a Tuch hooking penalty left the Sabres shorthanded, without a key penalty killer and desperate to force overtime.

Buffalo’s kill rose to the occasion, as it has all season. Ryan McLeod won a couple faceoffs, Beck Malenstyn blocked a shot and Alex Lyon made a pair of saves – his last in a 24-save performance for his sixth straight win.

That second McLeod faceoff win, seven seconds into overtime after the Senators jumped offsides, led directly to Byram’s 4-on-4 game-winner.

“A lot of confidence in our PK,” Tuch said. “Guys went out there and did a really good job, and it starts with Al in net. He’s been unbelievable for us, especially in this stretch of games, and he’s been our best penalty killer. That’s huge when you’ve got confidence in a guy like that he’ll just keep you in games sometimes when you need him most.

“And then hell of play from Clouder and Bysie; I was just glad to be standing on the ice for it and not hanging my head in the box.”

Energy from the Greenway line

The Sabres' fourth line has had its share of good games this season, and they've all looked similar: pucks down low, extended zone time and a lot of physicality.

Tuesday's game fit the bill. Greenway and Josh Dunne both assisted on Byram’s first goal, and with those guys and Beck Malenstyn deployed at 5-on-5, Buffalo led 11-5 in shot attempts and 8-2 in shots on goal.

“I thought we got a great effort out of the Dunne line again,” said Ruff, who likened Tuesday’s back-and-forth, tight-checking affair to playoff hockey. “I thought Greenway, by far the best game of the year. I think his size down low, he dominated almost every shift he was out there.

“Playoff game, a lot of times the top guys get taken away, and then it’s that supporting act that wins the game for you.”

Up next

The three-day Christmas break. Then, a Saturday showdown with the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. at KeyBank Center. MSG’s pregame coverage will begin at 6:30.

Tickets are available here.