Sabres re-commit to defense, pass ‘big test’ vs. Lightning

The Buffalo Sabres hadn’t looked like themselves. Since December, strong team defense had lifted them out of last place and into a playoff berth, but that was missing from the last couple games, especially Saturday’s loss in Washington.

Monday’s showing at KeyBank Center was more like it. The Sabres held onto a lead and beat Tampa Bay, 4-2, limiting the high-powered Lightning to 25 shots on goal.

“I just thought we looked like the team that had been playing all year,” said coach Lindy Ruff. “We got a little out of sync in the Ottawa (and) Washington games. Spent a lot of time looking at a lot of stuff this morning with the group and talking about how we need to play. And I thought the guys put in a great effort.”

Jason Zucker deflected a point shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy, his 23rd goal, to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead midway through the second period. From there, the Lightning controlled puck possession for much of the final 32 minutes but mustered just 13 shots, many being low-risk tosses from the blue line or perimeter.

Compared to Saturday, the Sabres were cleaner with their breakouts, more consistently clearing the zone to limit danger. Sometimes, a lob into the neutral zone is enough to relieve pressure and get a line change, and Buffalo put that to good use against Tampa Bay.

The Sabres also blocked 10 shots, delivered 21 hits and killed off four of five shorthanded situations.

“Every line that went out there didn’t want to get scored on. That was a big reason for such a successful game, I thought,” Alex Tuch said. “I thought the commitment was there from all 20 guys, and then we had Upie playing like Upie plays: unbelievable.”

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves, including 15 straight after Jake Guentzel tied it 2-2 early in the second. He only faced five high-danger shots on goal, per Natural Stat Trick – another testament to the work in front of him – and stopped them all.

“He has our back whenever we have a minor breakdown – or sometimes a big breakdown,” Tuch continued. “I thought he was phenomenal tonight, made some big saves when we needed it and really helped our team toward two points.”

Making his fourth start in the last five games, Luukkonen maintained his NHL-best save percentage (.920) since Dec. 21, a span during which he’s gone 16-4-2. And he capped off his great night with an assist on Jack Quinn’s empty-net goal to seal the win.

Buffalo wrapped up the regular season series with a 3-0-1 record versus Tampa Bay – Monday’s game had some nastiness after the whistle, but not on the level of last month’s 8-7 win. The teams are now tied atop the Atlantic Division at 102 points, although Buffalo has one fewer game remaining.

When a loss might’ve put the division title out of reach, the Sabres showed up and took care of business.

“This was a big test for us tonight, because we knew how big this game was,” Ruff said. “We knew it was against the team that was sitting there just ahead of us. We didn’t play well in the previous two games, and good teams know how to have some pushback. And I thought our guys had great pushback.”

Here’s more from the win.

Schenn back in

Defenseman Luke Schenn re-entered the lineup for his third game with the Sabres and skated 12:54 (3:10 shorthanded). The 36-year-old had been a healthy scratch since March 14, but his straightforward game proved useful in defending the Lightning.

"We felt this was going to be a game where we needed him," Ruff said. "We needed his heaviness. I think his penalty killing was good. I thought he knocked a few people over. I thought, overall, his puck play was good inside the game, kept the game in front of him like any good veteran player would do."

Tuch leads the charge

Early on, after being called for a questionable holding-the-stick penalty, Tuch exited the box and snapped in his 30th goal to open the scoring. That would be his only point of the night, but not for lack of trying; the alternate captain finished with six shots, plus three attempts that missed the net. At one point in the second, he had three opportunities on the same penalty kill, then a 2-on-1 chance right after.

“He seemed to have 20 shots on goal himself,” said Bowen Byram, who notched two primary assists. “Skating, moving his feet, tracking hard. When you have your leaders like that, playing so well, everyone usually follows suit.”

It was the second goal in the last 11 games for Tuch, who admitted to recently battling through a minor injury. Josh Norris also scored – his first on a goalie since March 5.

“Norris had a good night, and Alex had a good night. [Tage Thompson] really skated well, competed,” Ruff said. “It was a night we needed our top guys, and I thought they came through for us.”

Another game, another sellout

A 16th consecutive sellout crowd was rocking for the playoff-bound Sabres – and for the return of the beer sabres, of course.

“The energy in the building was incredible. I think you could sense tension; you could sense excitement,” Ruff said. “When the game got 2-2, it was a real playoff atmosphere where the game could go either way. They were waiting for our response; the response when we scored was incredible.”

Finishing first or second in the division would mean home-ice advantage in the first round. Considering the atmosphere inside KeyBank Center lately, and the Sabres’ 25-10-4 home record, that would be massive.

“I think this building is gonna be one of the hardest buildings in the league to play in,” Tuch said.

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Postgame sound

Up next

The Sabres play their second-to-last road game of the regular season, Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the New York Rangers. It’s a national broadcast on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.