Tonight the Sabres didn’t play great heading to the Olympics break, losing 5-2 at home to the Penguins, looking a step behind Pittsburgh all night.
The Sabres started the game early, with a goal from Jason Zucker in transition just 1:46 into the game with a quick shot far side from the circle. The Penguins tied it up with 10:42 left in the period with Avery Hayes getting away on a breakaway past Jacob Bryson to score his first goal of his career in his first NHL game. Avery Hayes gave the Pens a 2-1 lead, with his second of the period (and his NHL career) on the power play, going down to the crease to tip in a beautiful little between the legs drop pass from Anthony Mantha down low. Good start, but not a great period for this first period. Gotta pick up the pace in the second.
The Penguins made it 3-1, 7:44 into the second period, with Ben Kindel going down the ice on a two on one after a bad turnover by the Sabres and ripping it past Lyon. Not the best period there either.
The Sabres got back within one, with Tage Thompson lighting the lamp before heading to Italy for the Olympics, scoring a beauty from a low angle, short side for his 30th goal of the season, 1:55 into the third period. The Penguins got the two goal lead back with 4:27 to go, with the Sabres turning it over in their own zone, and Thomas Novak backhanding it in from the crease on his own rebound to make it 4-2 Pittsburgh. Kindel got his second of the game on the empty net to cap off the game, and hit my over, for the Sabres to lose 5-2.
FINAL: Sabres 2, Penguins 5
Pretty lousy game tonight for the Sabres. The entire game we just were a step behind Pittsburgh.
Either way, let’s reset during the Olympic break, come back and try to get into the top three in the Atlantic, end this playoff drought and bring back real hockey to Buffalo.
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A Town's Zone 