Tonight the Sabres battled back, coming back from a 2-0 deficit with less than seven minutes left in the second period, taking this game to overtime to end the season with a 3-2 loss at home in OT to end such a fun season in typical Buffalo heartbreaking fashion.
I can’t believe we’re here tonight. Game 7. The Sabres have looked so bad all series. We played pretty evenly, winning a tight one in Game 1, but even in Game 4 that we won, we got completely dominated every game from Game 2 through 5. Somehow though, Buffalo found some magic in Montreal on Saturday night, sending their series to Game 7 with a dominant 8-3 win, coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Let’s fucking go. Those last six games no longer matter. It’s one game to decide this fresh series and go to Carolina for the Eastern Conference Finals. LET’S GO BUFFALO!!
Today the Sabres gave themselves some unnecessary “drama” if you want to even call it that, trying to wear the red and black goathead jerseys. I would’ve loved that, but you’re not allowed to do it in the playoffs. It because a whole thing in Buffalo today, but it’s a rule. Then apparently the league was going to let them do it if the Habs agreed and obviously they said no. Why give a team any imaginable edge they could get in Game 7? How stupid.
The Sabres pulled out the nostalgia to start the night, bringing back the legend Doug Allen to sing the anthems. The best. Bit of a let down having Razor bang the drum though.
And here we go, Game 7 baby!
Pretty evenly played start, but four and a half minutes into the game, the Habs scored first with Texier getting it to Guhle in front, then going off his tip, off the skate of Phil Danault and through UPL’s five hole. Kind of looked like a kicking motion, but not clear enough to review it when it was called a goal on the ice. He definitely kicked it. Fuck it. Let’s tie this shit up. In a commercial break, ESPN played the highlight of the Derek Plante Game 7 winner back in 1997, our only Game 7 win as a franchise. These mother fuckers didn’t use the RJ call on it, one of his most legendary legion of doom call of “HERE COME THE BUFFALO SABRES”. I fucking hate ESPN. The Sabres generating some nice chances offensively but couldn’t beat Dobes, and UPL made some huge saves for us on the other end of the ice to keep it a 1-0 game. With six seconds left in a penalty to Zach Benson, the Habs made it 2-0, with Zach Bolduc getting wide open for a cross ice pass and sniping it home. Samuelsson looked so lost there. I wouldn’t say that period was great for us, going down 2-0 on some pretty bad defense, despite having a few good chances that we couldn’t score on. Then Jason Zucker gets a spectacular chance and just tosses it away. Embarrassing. Montreal’s working us.
The second period was quite boring to watch and we just looked so flat. Just gotta score one on these fuckers and we’re right back in it. Come on. This is a whole period of just boring hockey. Just get one. But we’re just generating nothing. Then right after I type that, Mattias Samuelsson ripped it through a ton of traffic with not a chance Dobes could see the puck and we’re right back in this game with 6:41 to go in the second period! HUGE! After the goal, i thought we played great, getting some fantastic chances, holding position right around the net and really dominating Montreal, but we couldn’t get the game tied up. Really good finish to the second. We were playing with desperation. Keep this going into the third.
The Sabres kept pressing in the third and got some decent looks, even on the power play. Kinda even like Zucker hitting Dobes, fuck ‘em. Play with some grit. Let’s go. Old time hockey. Right after that, Rasmus Dahlin wheeled in down low and his fellow defenseman Owen Power set up the captain to fire it past Dobes and tie the game with 13:33 left in regulation. NEW GAME! LET’S FUCKING GO! I put the hat I had on Saturday. Gotta win. With 9:59 left, the Sabres thought they scored, with the puck going through Dobes on the five hole, but Wes McCauley immediately called it no goal and right away ESPN showed going to commercial that he clearly blew the whistle before it got hit into the net, so correct no goal call. Probably an early whistle though honestly. You’ve referred Cup Finals, Wes. Of course Dave Jackson agrees. Asshole. I hate ESPN. The Sabres pressed hard and definitely were the better team there, but we couldn’t get the lead. And on the other end, UPL was great. We dominated another period there. Great 40 minutes to take this to OT.
Onto overtime. Cash the under too. What a hockey game.
Overtime in Game 7. Write a better story. Next goal goes to the Eastern Conference Final.
Montreal definitely looked like the better team to start overtime through the first five minutes. Did ESPN just freeze when I pay Spectrum fucking $300 a month? What the fuck. We’re back. Great look for Tage but he couldn’t get the shot off. Solid defense for the Habs there. The Sabres had some great looks, but on a turnover for Dahlin on a really good position, Alexander Carrier threw it over to Alex Newhook and he ended the series beating Luukkonen on a simple shot to win it 3-2. God damn it. Go Habs against Carolina I guess.
FINAL: Canadiens 3, Sabres 2
Habs win series 4-3
What a game. We looked like garbage in the first period of the game, but what a fantastic effort for the Sabres. We played so well in the second and third to bring this game back, taking it to overtime and playing so well. We played fucking great and then in overtime, just a miserable turnover after such good sustained pressure in the Habs zone and we lose in heartbreaking fashion. Alex Newhook wins his second Game 7 of the playoffs in a row to send Montreal to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Canes. Go Habs I guess. I fucking hate Carolina.
What a fun season this was. If you read my blog from the first game of the season when we got shut out by the Rangers (who finished deal last in the East this year) 4-0, I’m sitting there talking about how this shitty team was going to have to tank for Gavin McKenna (pissed the fucking Leafs won it), and now I’m sitting here sad and disappointed we’re not in the Eastern Conference Finals. What a turnaround. We were literally in last place in the East this year and did this. The Buffalo Sabres brought back the fun of hockey to the city of Buffalo. The biggest thing I’ve been waiting for since I was in middle school in the Drury, Briere, and Miller days. I’ve been watching us finish in the bottom five in this league year after year. I’ve watched every fucking playoff game, every single year while my team was a lottery pick every year, and no one watched this team while I sat here blogging all their 6-2 losses. All the bad years, a decade and a half of a playoff drought, great player after great player of leaving here and going on to win the Stanley Cup, a bunch of guys that just didn’t pan out and didn’t want to be here, shitty coach after shitty coach, horrible GM after horrible GM. But this year it FINALLY was different. This team brought back the fun. It’s been a blast to watch this team every year. We made the playoffs, ending the drought with our first post-season appearance in 15 years, and beat out the Lightning and Canadiens to win the Atlantic Division, which was the hardest it has been since the four division format was introduced in the NHL in 2013. This year was incredible. The city learned to love hockey again. And this team that somehow Kevyn Adams build in a season he got fired, turned out to make magic. They reminded me of that 05-06 team that was supposed to be the worst team in the NHL and went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final with their top four defenseman out and had the lead in the third period. This team brought back THAT level of fun and the love of hockey for Buffalo. I finally got to go to my favorite playoff game, the first one here in 15 years when I was still a senior in high school, and it was perfect. What an experience. What a game. This year was fucking awesome and we have a lot to build on to be a contender for years to come. What a year.
Let’s Go Buffalo!
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