Your Sabres almost pulled it off last night
Well, if you went to bed early and missed the end, you woke up to a 4-3 overtime loss against the Boston Bruins, right there at KeyBank Center. It was a tough one to swallow, especially since the Buffalo Sabres were down by one heading into the third, then Jacob Zucker tied it up on the power play, and then Zach Benson scored, and we actually had the lead for a minute. That’s the part that stings. The Bruins, though, they pushed back hard. Charlie Coyle Mittelstadt, the kid who used to be ours, got the equalizer late in the third to send it to overtime. David Pastrnak was buzzing all night, and it was Pavel Zacha who finally ended it just 38 seconds into the extra frame. Buffalo outshot them 31-25, so it wasn't for lack of effort.
You gotta give credit where it's due for the Sabres though. Going into the third period down a goal, the resilience to come back and take the lead, even for a brief time, shows what this team is made of now. Jacob Zucker had himself a night with two goals, and Tage Thompson looked good feeding him on those power plays. But that late goal by Coyle Mittelstadt, man, that just deflated the place. It felt like the air went right out of the building, like the wind coming off Lake Erie in February. Losing in overtime stings, but getting a point against Boston keeps us at the top of the Atlantic Division standings, 44-20-8 for 96 points. That’s still first place, let’s not forget.
So, what does this mean? It means we’re still first, but every point matters. We’ve got a good cushion, sure, but the Bruins are right behind us, lurking. This team has shown they can hang with the best, and a tough loss like this can either make them stronger or shake their confidence. I'm leaning stronger. They’ve been playing well, 7-1-2 in their last ten, so this isn't a collapse. It’s a gut-check. People around South Buffalo are still gonna be talking about this one over their morning coffee, but the vibe is still good. We’re in first place, and that’s a position we haven’t been in for a long, long time. Let's Go Buff-a-lo.
Let's Go Buff-a-lo — from the City of Good Neighbors, this is Peg. My buddy Frankie over at the morning show is probably still fuming about that OT goal. You gotta hear him — catch it live at mornings.live.