The Buffalo Sabres are unpredictable. They are enigmatic. In essence, they are 20 or so men who, when put together on a hockey rink, are the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the National Hockey League.
How else can one explain the team's inability to pick up more than one of a possible four points against lowly Tampa Bay and Florida over the weekend, then turn around and stymie the playoff-bound Ottawa Senators for a 5-1 win Tuesday night?
Against the Senators, Buffalo treated a sparse HSBC Arena crowd of 13,381 - the second smallest of the season - to a win the Sabres earned the old-fashioned way, through strong goaltending, solid defense, and timely scoring. Buffalo victimized Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime for five goals on 24 shots, while Sabres' net-minder Martin Biron stopped 33 of the 34 shots he faced.
"[Biron] made the saves we needed that turned the momentum," Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff said. "If we are going to win we need fabulous goaltending, and we got that tonight."
Senators' Head Coach Jacques Martin was not about to put the onus on his goaltender.
"I do not think it was [our] goalie," Martin said. "It seemed like we were pressing at times, and when we were pressing we broke down defensively and they took advantage of it."
Buffalo's Chris Gratton wound up with the game-winner for the third time in his last eight games, and can be officially declared as "on fire."
Gratton picked up his sixth goal in his last 11 games to put Buffalo on top 2-0 at 12:54 of the second period. From the left faceoff circle, Gratton one-timed a pass from defenseman Dmitri Kalinin over Lalime's left shoulder. The center also tallied two assists on the night. He now has 12 points during his explosive 11-game span and is a plus-7.
"With the way [Gratton] is playing, he can be a factor for us," Ruff said. "He made some great plays tonight."
The Sabres also got goals from a pair of players who have recently been called up from Buffalo's American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Defenseman Brian Campbell scored the Sabres' first goal on a slap shot mid-way through the first period. Right wing Ales Kotalik tallied his first career NHL goal for Buffalo's fifth marker of the game with 40 seconds left in the third period.
"[Campbell] is the first man up the ice and the first man back," Ruff said. "With his speed, he can be an offensive weapon for our team."
Curtis Brown and Miroslav Satan also scored for Buffalo, tallying their 17th and 26th goals of the season, respectively.
Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson scored a power play goal that ruined Biron's shutout bid with 12:58 remaining in regulation. Alfredsson and teammate Radek Bonk executed a nice give and go that left the Senators' captain open in the high slot to snap a quick one-timer past Biron for his 35th goal of the season.
Fortunately for Buffalo, who have played their best hockey this season against the league's best teams, their next opponents are Northeast Division leaders Boston Bruins, who come into town Thursday night. The game begins at the unusual time of 7:30 p.m. to accommodate a national broadcast on ESPN2.
The ESPN2 feed will be blacked out in the Buffalo area. Local fans can watch the game on the Empire Sports Network.
News / Notes
The Sabres acquired veteran forward Bob Corkum from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2002 before the NHL's trade deadline Tuesday.
The acquisition of Corkum was nothing major compared to deals made by the teams Buffalo will compete with for the final Eastern Conference playoff spots. The New Jersey Devils landed Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner from Dallas, and Stephane Richer from Pittsburgh. The New York Rangers traded for Florida's Pavel Bure, and Edmonton's Tom Poti and Rem Murray. The Montreal Canadiens picked up goaltender Stephane Fiset from Los Angeles.
