The Sabres were without Jack Eichel (injured), Evander Kane (traded) and Kyle Okposo (birth of child). But the players they had in the lineup worked very well together. Buffalo moved the puck out of its own zone consistently, forechecked effectively and, as Jassen Cullimore noted on our radio broadcast, always had at least three (and often four) players back defensively when the Lightning attempted the move the puck through the neutral zone.
There were some isolated moments when the Lightning buzzed around the Sabres end. But those sequences were sporadic. The Sabres owned most of the puck possession - and and that advantage is reflected in their 34-22 shot advantage and 62-50 shot attempt edge. It's true that the Sabres didn't accumulate a ton of scoring chances, but they did generate some - and by throwing enough pucks at the net, they gave themselves a chance to rally from a one-goal deficit. Sure enough, Evan Rodrigues' shot from the left circle following a Lightning d-zone turnover got past Andrei Vasilevskiy's glove.
The Lightning had one power play chance and looked dangerous on it (they posted four shots), but the Sabres played a disciplined game and took only that one penalty. On the other hand, the Lightning had to kill four penalties, including a four-on-three in overtime. Vasilevskiy made three saves during the OT kill before Jason Pominville's shot won it for the Sabres.
Thanks to Vasilevskiy's performance, though, the Lightning still managed to get a point out of this game. Still, they know they'll need a higher-energy performance on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, a team battling to secure a playoff spot.
Lightning Radio Big Moment of the Game (as selected by Jassen Cullimore):
Rodrigues' tying goal.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Jassen Cullimore):
