Postgame Report | Sabres feed off fans in season-opening win over Habs

Kyle Okposo drifted toward the boards after scoring the Buffalo Sabres' first goal of the season on Thursday. The smiling fans on the other side of the glass were a welcome sight after a season spent playing in front of tarps and cardboard cutouts.
The moment sparked a memorable night inside KeyBank Center. The Sabres lived up to the aggressive, hardworking mindset coach Don Granato has preached since the start of training camp and stormed to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
The fans noticed. Blocked shots and net-front skirmishes earned standing ovations. Fans cycled through a greatest hits of chants during the third period, from singing "Sweet Caroline" to chanting the chorus from "Seven Nation Army" to pleading for a sixth goal from the Sabres.
"We were just talking about it in the locker room, how fun it was to play in front of the fans," Okposo said afterward. "So, more to come."

With the crowd providing the juice, the Sabres rolled on all cylinders. Goals came from veterans (Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons) and young players (Victor Olofsson, Anders Bjork, and Tage Thompson). They went 3-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Craig Anderson made 30 saves.
Twelve different players had multiple shots on goal, including a game-high five from Okposo. Seven players blocked shots, led by six from defenseman Robert Hagg.
"The work we put in in camp is what carried over to this game," Girgensons said. "That's our identity and we got to work hard. Every guy wants to work hard on the team. It's great to see."
Granato admitted Wednesday that earning the respect of fans was on the collective mind of his team going into the season. He said players should be proud to be in the NHL and their play should reflect it.
It did Thursday. The fans made sure they knew it.
"That energized our players, there's no question," Granato said. "You could see it. They could hear the chatter on the bench, and they thought they were playing for more than the 20 guys on the bench. That was cool."

Okposo sets the tone

Okposo's power-play goal - shot from high in the offensive zone and aided by a screen from Rasmus Asplund - will stand out on the score sheet. But there were plenty more tone-setting moments from the Sabres' wrecking ball of an alternate captain.
Okposo deked by a defender in the neutral zone and sent a cross-ice pass to set up a scoring opportunity for Cody Eakin on one shift, then battled in front of the net as Girgensons scored a goal. He nearly scored a second goal of his own with a shot off the post, then followed it with a loud hit along the end boards.
That was all during the first period. In the second period, Okposo shoved his way past David Savard and maintained possession on a drive to the net.

Okposo credited the performance as a byproduct of Granato's high-energy training camp.
"I think the way that we're practicing, really up-tempo and just going," he said. "I mean, every day just trying to go as hard as I can and then the games are feeling easier."

A special night for Girgensons

Girgensons missed all of last season after sustaining an injury during training camp. The anticipation ahead of Thursday's opener interfered with his gameday routine.
"I was very excited," he said. "I usually nap, so it was hard to nap today. You know, you kept thinking about the game. I was kind of like a kid again going to hockey practice."
Girgensons turned in the sort of performance that earned him recognition as an alternate captain alongside Okposo. He battled to deflect a Colin Miller shot for his goal in the first period. He blocked a shot during the moments leading up to Bjork's goal, on which he earned an assist. After Casey Mittelstadt left the game with an injury, Girgensons switched from the wing to center.
Granato said he could sense how much the moment meant to Girgensons from conversations during camp.
"He's so committed to being here," Granato said. "This means so much to him that it's nice to see him start that way."

Mittelstadt exits early

Mittelstadt left the game with an upper-body injury during the second period and did not return. Granato did not have an update on his status afterward.

Up next

The Sabres continue their four-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon.
"You got to go out there and re-earn respect," Granato said. "It's continually just moving forward."
The puck drops at 1 p.m.