'This is fun' | Olofsson, Ullmark fuel comeback in SO win over Rangers

Don Granato had turned the dressing room over to his players heading into the third period of their win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, a vote of confidence that they could protect a three-goal lead after surrendering one two days prior.
It was déjà vu all over again as the second period ended against the New York Rangers on Saturday. This time, the score was 2-1, the same deficit they erased in Thursday's shootout loss.
Granato's message was short and sweet.
"All I mentioned to them was, 'You've got another level, you know it, and let's find it and let's enjoy it,'" Granato said. "Let's embrace this. This is fun.'"
The Sabres erased the deficit once again on a goal from Victor Olofsson scored with 3:41 remaining in regulation. This time, they came out victorious in a shootout thanks to stellar goaltending from Linus Ullmark and more late-game heroics from Tage Thompson, who scored the deciding goal.
Buffalo has now earned points in four straight games (2-0-2). Here are five takeaways.

1. Calm under pressure

The Sabres could have buckled under the circumstances of their first two periods, in which they trailed on a pair of Artemi Panarin goals despite holding heavy advantages in shot attempts and scoring chances at even strength.
Instead, they continued to out-chance the Rangers during the third period and eventually got the goal they deserved. Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo started the sequence by forcing a turnover on the forecheck and Okposo set up the one-time shot by Olofsson from the high slot.

Granato said the players' confidence was evident on the bench throughout the final period.
"The nicest feeling in all of that is the players like playing for their teammate," he said. "They work for their teammate, they work for the team, they have clarity in what they're supposed to be doing and how they can be successful. That's the feel that you get, that you see."

2. Ullmark's shootout dominance continues

But before we talk about that, you have to see the save he made to rob Rangers rookie Vitali Kravtsov from scoring the go-ahead goal in his NHL debut …

Ullmark followed up his Hasek-esque stop on Kravtsov by turning away all three shots he faced in the shootout, improving his career save percentage in the competition to .868. That number ranks first among NHL goaltenders who have played at least 10 shootouts.
Ullmark stuck with Panarin as he deked and attempted a wrist shot from in close and dropped to make a pad save on Mika Zibanejad, exuding poise on both attempts.
"I think he's probably one of the best goalies in the world," Olofsson said. "He's so patient. It's really hard to kind of go around him. … You saw a couple of those today. He's just so patient. It's really hard to figure him out. We feel really confident with him in the penalty shots for sure."

3. Dahlin, Mittelstadt combine for highlight-reel goal

Casey Mittelstadt scored on a 2-on-1 rush with Taylor Hall to extend his point streak to three games and erase a 1-0 deficit during the first period. Mittelstadt slowed up as he approached goaltender Igor Shesterkin, threatening the pass before picking the far-side corner.
It was Rasmus Dahlin who initiated the rush from deep in the Buffalo zone. With two forecheckers converging on him behind the goal line, Dahlin sent a tape-to-tape pass up and across the zone to Hall.

"Ras makes those plays all the time, so I kind of knew it was coming," Mittelstadt said. "He makes it look so easy, but I don't think the people at home don't realize how hard of a play that is."

4. An active night for the defense

One sign of the continued progression since Granato took his post as interim head coach has been the involvement of defensemen both jumping up on the rush and cycling low in the offensive zone.
Brandon Montour may have been the most frequent attacker during a four-shot outing, but the habit has spread throughout the group of six. Colin Miller wheeled behind the New York net and set up a Kyle Okposo chance during the second period. Jacob Bryson attacked the middle to create net-front traffic in the first.
"We want our defensemen [to play with] more motion, more involved all over the ice," Granato said. "I like what I saw tonight as far as their play but more significantly the progression. They've continued to add more to that side of their game each and every night. It's nice to see."

5. The calm before the storm

The Sabres have a day off Sunday and then return to practice in preparation for Tuesday's game in New Jersey. It will be the last time this season they have two days between games.
Coverage on Tuesday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. The game starts at 7.