With about 3:30 left in Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Kings - after a stretch of nearly six minutes without any whistles - Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger turned to a small group of players to help seal the victory.
Ahead 2-1, the line of Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson were on the ice when Olofsson potted an empty-net goal with 1:33 remaining. The goal proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 victory.
"What we love about their game is how connected they are defensively and how hard they work to do the right things without the puck to get it back," Krueger said after practice on Sunday at KeyBank Center. "That's the goal of course: When you don't have it, get it back.
"They are as good as any line as I've seen at working when we don't have the puck and positioning themselves. We just have more and more confidence with them as a line."
That line, along with Marcus Johansson, Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Henri Jokiharju, Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe were on the ice for nearly every second of Buffalo's late defensive effort.
Sabres look to take positives from win into Monday's game at Ottawa
Buffalo was able to hold off Kings attack with sound defensive effort from up and down the lineup
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