Sabres score 5 goals in 1st period, cruise past Rangers

BUFFALO -- Rasmus Dahlin had two goals and two assists, and Tage Thompson had two goals and an assist for the Buffalo Sabres in an 8-2 win against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

“We were aggressive,” Dahlin said. “We came out flying, honestly. All the [defensemen] had good gaps, and we had poise with the puck. … They pushed back a little bit in the second (period), but we just kept our poise and just worked through the game.”

Ryan McLeod scored twice, and Jason Zucker had three assists for the Sabres (23-27-5), who took a 5-0 lead in the first period on the way to their fifth win in six games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves.

“We know the second half (of the season) is important for us and this is how we want to play every night,” Dahlin said. “We’ve just got to continue to build on this.”

Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad scored, and J.T. Miller had two assists for the Rangers (27-25-4), who had won three of four. Igor Shesterkin allowed five goals on 16 shots before he was replaced by Jonathan Quick (14 saves) in the first period.

“There's no sense talking about any one particular individual inside of this gathering right here,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “We weren't good as a team, and we got what we deserved.”

The eight goals are the most scored by the Sabres this season and the most allowed by the Rangers.

Jack Quinn gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 1:46 of the first period. He intercepted K'Andre Miller’s pass up the wall and carried the puck to the right face-off circle for a wrist shot that beat Shesterkin under the left pad.

Dahlin made it 2-0 at 11:58 when Jordan Greenway’s point shot deflected off his leg as he skated toward the slot.

“I thought the Nashville game (a 6-4 loss in Buffalo’s last game, on Feb. 8) was probably his best of the year,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Dahlin. “I thought he got even better tonight. Came out better. I think he’s feeling a little bit coming off the 4 Nations [Face-Off]. But he really did lead the way. He played well, he looked calm out there, he made some great plays. Some of his breakout plays were real special.”

Thompson extended it to 3-0 at 15:32. He won a puck battle in the corner and, with Rangers defenseman Adam Fox on his back, cut to the front of the net before sliding a backhand through the five-hole during a delayed penalty.

McLeod made it a 4-0 lead at 17:33 when his shot from the left point through traffic beat Shesterkin to the stick side.

Dahlin pushed it to 5-0 on the power play at 18:21 with his second goal of the game. He scored with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to the far side, chasing Shesterkin.

“He's one of the best players in the world,” McLeod said of Dahlin, who has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in a six-game point streak. “He really drives us offensively and defensively. … He uses his legs so well, he's so calm back there and it kind of goes through our whole team, that calmness, so it's great he's on our side.”

Kreider cut it to 5-1 with a power-play goal at 5:29 of the second period, redirecting Artemi Panarin’s pass at the right side of the net.

Zibanejad then made it 5-2 at 11:25, batting his own rebound out of the air at the right post.

“I just think we have to manage the games a little bit better,” Zibanejad said, “in terms of if we don't have a great start, puck-wise, and you feel it when the passes are crisp, when the tempo is high in terms of the puck movement. If it's not there, we have to manage it a different way. … Not shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Thompson pushed the lead to 6-2 at 3:47 of the third period. His wrist shot from the top of the left circle trickled through Quick’s pads.

McLeod’s second of the game made it 7-2 at 5:40, when he got behind the defense and beat Quick to the blocker side.

Henri Jokiharju scored at 19:24 for the 8-2 final.

“It's frustrating,” Zibanejad said. “The level of frustration, I don't know, but it's frustrating. Not just to carry over the momentum (from before the break for the 4 Nations). I think it's just frustrating not giving ourselves a chance. That's the biggest thing. We don't give ourselves a chance to win at all today, so just got to be ready tomorrow (at the Pittsburgh Penguins).”

NOTES: Kreider scored his 116th career power-play goal to tie Camille Henry for the most in Rangers history. It was also his 573rd point, putting him ahead of Vic Hadfield for ninth in New York history. … Dahlin’s first goal was the 74th of his career, moving him past Mike Ramsey for the second most by a defenseman in Sabres history, behind Phil Housley (178). … Zucker reached 200 assists for his career. … Buffalo forward Alex Tuch left the game early in the third after a hit by K’Andre Miller. Ruff did not have an update postgame but said that based on initial conversations, he didn’t “feel too concerned.” … Greenway had an assist, two shots on goal and six hits in 14:39 of ice time in his return from a middle-body injury that sidelined him for 23 games.