Postgame Report | Shorthanded Sabres top Avalanche in 4-2 road win

DENVER -Mattias Samuelsson was still catching his breath inside the visiting dressing room at Ball Arena after the Buffalo Sabres gutted out a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Samuelsson skated 31:31, a new career-high intensified by the Colorado altitude and the most among the five defensemen who suited up for the Sabres in the absence of Owen Power. Power sustained a lower-body injury during his off-ice warmup, leaving the Sabres to play with 17 skaters.
The Sabres knew of Power's absence by the time they took the ice for warmups, which they used to prepare for a shorthanded game against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

"I mean, five D's not easy anywhere, especially at altitude," Samuelsson said. "I thought all five guys stepped up and played well. So, got it done."
The Sabres pieced together all the necessary ingredients for a victory.
They pulled ahead early, building a 2-0 lead on Tage Thompson's goal in the opening minute and Alex Tuch's power-play goal later in the first period.
They received timely saves from goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who stopped 39 shots. In front of Luukkonen, defenders weathered the Avalanche attack by tying up second chances and creating shooting lines of vision for their goaltender.
And, when necessary, they responded to stave off a comeback. Rasmus Dahlin's goal late in the second period quelled what had been a long push from the Avalanche. Dylan Cozens buried an empty-net goal after the Avalanche pulled within one late in the third.
"It's a confidence booster, for sure," Dahlin said. "We held the lead for the last two periods and we played solid. Now we know we can close games."

Dahlin finished second to Samuelsson in ice time at 28:37, during which he scored a goal, tallied an assist, and had four blocked shots. The other three defensemen who dressed for the Sabres were Kale Clague (23:56), Lawrence Pilut (18:34), and Casey Fitzgerald (14:24).
The Sabres have eight defensemen on their road trip but two of them - Ilya Lyubushkin and Jacob Bryson - are considered day to day with injuries. They were left to make do with a five-man unit, playing with the mindset to keep shifts short and conserve energy where possible.
"Keep it short, keep it hard," Dahlin said. "I think I had fifteen icings today and two completed passes, but we got the win. It wasn't pretty, but we were working together and it was a great team win."

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How it happened

PERIOD 1
Thompson caught a pass from Casey Mittelstadt, stick-handled through the slot and beat Alexandar Georgiev from the top of the crease to put the Sabres on the board 54 seconds into the game.

Each of the Sabres' special teams units played a part in doubling the lead. Luukkonen anchored a successful penalty kill early in the period, then Tuch fought for a rebound on the power play and scored his 15th goal of the season to make it 2-0.

"I think with five D, getting up two you can play even simpler," Samuelsson said. "You don't need to risk anything for offensive like if you were down a couple. That was huge for us to settle in and play our game."
PERIOD 2
The Sabres weathered a push from the Avalanche with gutsy defending and help from their goaltender. Luukkonen's 12-save period included a series of put-back saves after an initial attempt from Valeri Nichushkin, an uncontested shot from Erik Johnson on the right dot, and a Nichushkin one-timer.
Luukkonen's strong period bought the Sabres enough time to extend their lead. Jost and Victor Olofsson combined to force a turnover on the forecheck and find Dahlin in the slot. Dahlin sent a shot in off the post with 2:49 remaining.

PERIOD 3
Nichushkin fed Rantanen on a 2-on-1 rush to put the Avalanche on the board with 11:40 remaining. With 1:22 remaining and the Colorado net empty, Rodrigues knocked in a loose puck to put the Avalanche within one.
Cozens then buried an empty-net goal with 57.1 seconds remaining to make it 4-2.

The Sabres were outshot 15-0 to start the period, according to the official stat sheet, and didn't record their first shot on net until Cozens tallied.

What we learned

1. Granato said the team will know more about Power's injury on Friday. He is considered day to day.
2.Dahlin on Samuelsson's performance: "Big boy game."
3.Granato had more to say on Samuelsson.
"Like I say, he's pretty much the antidote," Granato said. "He kills a lot of plays, transitions a lot of plays against top, top players. So, he was very, very impactful as you get and I thought Dahls was right there with him and the rest of the crew was very good as well."

4.Jost played his first regular-season game as a visitor in Colorado, where he spent five-plus seasons to begin his career. He received a loud ovation after Avalanche aired a tribute video during the first period, which showed on-ice highlights and his community involvement.
5.Thompson's 24th goal of the season put him sole possession of second place in the NHL. His goal total is tied with Thomas Vanek for third-most through the first 30 games of a season in Sabres history, trailing only Alexander Mogilny and Pat LaFontaine in 1992-93.

Up next

The road trip continues Saturday in Arizona. Coverage on MSG begins at 8:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 9. Radio coverage can be found on 930 AM.