Postgame Report | Sabres overpower Lightning in 5-3 victory

Riley Stillman had already involved himself in a heated second period between the Buffalo Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning, first with a punishing hit along the boards on Ian Cole and later with a net-front scrum that resulted in a Buffalo power play.
Eventually - with the Sabres pulling away on the scoreboard and the Lightning attempting to use physicality to swing momentum back in their favoir - Stillman picked his moment to drop the gloves. The newest Sabres defenseman fought Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot, igniting a sold-out KeyBank Center crowd.
Stillman sustained an upper-body injury during the fight - early indications were that he felt OK after the game, coach Don Granato said - but his decision had its desired effect. The game settled from that point on and the Sabres held on to win, 5-3.

"That was big on him and sets the tone for the rest of the game," Tage Thompson said. "It allowed us to just kind of settle in and get back to our game."
Added Granato: "He wanted to do it for his team and his teammates. He's in a new place, new fans, new environment and he went into that and I don't think he was thinking about himself one bit."
The Sabres acquired Stillman and forward Jordan Greenway in the days and hours leading up to Friday's trade deadline in part to add a pair of physical presences to their roster. Greenway was unavailable to play against the Lightning because of travel delays, but Stillman was back in the lineup after recording six hits in his debut against the Bruins.
Stillman's response in the second period was a microcosm of the Sabres' afternoon against the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champions. The Sabres had plenty thrown at them - an early deficit, multiple post-whistle scrums, six minor penalties - but stayed the course through it all.
Tage Thompson, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tyson Jost, Jack Quinn, and Jeff Skinner all scored goals - three of which came during the second period, which began with the two teams tied 1-1. Rasmus Dahlin added an assist in his return from a three-game absence stemming from a lower-body injury.
Eric Comrie made 31 saves to win his fourth straight start.
"There was a lot to fight through to make sure we were steadfast and (played) how we wanted to play with pace and pressure, and a lot of things that could've caused ups and downs and distractions," Granato said.
"I commend our guys staying very dialed in. Because we needed that win. And I think our room knew we needed that win."
The victory snapped a brief two-game losing streak for the Sabres. It was the fourth straight loss for the Lightning, who benched three of their forwards in Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov during the third period.
"I think we needed a big response after our last game against Boston," Thompson said. "I think we were on our heels a little bit last game and I think tonight coming in we just wanted to make sure that no matter what happened, whether they get a push or not, we're stepping on the gas the whole time."

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How it happened

FIRST PERIOD
Point and Thompson traded power-play goals to send the teams into intermission tied 1-1.
Point scored on a shot from the slot with 6:32 remaining in the period on Tampa Bay's second power play of the game. Thompson answered 2:47 later with a shot from the left circle after Dahlin kept the puck in the zone at the offensive blue line.

Shots in the period were 13-13.
SECOND PERIOD
The Sabres emerged from a hectic, heated second period with a 4-1 lead. Hinostroza, Jost, and Quinn scored goals.
Hinostroza put the Sabres ahead 5:35 into the period. Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt won battles behind the Buffalo net and Mittelstadt set up Hinostroza's one-timer.

Jost collected a loose puck in front of the Tampa Bay net and tucked in a backhand shot for his shorthanded goal, which came just as the Lightning were beginning a shortened power play. Quinn further extended with lead with a wrist shot with 13.5 seconds on the clock.

THIRD PERIOD
Skinner scored a power-play goal from the high slot 53 seconds into the period, after Thompson drew a holding call against Michael Eyssimont.
Nick Perbix scored Tampa Bay's second goal. Alex Killorn added a shorthanded goal with 6:41 remaining.

What we learned

1. At the conclusion of today's game, Buffalo was three points out of a playoff position with 68 points through 61 games. Their 32 wins this year matches their season total from last year.
| Team | GP | Points | P% | Reg. W | ROW | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WC1 - New York Islanders | 65 | 72 | .554 | 28 | 32 | | WC2 - Pittsburgh Penguins | 61 | 71 | .582 | 24 | 30 | | Buffalo Sabres | 61 | 68 | .557 | 24 | 31 | | Ottawa Senators | 61 | 66 | .541 | 24 | 29 | | Florida Panthers | 63 | 66 | .524 | 26 | 28 | | Washington Capitals | 63 | 66 | .524 | 23 | 29 | | Detroit Red Wings | 62 | 65 | .524 | 22 | 26 |
At 6 p.m., the Penguins will take on the Panthers and the Capitals will face San Jose. Ottawa hosts Columbus at 7.
The Islanders downed the Red Wings 4-1 in other afternoon action.
2. Quinn has four goals and nine points in his last nine games.
3. The team celebrated Kids Takeover, which featured young fans taking on the roles of Jr. Reporter, Jr. PA Announcer, Jr. Social Media Editors and Jr. Arena Host, among others.
Students from Persistence Preparatory Academy drew player portraits that were used on the video board. Click here for the full gallery.
Catch some highlights of the day here:

4. The Sabres wore Buffalo Fire Department shirts into KeyBank Center as a tribute to fallen Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty while responding to a four-alarm fire on Wednesday.

Sabres captain Kyle Okposo also wore a BFD toque on the ice for warmups and the team held a moment of silence for Arno pregame.

"Obviously it's very tragic what happened to him and thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and everyone involved," Thompson said. "I just thank him for his service and all the men and women who put their lives on the line. So, obviously the city in times like these pulls together and it's nice to be able to get a win."

Up next

The Sabres host the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. Tickets are available here.
The game can be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on WGR 550.