Sabres continue to earn respect with win over Lightning

Don Granato fell in love with hockey during basement games alongside three of his siblings. His older brother, Tony, became a longtime NHL player and coach. His younger sister, Cammi, is an Olympic gold medalist and enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
So, perhaps Granato was speaking from experience when he addressed the Sabres following the second period of their 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
His message?
"Big brother beats up the little brother, kind of just push back, push back," forward Drake Caggiula recounted. "We came back flying in the third and pushed back."

Granato summed it up another way.
"You have to respect everybody in this league, up and down," he said. "But there's situations where you can give too much respect and that's a flat-out mistake. That was something that we talked about."
The Sabres continued to demand the respect of the NHL with their victory over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. They improve to 4-1-1 with the win, their first win over the Lightning since Nov. 13, 2018.
The heroes on Monday were emblematic of a team that has outperformed outside expectations but is unsurprised by its success.
Caggiula scored the winning goal on a breakaway with 38.7 seconds on the clock in the second period. Vinnie Hinostroza scored to add insurance early in the third. Robert Hagg tallied two points (1+1) while teaming with Mark Pysyk for the bulk of the assignment of slowing down Tampa Bay's top line.

Caggiula, Hinostroza, and Pysyk all joined the Sabres on one-year deals during the offseason. Hagg was acquired as part of the trade that sent Rasmus Ristolainen to Philadelphia. All fit the profile of the sort of player Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams wanted to add in support of their young core.
These players have something to prove, and they're hungry to show it.
"We know the group we have in here," Hinostroza said. "All hardworking guys, all guys that want to be better than where they're at in their career. No one's been satisfied with what they've done. I think that goes for the coaches, GM, owners, down to every player on our team.
"When you have a group like that that really wants to win and work hard for each other, you can accomplish a lot."
Granato felt the Sabres were letting the Lightning take the game to them early on. Victor Olofsson buried a rebound behind Brian Elliott to open the scoring just 1:41 into the contest, but the Lightning outshot the Sabres 14-9 in the opening period and tied the game on a goal from Alex Killorn.
Tampa Bay dominated possession for most of the second period, holding the Sabres without a shot until less than seven minutes remained. The Sabres were able to string good shifts together from that point on, culminating in Caggiula's go-ahead breakaway.

Still, Granato felt the game was too reminiscent of a loss to Boston - another perennial contender in the Eastern Conference - on Friday. The Sabres were playing cautiously instead of exerting their aggressive identity on their opponent, a focus prior to the game.
Granato might not have addressed another team the way he did this one between periods. This, he said, is a group he can trust to respond.
"They're competitors," Granato said. "We've got a locker room with guys who like to compete and those are guys you can push. It certainly makes my life easier when you can push them."

Hinostroza stripped the puck at the offensive blue line and beat Elliott from the high slot for an important insurance goal with 14:25 left to play. Hagg and Olofsson added empty-net goals.
That the Sabres were able to weather the second-period storm was in part a credit to their goaltender Craig Anderson, another newcomer who fits the "something to prove" mold. Anderson also signed a one-year deal during the summer, eager to prove he could still compete at age 40.
Buffalo's defense did its part to bend but not break while Tampa Bay made its push, contesting shots and limiting inside chances. Anderson was not only a solid last line of defense during a 35-save performance, but a calming presence amid the chaos.
Granato said Anderson skated to the bench and addressed his teammates between whistles.
"A lot of what I would have said, actually," Granato said. "… Leadership. But a calming influence. Confidence, and that goes a long way."
Anderson has stopped 120 of 127 shots through four starts for a save percentage of .945. He, too, has turned in a performance that demands respect.
The next step is to earn it again in Anaheim on Thursday night.
"It's still early in the year," Caggiula said. "We're not claiming any awards by any means. We just got to make sure we keep sticking to our game plan and keep doing what we do."

Hinostroza takes aim

Hinostroza said his goal was the result of a conscious effort to shoot more often. He sent a shot off the crossbar in New Jersey on Saturday.

"I think my whole career I've kind of been a pass-first guy," he said. "I watch all the games, so going back watching the Boston game you kind of look at some of your shifts. You're like, 'What was I doing? I should have shot that there.' Stuff like that. So that's definitely been a point in my game I want to do more."

Up next

The Sabres open a four-game road trip on the West Coast at Anaheim on Thursday. Coverage on MSG begins at 9:30 p.m. The puck drops at 10.