Storylines
1. 60-minute Sabres
Buffalo had continued to emphasize the need for a complete 60-minute effort, but as inconsistency between periods contributed to the growing winless streak, talk grew cheap.
Finally, on Monday, the Sabres stuck to their script and dominated the Islanders from start to finish, scoring a goal in all three periods for the first time since Nov. 11 versus Montreal.
“You’ve got to put those words into actions on the ice and I thought everybody did that,” Sabres alternate captain Tage Thompson said after the win.
“Sometimes you have to be patient, trust that the process and the way the coaches have mapped out the game for you is going to get you the result you need. … I thought tonight we really dug in and committed to play the way we wanted to play the entire game regardless of the score and regardless of what happened.”
That style of play yielded seven goals at one end of the ice and 30 blocked shots at the other, both season highs for Buffalo.
“This is how we have to play and we have to continue to get better,” Dahlin said.
2. The kids are alright
A seven-goal output will always mean gaudy point totals, but the source of Buffalo’s scoring on Monday was another positive development.
Jiri Kulich tallied two goals and an assist for his first career multi-point game. Dylan Cozens recorded two helpers for his first multi-assist night since February. Jack Quinn, with a goal and an assist, had his second two-point effort in his last four games. Zach Benson scored in his 100th NHL game. JJ Peterka’s assist extended his point streak to five games.
Most impressively, Dahlin punctuated his return to the lineup by tying a single-game franchise record for a defenseman with four assists. He also became the first NHL blueliner to accomplish the feat this season.
“It was a solid game defensively and then some skill came out of it from the guys, finally,” Dahlin said.
3. Scouting the Blackhawks
These teams met Oct. 19 at United Center, with Buffalo winning 4-2 for its third-straight victory over Chicago. Thompson and Peterka each tallied a goal and an assist while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 of 37 shots.
The Sabres have also won three straight versus the Blackhawks at KeyBank Center, dating back to the 2021-22 season.
Connor Bedard, the reigning Calder Memorial Trophy winner as 2023-24 rookie of the year, has rebounded from a slow start to tally 11 points (4+7) in the last nine games. His 30 points for the season (9+21) lead the team.
That nine-game span coincides with the Dec. 6 firing of coach Luke Richardson. Chicago has since gone 4-5 under interim coach Anders Sorensen; the Blackhawks ranked 31st in the NHL with 2.42 goals scored per game under Richardson and have improved to 14th (3.00 goals per game) during Sorensen’s tenure.
At 26 points (12-21-2), however, they still find themselves in last place in the Western Conference.
