Sabres' top line helps fuel victory in Chicago

CHICAGO – Lindy Ruff reminded his players to play on their toes during the second period at United Center on Saturday, after the Chicago Blackhawks scored to erase what had been a two-goal lead for the Buffalo Sabres.

Ruff implored his team to pressure in the offensive zone and, if all else failed, to put the puck down low and go to work on the forecheck. His top line of JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch took the message to heart and put it into practice.

A sustained shift in the Chicago end led to Thompson finding Peterka for the go-ahead goal with 1:23 remaining in the second period and the Sabres held on to win 4-2 over the Blackhawks, concluding a three-game trip with their first road victory of the season.

“You play like that, you’re gonna win a lot of hockey games,” Ruff said.

The Sabres coach described the victory as a complete team effort. Beck Malenstyn scored his first goal as a member of the team while helping to shut down reigning Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen completed a 35-save effort with clutch saves late, paving the way for Ryan McLeod to score into an empty net during the final minute.

But it was the top line that led the way with a pair of goals from Thompson and Peterka, continuing their productive run since the latter returned from a concussion on Wednesday. Peterka has four goals in three games since rejoining the lineup. Thompson is on a four-game point streak, with three goals in that span. Tuch earned an assist Saturday for his team-best seventh point.

The game in Chicago showcased the trio’s ability to contribute in different ways. Their first goal came off the rush, with all three players moving up the ice with speed and in close proximity to one another. Peterka carried the puck over the blue line and dropped a short pass to Thompson, who fired a hard wrist shot in from the high slot.

“The line on the whole is generating opportunities,” Ruff said. “They’re generating opportunities different ways – some is in the zone; some is on the rush. So, it’s good to have a line like that that’s clicking.”

They showed their in-zone ability on Peterka’s winning goal. Recognizing that the Blackhawks defenders were amid a long shift, Thompson picked up the puck down low, skated up to the half wall and – with no immediate option present – stayed patient and turned back along the wall. He saw Peterka peeling away to the back door and delivered a pass through traffic.

“Halfway through (the second period), I think one of the TV timeouts, we reset and just made a conscious effort to keep it below their goal line,” Thompson said. “Especially when we’re climbing up the half wall, if you have nothing, turn it back. That was kind of the play there.

“They were tired. We knew we had them out there on a long shift. Cut back on the half wall and saw JJ sneaking off backdoor.”

The Sabres finished the three-game road trip having earned three out of a possible six points. They lost a back-and-forth game to Pittsburgh in overtime, then fell to Columbus in regulation the following night.

Their top scorers helped ensure they returned home with a win.

“All in all, getting three points on that road trip is big for us,” Thompson said. “So, just got to keep things rolling now.”

Here’s more from the victory in Chicago.

1. Jordan Greenway did not play due to a lower-body injury, Ruff said. Jack Quinn re-entered the lineup in Greenway's place and skated 15:16.

2. Malenstyn’s goal, which gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead with 8:29 remaining in the first period, was the product of his presence in front of the Chicago net. Connor Clifton took a spinning shot from the blue line that pinballed off of Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and went in off of Malenstyn’s skate.

The Sabres traded for Malenstyn during the offseason for his physicality and speed, but also for his experience playing in a high-leverage defensive role with Washington. He and linemates Peyton Krebs and Sam Lafferty were tasked with playing primarily against Bedard on Saturday and helped hold the talented young center without a point.

“That line gave us a great night,” Ruff said. “That line played against Bedard most of the night when they were out there, and I thought they were being a real pain for him. When you look at the body of work that line put in, they got rewarded with a goal. Like I said, great team effort.”

3. The Blackhawks pulled even during the second period on a pair of goals from Craig Smith. The first was a shot that beat Luukkonen from atop the left faceoff circle; the other a rebound in front.

Luukkonen recovered and stopped all of the 12 shots he faced during the third period, including point-blank chances from Jason Dickinson and Teuvo Teravainen.

“I think that’s the biggest thing that’s been getting better with me is the mental aspect of the game, kind of being able to move forward from those,” Luukkonen said, referring to Smith’s first goal. “Those happen. You can’t do anything about it after those happen, so you kind of just have to refocus and play the game. I feel like we did a good job as a team today.”

After giving up the tying goal in a 5-on-6 situation in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Thompson felt the Sabres were better prepared to shut down the Blackhawks after they pulled their goaltender late.

“I liked that there was no fear or no panic in our game,” he said. “We knew we were going to win it. It was very comfortable on the bench for all of us.”

Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Tickets are available here.

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.