Defensemen on full display as Sabres thump Penguins

Entering Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres ranked seventh in the NHL with 165 points from their defensemen this season.

Buffalo’s blueliners had their names all over the scoresheet and increased that total to 172 as the Sabres beat Penguins 7-3 at KeyBank Center.

The blowout extended Buffalo’s winning streak to three games, and the Sabres are now 10-2 with 4.1 goals scored per game in their last 12 at home.

Thursday’s onslaught started quickly. Just 27 seconds into the game, Tage Thompson held the puck on a 2-on-1 rush, dragged around Matt Grzelcyk into the slot and beat Tristan Jarry blocker side. The rush began at Buffalo’s end boards, where Rasmus Dahlin floated a backhand clearing attempt that found Zach Benson at the offensive blue line.

“Fortunate to get one right away – that gets them on their heels a little bit,” said Thompson, whose 36 goals are tied for fourth most in the league. “I thought we were playing fast all night. I thought our D were moving the puck up, our forwards were pushing on to the neutral zone and (we) got a lot of odd-man rushes out of it.”

Peyton Krebs doubled the Sabres’ lead four minutes later. Dahlin’s puck handling scattered the Penguins’ defense up high and created space for Connor Clifton to carry it down low. Clifton’s centering pass deflected off Alex Tuch, then Krebs’ stick, and into the open cage. That marks two assists in the last three games for Clifton, who’s up to 11 this season.

“I mean, Dahls walking up top – you know what happens when he does that,” Alex Tuch said.

“(Clifton) made a nice play just putting it in the crease and (I) put the stick on the ice, it goes in the net,” said Krebs, who later added an assist for his third multi-point effort of the season.

Sidney Crosby got Pittsburgh on the board midway through the first, but Jiri Kulich got that one back with a top-corner snipe early in the second. That play was the product of Bowen Byram’s nifty puck handling; Byram picked up Thompson’s drop pass near the top of the left circle, dangled around Kris Letang and handed it off to Kulich for the shot.

Less than two minutes later, Mattias Samuelsson fired a short-side wrist shot from the right dot for his third goal of the season. Isak Rosen’s cross-ice feed netted a primary assist and his first NHL point (in his 12th game).

“I thought we did a really good job of getting up ice, being that fourth guy, being involved,” Ruff said of his defensemen. “It’s a little bit of what we’ve been trying to stress: drive it deep. If we have nothing, get it below the goal line. If our D can get involved and fill that middle position or a wide flank … you look at Samuelsson’s goal, for instance. Good play inside the zone.”

Sabres defensemen combined for seven points: two assists each from Byram and Dahlin, single helpers from Owen Power and Clifton, and Samuelsson’s goal.

“The whole night, I thought they were moving the puck really well,” Tuch said. “I thought they were good defensively. It was really easy. Made it really easy on us.”

Kulich, Tyson Kozak and Tuch added goals later in the five-goal second period to give the Sabres a 7-1 lead through 40 minutes. Pittsburgh scored a couple in the third en route to the 7-3 final, but the Sabres were still pleased with their closing out the victory – a recent sign of growth from the team.

“I think there’s a new maturity to our game,” Thompson said. “… When we do have a lead, everyone’s putting pucks in places (where) there’s no risk coming back the other way. Making them break out through all five of us.”

Here’s more from the win.

1. James Reimer, who’s continued to earn opportunities with his strong play of late, has now started three straight games and four of Buffalo’s last five. Thursday, he stopped 22 of 25 shots and made eight high-danger saves, per Natural Stat Trick

These four most recent starts have come in an eight-day span, whereas his four previous starts spanned nearly two months – from Jan. 4 in Vegas to March 3 in Montreal. The 37-year-old has posted a .911 save percentage in these last four.

“The old man's been really steady,” Tuch said. “He’s been unbelievable. He's made some huge saves. I thought tonight we were a little bit better for him than we have been the past couple nights, and I don't think he had to make as crucial saves, but when we needed him to make the save, he made it. So, I think he was really good. I think he gave us momentum when we needed it. I thought he was our best penalty killer tonight, and it was a good 60-minute effort by him.”

2. Sabres forward Jason Zucker missed the game because of a family matter. Sam Lafferty (groin), Jordan Greenway (lower body) and Josh Norris (undisclosed) remained unavailable, too.

The absences opened a lineup spot for Josh Dunne, who played his second NHL game of the season after being recalled from Rochester on Tuesday. And Rosen, in addition to notching his first NHL point, recorded two shots and a hit in 11:25 of ice time.

“The more you play (and) the more of an opportunity you get, I think you start to feel better,” Ruff said, noting that the lopsided score helps a young skater play more freely without fear of a game-changing mistake. “I think Rosen tonight made two or three plays that we haven’t seen. I thought he skated well. There was a lot to like about his game.”

And Kozak added an assist for his first career multi-point game, further contributing to an impressive night from Buffalo’s recent AHL call-ups.

3. Jacob Bernard-Docker was the only Sabres blueliner without a point in the win. He still turned heads in his fourth game with the team, though, during a third-period altercation with Penguins forward Connor Dewar. Bernard-Docker delivered a crushing hit on Dewar against the boards, and Dewar responded by dropping the gloves.

“I’ve got to give a shout out to Dock for a nice fight there,” Tuch said. “I thought he was physical all night, I thought he was battling. We had the right guys step up tonight, and it was good.”

Bernard-Docker was credited with two hits and two shot blocks in 16:25 of ice time.

“He showed he was hungry every shift,” Ruff said. “I really liked his game. I liked the fact he ate a couple pucks for us, a couple big blocks. A heck of a hit – I mean, a good hit – before the fight. His intensity around the puck has been real good. He is hungry. He’s pushing guys to say, ‘I want to be part of this. I’ve got my opportunity, and I want to prove that I can stay in the lineup.’”

Up next

The Sabres begin a three-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Coverage on MSG begins at 12:30 p.m. before puck drop at 1.