Ullmark makes 44 saves in win over Blue Jackets

Coming off of four straight losses and with one game to go before their bye week, Phil Housley decided that the Buffalo Sabres were in need of a spark for their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. It came in the form of a goalie wearing a "Minions" mask.
Linus Ullmark made a career-high 44 saves in his season debut and the Sabres solidified their effort defensively in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets. The victory was Ullmark's first in the NHL since April 9, 2016, and Buffalo's first since Dec. 29.
So, Linus, how did it feel?

"Very emotional," Ullmark said. "I try to keep it inside, naturally. It's been my dream ever since last summer to get it all together and come up and play … I'm very humbled and happy about the win tonight."

If Ullmark was trying to hide his emotions during the game, he did an excellent job. The goaltender was calm and collected in his first NHL start since last season's finale, a 4-2 loss in Tampa. As teammate Kyle Okposo said afterward, he made difficult saves look easy with his poise and positioning.
"He looked really calm back there," Okposo said. "That was the first game that I've seen him play live in the regular season so I thought he did a really good job. Obviously we don't want to be giving up 45 shots too many nights, but he'll take that win."
Ullmark was helped by the fact that the Sabres were able to take an early lead on a goal from Benoit Pouliot midway through the first period. His most memorable save came while protecting that lead, when he snagged a shot through traffic from Columbus defenseman Seth Jones:

Other than that and perhaps a few other grade-A saves, Ullmark was helped by a strong effort from the Sabres defensively. Housley had called for his team to show more pride in playing defense following their 7-4 loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday. If they had to win games 1-0, he said, then so be it.
For a time, it looked like that might in fact be how the Sabres would have to beat Columbus. They were unable to generate a lot of sustained offensive-zone pressure, and thus were forced to defend more often that they'd like. But while they did allow 45 shots, they limited premium scoring chances and odd-man rushes.
"I thought that we just really committed to the battles," Okposo said. "I thought we supported each other really well in the defensive zone. There were some times where they had some pressure and we made some good plays to break the puck out. I think that's going to be a really big thing for us moving forward."
Eventually, the Sabres were able capitalize on a mistake by the Blue Jackets. Okposo noticed Jones skating back to retrieve a puck in the defensive zone while their goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, was behind the net. The puck banked off the end boards, and Okposo quickly scored into the empty cage.

"I knew that Bobrovsky was out of the net, so in my head I was just hoping that those guys didn't react in time," Okposo said. "And they didn't, and I was able to chip it over Bobrovsky's stick."
Having also assisted on Pouliot's goal, Okposo now has nine points (4+5) in his last eight games.
Ullmark lost his shutout with 6:15 remaining when, on the only power play of the game, Artemi Panarin sliced through the Buffalo penalty kill and ripped a backhand above the goalie's glove. The Sabres buckled down from that point on and sealed the win on an empty-net goal from Jack Eichel.
Looking at Ullmark's season in Rochester, it's easy to understand why Housley felt he had earned the opportunity for an NHL start. His 17 wins lead the AHL, and he received his second straight bid to the league's All-Star Game. Housley came away particularly impressed with the confidence he showed in net.
"I think he's carried that forward from Rochester," Housley said. "He's very calm, he doesn't overplay things, he's pretty tight and he's pretty square to the puck and he makes that first save and he fought through some traffic to make the second save.
"He stepped up, he was on his angle and he was challenging and you could see the confidence in his game."
Housley said he expects Ullmark - along with defenseman Brendan Guhle, who scored his first point Thursday - to return to Rochester while the Sabres have their bye week. Beyond that, it's hard to say when exactly his next opportunity will come, given that the Sabres have two goalies on their roster.
For one night in January, though, he was exactly the spark they needed.
"I was so happy we pulled it off," Ullmark said. "It's been tough, I think, for the guys up here. It's nice to come up with a win."

Pouliot rebounds

Pouliot had been scratched for two of the past three games entering Thursday, and he admitted earlier in the day that he hadn't been playing up to his own standards. Since scoring his eighth goal on Dec. 12 - which matched his 67-game total from last season - he'd been held without a point in nine contests.
He was given an opportunity to end that drought playing on a line with Eichel and Okposo, and he made the most of it with his goal in the first period. The play began when Okposo intercepted a breakout pass at the blue line and proceeded to execute a give-and-go with Eichel.
Okposo dropped to one knee and took a one-time shot from the slot on Eichel's return pass, and Pouliot was there at the net front to clean up the rebound.

"It felt good for sure," he said. "My linemates made a great play, I just had to go to the net and get the rebound. So I think it was a little bit of a confidence boost at the beginning. I felt pretty good the whole game."

Eichel stays hot

Playing in his first game since being named an All-Star for the first time on Wednesday, Eichel kept up the kind of performance that earned him a spot among the league's best. With a goal and an assist, he picked up his sixth multi-point performance since Dec. 15.
Eichel now has 17 points (10+7) in his last 11 games. He's tied for fifth in the NHL with 16 even-strength points since Dec. 1.

Guhle gets his first

Guhle earned the secondary assist on Okposo's goal, marking the first point of his NHL career. While it may be a memorable moment for the young defenseman, it was far from the most impressive aspect of his game. He once again put his skating ability on display throughout the night, joining the rush often and nearly scoring in the first period.
"It's good to see two D involved in the rush," Housley said. "Having two guys coming up and kicking it out to the wing, which was a D, and having him drive through it and drive out just trying to create space, it was good to see that brand of hockey again where D are involved in the attack."
In addition to his assist, Guhle recorded three shot attempts in 16:10

Up next

The Sabres will return from their bye week next Thursday when they visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The game will be nationally televised on NBCSN, or you can listen to Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray call the game on WGR 550. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.