The Buffalo Sabres have been on a streak of world beating. Twelve games into the season, they have yet to take a regulation loss, and are currently leading the NHL in points, wins, and goals. Yes, the Sabres have been absolutely dominant, but they have been special in they way they win. Sports these days are subjugated by individual efforts, but the Sabres don’t survive off of big name players—they play a team sport as a team. For me, they have come to represent everything that is good and right about sports.
The game last Thursday against the Boston Bruins typified everything that is amazing and ass-puckering about this hockey team. The Sabres don’t always start off looking great, but they finish like gangbusters.
Thursday night, the Sabres did not come out flying. They were severely outplayed in the first period, but the goaltending of Ryan Miller kept the board scoreless.
In the second frame, the Sabres still struggled to find their legs and Boston finally broke through. They broke through hard. The Sabres went into the second intermission down 3-1 and came out only to give up another goal to Boston. With a three-goal deficit and only ten minutes left in the game, it seemed that all was lost and the Sabres were going to take their first regulation defeat of the season. I’m sure quite a few people went to bed or changed the channel during that third period, and I hope they all learned a valuable lesson about this hockey club
The door opened for the Sabres when Bruins defenseman, Jason York misplayed a bouncing pass deflection. As York bent down to grab the bouncing puck, it slipped right between his legs and onto the stick of Johnny on the Spot, Maxim Afinogenov. Afinogenov slipped into the slot and ripped a shot along the ice to beat Bruins goalie, Tim Thomas with 8:49 left in the game.
Afinogenov’s first goal got the Sabres rolling, but he wasn’t done. The next score started when Sabres centerman, Derek Roy flipped the puck in front of the net. Then, Sabres winger, Thomas Vanek grabbed the puck as it was going by the goal, spun, and fired a shot at the net. The puck deflected of the skate of Bruins defenseman Paul Mara, and Afinogenov, all alone in front of the empty net, spun around and slapped the puck past a diving Tim Thomas with 2:30 left to play, making the score 4-3.
The Sabres needed one more goal to even the score, but time was running out. If they couldn’t find one more miracle they would still lose. Luckily, the Sabres are in the miracle business. And, with 1:35 left to play, Sabres winger, Ales Kotalik, left alone in front of the net, drilled a one-timer from Chris Drury past Thomas to tie the game. After the goal, Thomas could only grab his head in anger and frustration.
I’m not sure why Thomas was surprised, the Sabres have been doing this all year. In fact, six of the Sabres first 11 victories have been comeback wins. Those comeback wins include three two-goal deficits and this amazing three-goal come-from-behind win against the Bruins.
The Sabres and Bruins finished off regulation and the five-minute overtime without a goal.
In the shootout, which has become our secret weapon, the Sabres finished off their victory. Ales Kotalik and Danny Briere, otherwise known as “money,” scored for the Sabres, and Ryan Miller only allowed one goal by Patrice Bergeron.
Another run-of-the-mill, heart-wrenching, teeth-clenching game from the team that never quits.
