BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Don't look now, but the Buffalo Sabres have extended their win streak to eight games with a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Also notable, with their win and Tampa Bay's loss to Columbus, the Sabres now have a four-point lead at the top of the Atlantic Division.
5 Observation's from Tuesday's win:
What a game from Jack Quinn
Quinn is a player who can, at times, be frustrating. He disappears in games and leaves more to be desired at least once every few games. But when he’s playing with swagger and confidence, he can change a game instantly.
That’s what we saw on Tuesday night in arguably his best game of the season. He opened the scoring for the Sabres, had an assist on Jason Zucker’s fourth goal, and scored less than a minute into the third period to give the Sabres a three-goal lead. He added an empty-netter with 2:46 left on the clock to complete the hat trick.
Quinn is streaky, and having guys like that in the lineup is okay when they have performances as he did against the Sharks. His line with the aforementioned Zucker and Ryan McLeod has looked strong the last few weeks. If he can keep building on this down the stretch, he could very well be an x-factor for the Sabres when they need someone to step up.
Benson doesn’t back down
Watching Zach Benson take down Dmitry Orlov after hitting Tage Thompson is the image that will stay in my head from this game. Orlov hit Thompson hard, and Benson was quick to jump in and stand up for his teammate. For the smallest guy on the Sabres roster to be willing to go after someone speaks volumes to how much this team has grown. Remember last year when Stefan Noessen cheap-shotted Thompson, and nobody responded? Those days are over.
Also, while we’re at it, Benson should be back on the Sabres' top line with Thompson and Alex Tuch. It feels like the three of them have instant chemistry whenever they’re together on the ice. Peyton Krebs has done a nice job since returning from the break, but I believe he should be moved to the fourth line with Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn.
Malenstyn Magic
Speaking of Malenstyn, it seems he can only score goals that require incredible individual effort. His goal against the Sharks on Tuesday seemed to break things open for the Sabres. At that point, they were only ahead 2-1 and looked a bit sluggish. But not after his goal. Malenstyn also had a fight with Barclay Goodrow after hitting Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini (more on him later). Malenstyn plays an important role on the Sabres, and he does it well. In a playoff series, players like him become even more valuable, and against the Sharks, he played a really nice game.
Stanley makes his debut
Logan Stanley, even with 261 games of NHL experience, looked nervous as he made his Sabres debut. He whiffed on his first shot attempt and missed a routine pass on one of his first shifts. But those nerves must’ve turned into adrenaline. Stanley dropped the gloves in the first period, squaring up with 6’4” Zack Ostapchuk.
The two threw haymakers back and forth as Stanley fell to the ice first, but he quickly regained composure and got a few late punches in. It was an even fight and sent a jolt into the building. Stanley isn’t just here to fight, but it’s nice to have another guy in the lineup who can do that when needed. He didn’t log a ton of minutes in his first game with the Sabres, but I’d imagine that number climbs as he gets more acclimated.
Macklin Celebrini
I couldn’t be more impressed with Celebrini. This was my first time seeing him live, and I was blown away. I don’t watch the Sharks very often, so most of what I’ve seen from the NHL’s top rookie was in Milan for the Olympics. He was great for Team Canada but also surrounded by incredible talent. He’s the real deal and going to be one of the best players in this team for a long, long time.
