AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
The Rangers and the Sabres traded tons of chances in the game, with both getting one past the strong goaltending in regulation. It was the story of goaltending, as Robin Lehner and Henrik Lundqvist put on a show, making save after save in a game that started slow and ended with the teams trading chances left and right. Lehner finished with 42 saves, and Hank finished with 36 saves.
The forwards were able to generate a good amount of chances, using their speed to burn by a very vulnerable Sabres defense. Unfortunately, the Sabres did the exact same thing to the Rangers. It’s actually kind of fun to watch. Both teams are built the same way, so watching them trade chances was a good time, even if the game started slow for the Rangers.
On to the goals:
Rangers 1, Sabres 0
Mika Zibanejad held the puck and retained possession behind the net before feeding it to J.T. Miller up top. Miller slid to the mid-point while Ryan McDonagh shifted to get into a shooting position. McDonagh fired an absolute howitzer with Chris Kreider providing the screen. Mats Zuccarello got his stick on it to get it by Lehner.
Sabres 1, Rangers 1
The Sabres were able to turn a rush after Brady Skjei missed the net in the offensive zone. Skjei and Klein got back to break up the rush, but all three back checking forwards skated below the dots. No one picked up Cody Franson, who picked up the puck and beat Hank.
Rangers 2, Sabres 1
Just as the powerplay expired, Chris Kreider and JT Miller hooked up on a beautiful give and go for the winner. This was a great passing play all around.
Even Strength Corsi (5v5)
This was actually a pretty back and forth game all night. The scoring chance chart isn’t working at the moment, so it’s tough to really judge if the beginning was trading chances or just trading attempts. But by the third it was definitely back and forth hockey. Was fun to watch.
This was a goaltending show by both teams. The Rangers and Sabres peppered each other with shots, and it was the Rangers who came out on top. It wasn’t a perfect effort, as you’d like to see the Rangers give up fewer than 37 shots, but the offense was there. This was a step in the right direction after the debacle on Tuesday night, and a win to build on.
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