Buffalo trails Washington by four points in the Eastern Conference playoff race
Buffalo trails Washington by four points in the Eastern Conference playoff race
The Buffalo Sabres were able to rebound in a big way from a weekend loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Seattle on Monday, responding quickly after the Kraken scored 24 seconds into the game with three goals in the first six minutes, chasing Kraken starter Joey Daccord, on their way to a 6-2 victory at Climate Pledge Arena.
Jeff Skinner posted a hat trick, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Owen Power scored for Buffalo, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in the win that kept the Sabres within striking distance in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“It was a great response,” Sabres head coach Don Granato said after the game. “After giving up a goal really early, to respond really quickly after that with a couple (goals) was outstanding.
The win moved the Sabres to within three points of Detroit, but the Washington Capitals moved past the Red Wings into the second wildcard spot with a 5-2 win in Calgary.
The main adversary for Buffalo is time, who have only 13 games left on the schedule. The Capitals and NY Islanders (who are two points ahead) have two games in hand on the Sabres, as does the Pittsburgh Penguins (who trail Buffalo by two points). Detroit (three points ahead) and New Jersey (who trail by three points) have one game in hand.
To get to 92 points (the amount that 8th place Florida hit to qualify for the playoffs last season), Buffalo will have to go 10-2-1 in their last 13 games. One advantage that the Sabres have is that they play their competition head-to-head over the last month of the regular season.
Buffalo has two home games against the Capitals on April 2nd and 11th, against the Devils on March 29th, and on the road against the Wings on April 7th.
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