Sabres pepper Oettinger with 48 shots but get stonewalled by the Stars All-Star goalie
Sabres pepper Oettinger with 48 shots but get stonewalled by the Stars All-Star goalie
Outrageous Oettinger
The Buffalo Sabres in their first game following the All-Star break peppered the Dallas Stars and Jake Oettinger with 48 shots, but could only manage to beat the All-Star goaltender once in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday. Oettinger made a slew of remarkable stops and nearly single-handedly preserved the Stars advantage after Sam Steel’s odd game-winning goal in the second period, but none was bigger than the stop made on Casey Mittelstadt late in regulation to preserve the slim one-goal lead.
“(Oettinger) stood on his head, made a lot of big saves for them to keep it close and give them a lead.” Sabres center Tage Thompson said after the game. “It’s just one of those games where you face a hot goalie."
Dahlin Beyond Frustrated
If one Sabres player had a case for being more frustrated than any other, it would be defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The NHL’s leading defensive goal scorer played nearly 30 minutes on Tuesday, had eight shots on goal, and other than Mittelstadt’s late opportunity had the two best scoring chances for Buffalo. Both times, Mittelstadt set up the big Swede in front of the net with a high-danger scoring chance, but Oettinger stopped the first, and the other was shot over the net.
"It sucks right now. I'm more than pissed off, but tomorrow is a new day." Dahlin said. "it's (was) a good game for us, but the result didn't come."
Home Humdrum
The Sabres started a stretch on January 9 that extended over a month where they played 10 of 13 games on home ice. They went 3-3 in the first six games against mostly non-playoff competition and began a stretch of four games against clubs currently in a playoff spot with a loss to Dallas. Buffalo is currently one of seven NHL clubs under .500 at home with a record of 11-13-1.
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