The Buffalo Sabres have spent their California swing stacking wins in two very different ways, and that’s the part that stands out most. They opened the trip with a 2-0 shutout over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 27, then followed it up with a wild 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Oct.
- Through two games, they’ve outscored their opponents 9-6 and carry a plus-3 goal differential into Saturday’s finale against the Los Angeles Kings.
That last stop comes on Oct. 31, with Buffalo looking to finish the trip 3-0-0 before heading home. If they get there, it’ll only deepen what has become a clear pattern: the Sabres have been a problem for California teams on the road. With these two wins, Buffalo is now 7-0-1 on California road trips over the last three seasons.
What’s made it work is that the Sabres have shown they can win in completely different styles. Against San Jose, they controlled the game with structure and goaltending.
Colten Ellis stopped all 23 shots for the shutout, while the offense generated chances all night even if the scoreboard stayed relatively quiet. Buffalo finished with an expected goals for of 3.58, according to Natural Stat Trick, which showed they were creating looks even before Zach Benson added the empty-net goal.
The power play went 0-for-3, but the penalty kill kept the Sharks off the board, which was a positive step.
The Ducks game was the polar opposite. It turned into a full-on shootout, with 13 combined goals and six in the first period, the second-most combined goals in a period this season across the NHL.
Tage Thompson delivered a natural hat trick, and Buffalo nearly coughed up a 7-3 lead late in the third period. The power play clicked twice on three chances, but the penalty kill had a rough night, allowing three power-play goals on four opportunities.
That contrast is exactly why these two wins matter. Buffalo proved it can grind out a 2-0 result and also survive a track meet. The version that showed up in those games looked a lot like the team that won the Atlantic Division last season.
There was also a real need for these results. The Sabres showed they can protect a lead for most of a game, and they also picked up their fifth comeback win of the season, which leads the entire NHL, after falling behind 3-1 early against Anaheim. Thompson’s three-goal night carried a lot of the offensive load, and that matters while players like Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris work to get going.
And after a season in which the goaltending has been uneven, the shutout in San Jose was a welcome sight. Buffalo doesn’t need the same formula every night.
Some games the offense has to drag them through, some nights the goaltending has to do the heavy lifting, and sometimes both have to show up at once. On this trip, the Sabres have already shown they can win both kinds.
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Sabres Line Shakeup Just Unlocked Something Huge For Tage Thompson
A late lineup tweak gave Buffalo a different look against Anaheim, and it paid off in a big way. Peyton Krebs was elevated into the first line mix and immediately helped tilt the ice, piling up three assists in the Sabres 7-6 win while Tage Thompson turned the change into one of his biggest nights of the season.
Thompsons hat trick and five-point performance were the headline, but the chemistry on that top unit was the real story for Buffalo. The Sabres got a glimpse of how dangerous that group can be when it clicks, and the way Krebs fit into the role left the coaching staff with a useful problem to think about once the lineup settles back down. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Playoff Push May Hinge On One Growing Concern
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The bigger concern is the one that keeps showing up in the same places: in net and on special teams. The Sabres have not gotten the steady goaltending they need, and the power play and penalty kill have also left room for doubt, which can erase the value of stronger five-on-five play. There is still time for the roster to settle in and for help to arrive later, but if Buffalo is going to turn its promising start into a real playoff push, those problem areas have to move in the right direction soon. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Benson Is Forcing A Bigger Sabres Question Up Front
Zach Bensons recent stretch has given the Sabres another look at their forward mix, and it has not been a subtle one. After Lindy Ruff bumped Benson into a more prominent role, the young winger has looked increasingly comfortable alongside Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs, bringing the kind of energy Buffalo has come to expect from him through hard forechecking, clean support work and a knack for helping teammates find space.
The numbers have backed up the eye test, too, with that group tilting play in Buffalos favor while Benson has added to his point production. What makes it more interesting for the Sabres is how much less effective the same unit has looked in limited time without him, which turns Bensons surge into more than a nice individual run and into a bigger question about how Ruff wants to build the top of the lineup going forward. [Read more 🡒]