Coming into the game tonight, the Buffalo Sabres sat in a precarious position, holding down the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with Carolina and Toronto both nipping at their heels.
It was a game they had to win and tonight they played like a desperate hockey team.
Bit of a surprise starter for the Sabres as they opted to go with Jhonas Enroth over Ryan Miller. Apparently Lindy Ruff had planned to go with Enroth before the weekend started but after a loss against the Leafs last night, many thought Miller would get the nod.
If you’re wondering why there was so much scoring tonight, it almost certainly had something to do with me only needing an under to win my Proline.
The Senators were sloppy defensively in this game and the Sabres made them pay for it. Anderson was chased after four goals on 17 shots but Curtis McElhinney didn’t really fare much better. Ottawa just made too many mistakes in their own end.
Jason Spezza single-handedly kept the Senators in the game. He was far and away the best player on the ice for Ottawa and racked up four points, including a pair of goals. He registered five shots on goal and was 64% on the draws.
Despite missing significant time due to injury, Spezza is now just one point back of Erik Karlsson for the team lead in points.
Tonight’s loss prevents the Sens from passing the Avs in the standings and is a punch in the gut to the Leafs playoff chances. Important to find the positives this time of year.
