Archives for November 22, 2018

‘Carter Hutton had to bail out Buffalo again and careless passes could have turned that storybook start into a nightmarish ending. However, the Sabres accomplished what no team in franchise history has in over a decade. Sam Reinhart’s empty-net goal with 1:38 remaining clinched a 5-2 win over the Flyers and the team’s first seven-game winning streak since 2006-07.’

‘”I figured with the 7:30 game and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving they might have a couple alcoholic beverages in them so they were going to be a little rowdy,” a smiling defenseman Jake McCabe said of the team’s fans after the 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. “We definitely built off that early, were pumped up to get out there. We rallied around their energy and it was a blast.”‘

‘”In my mind, I kind of liken it to a game of cards,” Smith said. “If you’re playing poker, if you have a pair of aces, you go for it. If you have a three and a two, you stay back. You try and select your opportunities wisely and try to put yourself in position for success. Even the times where you set yourself up for success, it’s not always going to work out in your favor, but at least you’ve played the odds moving up the ice.”‘

‘Buffalo is now 7-2-1 at home this season, on pace for its best mark since 1982-83, and 9-0-2 when scoring first. The Sabres will wake up on Thanksgiving with a 14-6-2 record after they didn’t win their 14th game until Jan. 25 last season. Phil Housley’s players found themselves in an unfamiliar position this time, though. After three third-period comebacks in their previous four games, the Sabres had to hold onto a four-goal lead.’