It’s load management for sure. There have been injuries. But hmmm. You wonder if there’s a wee bit of manipulation too. If the #FlaPanthers slip behind OTT to a wild card they would get #Leafs and not #TBLightning in Round 1.
And they beat the Leafs like a drum. Hmm. https://x.com/colbydguy/stat…
Round 1: Thompson save (deke), Guentzel save (shot)
#Sabres #TBLightning
We go to overtime. #TBLightning wanted their point. It's 2-2 through 60 minutes and #Sabres have a 34-20 lead in shots (it was 13-6 in the third)
TBL 4-3 OT, 2-2 shootouts
BUF 3-5 OT, 3-1 SO..
Hedman with a brutal giveaway right in front of his net and Johansson has to bail him out with a big save on Peterka. Jeez. #Sabres #TBLightning
Zucker pulls the puck off Johansson and bangs it home for goal No. 20 and point No. 50 of the season. Quite a year. His team-high 11th on the PP gets it to 2-2 with 14:53 left. #Sabres #TBLightning
End-2nd: #TBLightning lead #Sabres 2-1. Shots are 21-14 for BUF (it was 12-12 in the end).
TB is 35-1-1 when leading after two. Yes, 35-1-1
BUF is 5-26-1 when trailing after two.
Ostlund gone for tripping. Completely dumped Hagel from behind in the circle. #Sabres #TBLightning
NHL goal leaders to the moment: Draisaitl 52, Nylander 42, Ovechkin 41, ***Thompson 40, ***Point 39, Connor 38, Guentzel 38, Pastrnak 38. #Sabres #TBLightning (***both scored in this game).
Goncalves fires one home from the slot and #TBLightning lead #Sabres 2-1 with 6:59 left in 2nd.
Hedman for tripping. Impeded Zucker, who got a step on him along the wall. #Sabres #TBLightning
Thompson. No. 40..... Great feed by Benson from the corner. #Sabres tie #TBLightning 1-1 at 4:48...
Kucherov gets his 79th assist and 112th point on the Point goal. Second in the NHL to MacKinnon in both categories. #TBLightning #Sabres
Brayden Point off the faceoff blows one through Reimer and #TBLightning lead #Sabres 1-0 at 1:35 of the 2nd. Bolts already have three shots. Had only two in first period.
End-1st: #Sabres and #TBLightning are zip-zip. Shots are 9-2 for BUF. Great play by Hedman to stymie a Thompson rush down the ice in the last 10 seconds of the period.
Kucherov with first shot for #TBLightning with 5:48 left in 1st. Reimer save. Shots are 9-1 for #Sabres. No score.
Brian Campbell Memorial for Power at 9:35. Can't do that against this team, which is 7th in NHL on the PP. #Sabres #TBLightning
Nine minutes in, #Sabres outshooting #TBLightning 5-0. Score remains zip-zip.
Nice video to honor Girgensons return. Crowd applauds. Lots of smiles on #TBLightning bench, including Jon Cooper. #Sabres
It's Reimer vs. old friend Jonas Johansson in goal tonight for #Sabres and #TBLightning.
One leg up for #TBLightning is their 15-2-5 record against the Metropolitan Division. What might be their undoing for Atlantic title is record in the division. They're just 9-12-0. #Sabres are 8-11-2.
