Sabres Win Over Kraken In Shootout

The Buffalo Sabres ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

Going into the game, the Sabres had dropped three consecutive games, gaining just two out of a possible six points in matchups against Anaheim, Boston, and Detroit.

The win on Saturday in Buffalo came at a critical time as the club looks to hold its top spot in the hotly contested Atlantic Division race and stay in the hunt for a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres overcame a 2-0 deficit to gain the much-needed two points as the regular season races continue to heat up.

The Sabres once again showed an ability to come from behind to put the game in the win column.

Although the team has not been playing its best hockey in the past week, in the Seattle game, they found a way to win at the end of the night, Something they have been able to do many times in the course of a remarkable run that began at midseason. It is the Sabres’ mindset of never being out of a game that has allowed them to reach the position they have in the standings.

Saturday night’s contest featured defensive mistakes that nearly led to a fourth straight loss, but gaining two points in any fashion against a Western Conference opponent gave the team the result they needed.

“I know it’s three in a row, “ said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff on stopping the losing streak. “In two of those games, you’re getting points, and those are important points. Even fighting back tonight, if you get one point, it’s a big point. But to get back in the win column is a big deal. Because you look at the win column, it shows you lost three in a row.”

From night to night, teams change seedings, making halting a string of losses quickly a must in order for clubs to stay in the playoff chase.

While securing a playoff berth remains a virtual certainty, the battle through the remaining eight games of the regular season is for postseason positioning.

The Sabres are also fighting to gain home ice advantage for round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and need to bank as many points as possible down the stretch to make that happen.

For Ruff and the Sabres, the goal each night is to find a way to win as points become even more difficult to get down the stretch.

“The battle by our guys tonight was big enough to overcome anything in the game that would have kept us from winning.”