Observations: Sabres treat sold-out crowd to complete effort on RJ Night

They wore the various colors and logos of the franchise from its inception in 1970. The building’s first sold-out Sabres crowd since Feb. 16, 2020, was filled with jerseys featuring names of players who were uttered by Jeanneret on the air through good times and bad.

For those who didn’t attend a game during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, and those who needed a reason to return following the dismantling of the Sabres’ former core, this was their first in-person introduction to the band of young players who are blossoming in Jeanneret’s final season.

From Peyton Krebs’ leap into the glass after his opening goal that made the fans roar, to Tage Thompson reaching the 30-goal milestone, the Sabres gave those in attendance more reasons to return in their 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators to kick off the final month of the season.

"That was a lot of fun," said Krebs, who was part of the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas. "It gets you excited, obviously. … It makes you want to win a Stanley Cup, for sure. Having people in the building every night, we’re going to win a lot of hockey games."

The Sabres (25-33-11) extended their point streak to eight games following a March in which they posted an 8-3-3 record. Victor Olofsson’s 15th goal of the season, a power-play one-timer in the second period, gave Buffalo a lead it didn't relinquish. Goalie Craig Anderson made 22 saves, including 10 during Nashville's push in the third, and the Sabres registered 35 or more shots on goal for the third-straight game.

Buffalo scored three goals in the first period, beginning with Krebs’ opening marker only 2:14 into the game off a Dylan Cozens rebound, to take a 3-1 lead. Thompson scored twice to cap blue-collar plays by the top line, most notably Alex Tuch, who used his speed and physicality to get the puck back from the Predators and extend possession for Buffalo.

"I'm very happy the way our guys handled potential pressure," said Sabres coach Don Granato.

The Predators (39-25-4) rallied from the two-goal deficit by scoring twice in a span of 1:38 late in the first period. Michael McCarron deflected Matt Benning’s point shot, and Jeremy Lauzon tied it when his initial shot went wide, off the glass, and he scored on a centering pass from Matt Duchene.

But the Sabres roared back with an impressive second period in which the Predators had only five shots on goal. Olofsson gave Buffalo the 4-3 lead with his one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Cozens, and the Sabres almost added another when Juuse Saros made a split save to rob Tuch with 2:14 remaining.

"Tonight was a great challenge and we’ve had lots of challenges like that in the past five or six games," said Thompson. "Every time we’re in a situation like that, it’s nothing but a building block for that. I think we welcome those challenges, and it’s fun to be apart of and grow from."

The effort continued in the third period, even when the Predators pushed to tie the score. And though the Sabres twice missed the empty net in the game's final moments, they skated off with the win. 

When Jeanneret ended his emotional pregame speech with three words, “I love you,” the Sabres’ players left the bench to gather at center ice and raised their sticks high in the air to salute the man of the night. Then, they thanked the fans by displaying the work ethic shared by the great teams in franchise history that were the subject of Jeanneret’s most famous calls.

As the crowd roared in approval of the Sabres holding on for the win, Tuch and Cody Eakin escored Jeanneret onto the ice where the subjects of the fans' adoration basked in an atmosphere unlike any in KeyBank Center in years.

"We're excited for the future," said Krebs.

Here are other observations from the game:

1. Ascending

The dynamic skill Thompson has shown during this breakout season was on display during many practices under former coaches Phil Housley and Ralph Krueger. In addition to the shift to center, Thompson has gained more strength – which has been particularly useful on the forecheck – and he’s receiving opportunity with a coach who is willing to have patience with young players.

Thompson was unfairly compared to Ryan O’Reilly because of the blockbuster trade that helped St. Louis win a Stanley Cup. But it’s working out for both sides, as Thompson’s 30-goal season is more than O’Reilly or Sam Reinhart ever had as a Sabre.

"It feels awesome," said Thompson. "Obviously a lot of credit goes to the teammates and the opportunity that I’ve been given by Donny in playing in all situations. It’s a really rewarding feeling. Obviously the first couple years of my career I had to grind a little bit there and find my way. I feel like I’m starting to get my footing here in the league and just try to continue to work, grow and get better each day."

2. Big impact

The puck hasn’t gone in much for Tuch since February. He had two goals, including an empty netter, in his previous 20 games entering Friday.  But Tuch showed again why he’s been so important to the Sabres since joining the lineup in December. He’s relentless in getting the puck back and his work on the forecheck led to each of Thompson’s goal in the first period.

It was Tuch who flattened Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm in the corner before Thompson’s pass from the right circle to Jeff Skinner at the far post was deflected in for a 3-1 Sabres lead at 13:22 into the first period.

3.  Back in action

Mattias Samuelsson returned from his one-game injury absence to play an important role on the blue line. The 22-year-old blocked a shot on a key Sabres penalty kill early in the second period, and he used his strength on the forecheck to limit Nashville in its offensive zone.

Samuelsson was on the ice in the final moments with the game on the line and helped clear the front of the net as the Sabres secured the win. He finished with five hits and four blocked shots in 23:45 of ice time. 

4. Around the boards

Forwards Anders Bjork and John Hayden, and defenseman Will Butcher were healthy scratches. … Defenseman Colin Miller remains in Covid-19 protocol. … Sabres prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen was named the AHL Player of the Month for March after he totaled eight goals and 18 points in 13 games for Rochester. Ruotsalainen has 16 goals and 42 points in 44 games with the Amerks this season. … This was Henri Jokiharju’s 200^th career NHL game. … With a pair of primary assists, Cozens registered his second multi-point game in three games.

5. Next

The Sabres will host Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. Buffalo has been outscored 13-5 in two losses to Florida this season.