Observations: Top line, stronger defense help Sabres snap losing streak

The smile on his face and sigh of relief were more powerful than words. He was still unlacing his skates in the visitors' dressing room following a skid-halting 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens when asked by The Buffalo News what this dominant performance meant after eight straight losses.

"Finally," he said, beaming while letting out a sigh. "We've been working really hard. And we came out tonight competing really hard, sticking up for each other. No panic in our game."

All the frustration and pressure that accumulated over 18 grueling days for the Sabres seemed to evaporate with a wrist shot by Alex Tuch early in the first period.

Tuch zipped the puck past Montreal Canadiens Jake Allen on the power play at 2:13 for the Sabres’ third goal of the night, their second-fastest start to a game in franchise history. The home crowd was silent and distraught. The Canadiens were reeling.

Finally, after eight straight losses, the Sabres held a comfortable lead and didn’t need to press to try to create offense. The Canadiens’ sluggish start and poor defense allowed Buffalo to erupt for a three-goal lead.

This wasn’t completely stress-free, though. The Sabres gave Montreal six power plays and twice saw a three-goal lead narrowed to two. Bolstered by the fast start to the game, and another dominant showing by its top line, Buffalo peppered Allen with 38 shots and pulled away with three goals in the third period.

Tuch, Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson combined for four goals and 12 points on 16 shots to pace the Sabres (8-11) offensively. Dahlin also had a goal and two assists, while rookie winger JJ Peterka snapped his eight-game goal drought.

"It’s taken a weight off my shoulders, I can tell you that personally," said Sabres coach Don Granato. "Yeah, it’s great. It’s fun to see the guys play that way, obviously. Lots of guys, they care and they work. And we’re young. ... These guys get better because of this stuff. You see the care behind the scenes and it’s really nice to see them enjoy this tonight."

This wasn’t the Sabres team we saw lose by multiple goals in seven of their previous eight games. Mattias Samuelsson, their shutdown, top-pair defenseman, returned to the lineup Tuesday night following a 13-game absence. Forward Tyson Jost, who was claimed off waivers from Minnesota on Saturday, provided sound defense at even strength and on the penalty kill. Winger Zemgus Girgensons was also back in the lineup after missing the loss Saturday in Toronto.

Defenseman Henri Jokiharju is rounding into form after missing 11 games with an injury. This was the first time since the third game of the season that the Sabres’ top-four defensemen were in the lineup.

The result was a much better showing at even strength and special teams. The Sabres outshot the Canadiens, 38-31, and didn’t play conservatively after jumping out to an early lead. There was opportunity to create offense against Montreal (9-9-1), which is one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL.

Dahlin opened the scoring when he collected a pass from Thompson in the slot and finished with a wrist shot to make it 1-0 only 35 seconds into the game. Then, a lethargic shift by the Canadiens gave Dylan Cozens ample time to keep a rebound around the crease and Peterka capitalized for a two-goal lead.

"We came out with a mission tonight," Tuch said. "I thought we went hard to the net from the drop of the puck. We were getting pucks deep, playing simple."

A reckless hit from behind by Canadiens winger Michael Pezzetta on Rasmus Asplund put the Sabres on the power play and Tuch needed only 31 seconds to beat Allen to complete the remarkable surge to start the game.

The Sabres haven't scored three goals to start a game quicker since Jan. 6, 2010. 

There were too many mistakes at times. Cole Caufield spoiled the shutout at 2:57 into the game with a high shot past Craig Anderson to cut the deficit to 3-1. Anderson was forced to stop six power-play shots in the first period alone. His teammates committed a few bad penalties.

But the Sabres showed a killer instinct that was lacking during the skid. Skinner made it another three-goal lead in the second period when he finished a perfect centering pass by Thompson. 

Jokiharju, Skinner and Thompson added key insurance goals in the third period, the first of which occurred because of an outstanding wraparound, backhanded pass by Tuch.

Thompson had a four-point night, increasing his season total to a team-high 13 goals and 26 points in 19 games. Skinner finished the game with two goals and five points, and Tuch added one goal with three points.

Allen snapped his stick over the right goal post of Montreal's net after Skinner's one-timer on the power play made it 7-2 with 5:34 left in the third period.

The Sabres weren't overpassing or making irresponsible plays with the puck. They weren't cheating for offense. This was a well-rounded game that showed they're not too inexperienced to play the way they did during their 7-3 start to the season.

"We had a mindset coming in: play fast, winning our one-on-one battles and being hard to play against," said Thompson. "I thought we just played a simple game and eventually wore them out."

General Manager Kevyn Adams, like Granato, emphasized the need for patience when speaking to reporters Monday. Adams said he’s uncomfortable but unwilling to make any sweeping changes to the youngest roster in the NHL.

Sixty-three games remain in the season, but no team since 2000 has lost eight in the row and made the playoffs. Their play over the previous three weeks has made the Atlantic Division standings a steep hill to climb. Buffalo is seven points behind third-place Tampa Bay following the win in Montreal.

A blue print for success is clear, though. The Sabres know they have to be more physical. Finishing checks can't be an option. They blocked 10 shots Tuesday night. But this win will be meaningless if they're unable to repeat.

"It’s hard," Dahlin said of the slump. "It’s one of the hardest things you can go through, losing. But we have such a good group here and we just need to continue to play really hard. Now we know what it takes. It’s good to get this one and keep going."

Here are other observations from the game:

1. Change needed

Jacob Bryson committed the only notable defensive error Tuesday night, when Sean Monahan skated around Bryson to score on his own rebound for Montreal's second goal of the game. Otherwise, the Sabres played their best defense in weeks.

Anderson was solid on the penalty kill. The 41-year-old goalie emphasized the need to prioritize defense rather than offense, Tuch said. Buffalo had more than twice as many high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 than Montreal (13-6). They allowed a league-worst 4.75 goals per game during the losing streak.

"We capitalized on some chances," Skinner said. "Especially on the road, you want to play simple. We were fortunate to get a couple early and we settled in there."

2. Finding a way

We haven’t seen Dahlin at his best recently, Tuesday night included, yet he’s still finding ways to make a significant impact. He had two points in the first period, including a primary assist on Tuch’s goal, and now has 23 points in 18 games this season.

As Granato noted Tuesday morning, Dahlin is pressing the way he did early last season. The difference now is Dahlin doesn’t allow mistakes made out of competitiveness to snowball into an ugly night. With Samuelsson back, Dahlin didn't have to overextend himself, either.

The Sabres balanced their workload on defense with Jokiharju skating a team-high 22:01. Samuelsson, Owen Power and Ilya Lyubushkin were under 20 minutes. Dahlin finished with two shots on goal in 20:37.

3. First impression

Tyson Jost didn’t need long to endear himself to teammates and fans. Jost delivered a big hit on defenseman Chris Wideman that led to a quick shoving match between the two. Then, they dropped the gloves and Jost pulled Wideman to the ice to end the skirmish.

Jost, 24, skated on the Sabres’ top penalty-killing unit and even filled in for Tuch on the first line when the winger needed a breather. Jost intercepted a pass that would have been an easy power-play goal for Montreal early in the second period.

There’s no question that Jost will need to provide secondary scoring to carve out a role on this team. But he’s also going to have to play a physical game, whether it be blocking shots or finishing a check. His arrival, along with the returns of Samuelsson and Girgensons, were "enormous" for the penalty kill, Granato said.

Jost had zero shots on goal in 12:36 of ice time, but he made a noticeable difference for a penalty kill that converted at a league-worst 60% rate during the losing streak.

"Josty obviously set the tone there, his first game with us, showing some emotion," said Skinner.

4. Finding a rhythm

Granato didn’t have a simple answer when asked Tuesday morning how Peyton Krebs can begin to produce more and reestablish the confidence that he showed with the Sabres last season. Krebs, 21, was a healthy scratch Tuesday for the third time this season. He has three assists and only 10 shots on goal in 16 games. He hasn’t looked comfortable on the wing and doesn’t win faceoffs at center. He worked himself off the power play. There are times when he energizes teammates with his speed, but he’s not doing much when he has the puck.

There appears to be hesitation in his game. Remember, Krebs had only seven games of American Hockey League experience when he arrived in the trade last November. He’s an inexperienced player on a team with too many. A stint in Rochester could help Krebs get ice time and opportunity at center without the pressure of making mistakes in the NHL. Until then, the Sabres are trying to solve what’s slowed him.

“We're looking at it, I guess (that’s the best way to put it),” Granato said. “So, it's something that we will look further into. He's working hard. He's in the right places. I think he does the right thing. We've seen him practicing hard. Those are good. We need to ... we will be looking and sitting down with him more. Hope to be able to give him more and him do more.”

5. Next

The Sabres complete the back-to-back Wednesday night in KeyBank Center against the St. Louis Blues (10-8), who have won seven games in a row after losing eight straight. This is labeled as 90’s night with the Sabres wearing their black, alternate goathead jerseys. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is slated to start in goal for Buffalo.