A wide grin still on his face, JJ Peterka skated toward the bench to celebrate with his Buffalo Sabres teammates as most of the 15,364 fans inside KeyBank Center applauded the latest sign of progress for a franchise that’s finally inspiring hope in a city that’s tired of waiting for winning hockey.
Peterka, one of 15 players in the Sabres lineup drafted in the second round or higher, sliced through the Ottawa Senators’ defense and completed a give-and-go with Dylan Cozens to score his first career NHL goal.
"Pure joy," he said, still grinning while standing at his dressing-room stall.
The crowd was still buzzing with anticipation less than three minutes later when Rasmus Dahlin, now a heart-and-soul leader and four years removed from his debut, gave the Sabres their first lead by completing another impressive shift when he finished a chance created by Peyton Krebs.
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The Sabres’ season-opening 4-1 win over the revamped Ottawa Senators on Thursday night showcased how the youngest roster in the NHL wants to use its combination of speed, skill and competitiveness to surprise in 2022-23.
Peterka and Dahlin sparked the comeback, and Victor Olofsson added a pair of empty-net goals for Buffalo (1-0). Goalie Craig Anderson made 35 saves to kickstart his 20th season in the league.
This wasn’t a flawless performance by any stretch. We saw the miscues that are typical with early-season hockey and, as expected, young players endured some challenges while adjusting to the fast-paced, physical game against an intradivisional opponent.
But the Sabres’ performance validated the increased expectations and fanfare around a club that hasn’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011.
"We just kept pushing," said Dahlin. "It’s the competing that matters. You saw the guys at the end there. We blocked so many shots. (Stuff) happens out there, but we find a way to win so that’s what matters."
It was Peterka who completed a momentum-changing shift that seemed to stun the Senators (0-1). Peterka, 20, carried the puck over the blue line and into the offensive zone, passed to Cozens on his right and proceeded to split the Senators’ defense. Cozens then sent a centering pass to the slot, where Peterka tied the score, 1-1, at 4:31 into the second period.
Peterka, the second-youngest player on the team, pumped his fist as the crowd roared. His line with Cozens at center and Krebs on the other wing had 64.7% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when they were on the ice.
"We got better and better," Peterka said of the trio. "We’ve started clicking right now. It’s exciting to play with those two guys. We’re just having fun out there."
Dahlin then had one of his signature shifts to build on the momentum. The 2018 No. 1 pick carried the puck all the way down the ice and got to the front of the net, where he scored on a centering pass from Krebs for a 2-1 lead with 12:35 left in the second period.
Anderson, the NHL’s oldest current player at 41 years, 144 days, stopped 35 shots to improve his career opening-night record to 8-3-2.
The Sabres went 0-for-4 on the power play, but they held onto the lead with staunch penalty-killing, including a successful 49-second 5-on-3, and steady goaltending by Anderson, who stifled Tim Stutzle's chance from in tight with a poke check in the final minutes of the third period.
Anderson added another bail-out save when Claude Giroux got behind the Sabres' defense, and Buffalo secured the win with a pair of empty-net goals from Olofsson, the first of which he created by forcing a turnover.
"There was a lot of emotion and a lot of tension," said Sabres coach Don Granato. "Guys forced a lot of plays and mistakes happened, specifically the power play. You can see that. … We had to battle through that."
Here are other observations from the game:
1. Dynamic return
Peterka was among the Sabres’ best players while appearing in only his third NHL game. In addition to the goal, Peterka nearly scored again in the second period and setup Zemgus Girgensons for a chance in the third. Peterka finished with four shots on goal in 11:55 of ice time.
"JJ was (better) tonight than he was at any point in the preseason, the exhibition games," Granato said. "That was really nice to see. The competition elevated, the competitive puck battles elevated and I thought he was very determined in puck battles and showed a lot of strength. Once he won a puck battle, he saw a lot of options and plays."
Cozens looked like a "seasoned NHL vet," Granato said, with a performance that included three shots on goal and an assist. And Dahlin didn't succumb to the frustration of what he called "hiccups" in his game. He finished with a team-high 24:16 of ice time.
2. Opening salvo
The Sabres were a mess during a first period in which Anderson noticed some "frustrated jitters." There were uncharacteristic turnovers and some overpassing.
The Senators took a 1-0 lead at 10:16 into the first period when Drake Batherson carried the puck down the left wing and waited for the Sabres’ defensemen to collapse toward the net. Batherson then quickly passed to the slot where Brady Tkachuk one-timed a shot that went off the post and in. It was the only goal in a fast-paced, disjointed period in which the Sabres were outshot 16-9 generated only two notable scoring opportunities, including a breakaway for Jeff Skinner.
Anderson bailed out the group with key saves, and Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson and Ilya Lyubushkin blocked shots in the final minutes of regulation.
"We found our game pretty quick and we batlted through it," Dahlin said. "We found a way to win. We want to play a fast game. Ottawa is a good team, but we stuck with it and we played really well at the end, too."
3. Rookie moments
Owen Power made his NHL debut back in April at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, yet this game was another first in his young career. Power, 19, took the ice for his first opening night and made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the opening 20 minutes. He turned the puck over twice in his own end, the second of which created a 2-on-1, and missed the net on a Jokiharju pass.
There were also impressive plays by Power with and without the puck throughout the game. He seemed to get more comfortable with each shift, often bailing the Sabres out by carrying the puck into the neutral zone rather than forcing a pass. Power had a plus-2 rating in 20:53 of ice time.
4. Around the boards
Up front for the Sabres, Tage Thompson centered Skinner and Olofsson; Casey Mittelstadt was between Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch; Cozens played center between Krebs and Peterka; and Zemgus Girgensons was at left wing with Rasmus Asplund at center and Kyle Okposo on the right side.
On defense, Dahlin was with Samuelsson, Power partnered with Jokiharju and Jacob Bryson was next to Lyubushkin. Center Riley Sheahan, who was placed on injured reserve, resumed skating with the team Thursday morning in a non-contact jersey.
Prior to puck drop, the Sabres and Senators, along with family members of the victims, gathered at center ice for a moment of silence to honor those killed during the racially motivated shooting at Tops. The Sabres also announced this season every player will wear a helmet decal that reads, “Choose Love.”
5. Next
The Sabres host the Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers on Saturday in KeyBank Center at 1 p.m. Buffalo then hits the road for a four-game trip to Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.
