Robin Lehner earns second straight shutout with 4-0 win over Vancouver.
By Jourdon LaBarber / Sabres.com
VOUCOUVER, B.C. — When the Buffalo Sabres return home from Western Canada early Friday morning, they’ll go their separate ways for the All-Star break. The way they played their last three games, Phil Housley wishes they could keep playing.
Robin Lehner made 30 saves for his second straight shutout as the Sabres swept their three-game road trip with a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The Sabres have now won three games in a row for the first time this season.
So, maybe the break is ill-timed. Or maybe, Lehner said, it will serve as an opportunity for players to reflect upon what got them here.
“I think it’s good for us,” the goaltender said. “We’ll get three or four days here to really think about why we were successful. I think over the break here we’ve really got to reflect and understand why we’re getting these results. I mean, this was no fluke. We let in one goal in three games on this road trip.
“It’s quite a big thing for us. Maybe we’ve just got to start really analyzing why we’re getting these results, because it’s very fun playing.”
Having followed up their overtime win in Calgary on Monday with a 5-0 blowout of the Edmonton Oilers, the Sabres came into Vancouver with their mind’s set on sweeping the trip. They dominated the majority of the opening period, at one point outshooting the Canucks 7-2.
Buffalo’s consistent pressure on the forecheck led to a goal from Sam Reinhart just 4:27 into the contest.
“I’ve never won here, and that means a lot of other guys with our organization haven’t won here,” Reinhart, a West Vancouver native, said. “That was in our minds. Really, it would’ve been a tough one to swallow taking a step back before the break. We were all on the same page going in.”
The Sabres felt like they were in control from that point on. The Canucks made a push in the first 10 minutes of the second period, but even then, the Sabres did well to prevent second-chance opportunities and tied up sticks in front of the net.
Lehner, meanwhile, made saves when he had to. What was essential in his mind – and what’s separated this road trip from Buffalo’s recent struggles – was that the Sabres limited their odd-man rushes against.
“Yeah, they had a push, but it wasn’t anything dangerous,” Lehner said. “We were five guys in the middle of our zone working together. They got a few shots and yeah, they had a couple of good chances which is going to happen. But it’s easier to read when it’s static plays like that.”
Instead it was the Sabres who were able to capitalize on a turnover by the Canucks, which led to a goal from Nicholas Baptiste to make it 2-0 late in the second period. Kyle Okposo added a power-play goal with 3:23 remaining in the third, followed by an empty-net goal from Johan Larsson.
The performance represented a continued commitment to defense from the Sabres stemming off their 7-1 loss to Dallas at home on Saturday. Not only did Lehner earn back-to-back shutouts for the first time in his career, the Sabres managed to go the entire road trip without allowing an even-strength goal.
Lehner and Chad Johnson, the latter of whom started in Calgary on Monday, were a combined 80-for-80 on even-strength shots. It was a step forward, Housley said, for a team establishing its defensive identity.
“Not because we didn’t give up an even-strength goal,” Housley said. “Just our attention to detail when there’s a change in possession. Vancouver likes to fly their wingers a lot, stretch the zone, and I think our D did a good job of managing those gaps and our forwards coming back.
“… I think our guys have really bought in to how we want to play, and you can see the results.”
The Sabres will next play on Tuesday when they host the New Jersey Devils at KeyBank Center, and Housley is eager for his team to show the home crowd the steps they took in Western Canada. His message to his players until then?
“Just enjoy it,” Housley said. “They earned it these last three games. I’m just disappointed that we have to go on the All-Star break because we’re playing really good hockey, but now it’s time for us to go home and play really well in front of our fans and reward them.”
Reinhart stays hot
Reinhart’s goal gave him seven points (3+4) in his last five games, which is the most productive stretch of his career. The play began with Victor Antipin extending possession and carrying the puck behind the Vancouver goal.
Antipin drew a defender away from Scott Wilson, who was able to slip to the front of the net with the puck unchecked. Wilson took his shot from point-blank range and Reinhart buried a long rebound with a backhand shot.
“Victor’s been playing really strong,” Housley said. “I really liked how in the offensive zone he was taking control and trying to create things down low or trying to find an open man, but just trying to be creative. That was a really good, solid goal.”
Wilson, meanwhile, extended his own point streak to three games, during which he’s tallied a goal and t assists. All of those points have come since his promotion to a line with Reinhart and Ryan O’Reilly. He’d scored just two points in 14 games prior.
Weathering the storm
Vancouver made a push in the second period, at one point outshooting the Sabres 5-0. Buffalo managed to weather that push long enough to pounce on a mistake, which resulted in Baptiste’s goal with 7:11 remaining in the period.
Evan Rodrigues ended up with the puck at the Buffalo blue line after a turnover by the Canucks and made a quick feed up the ice to Benoit Pouliot. Baptiste sped past the defense, caught a pass from Pouliot in the slot and scored off his back hand.
“It was a full line goal,” Baptiste said. “I think it starts in the neutral zone, we made them turn the puck over and that’s a thing we’ve been preaching, to hound pucks and limit time and space for our opponents.”
The goal was Baptiste’s first in the NHL since Feb. 18 of last year. His first NHL goal also came in Vancouver, on Oct. 20 of last season.
Up next
Jack Eichel will head to Tampa to represent the Sabres at All-Star Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.