MITCH HORUCY
Sports Editor
After dropping game two at home, the Sabres went into Boston and swept home ice, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Possibly the biggest reason for that is the play of goalie Alex Lyon.
After allowing a goal at the 16:34 mark of the second period in game two, he went on to post a shutout for the next 96:04 of gametime from game three to game four.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was good in game one, then had a rough game two which led to Lyon starting game three.
Going forward, it’s Lyon’s net until he loses it.
Doing a goalie rotation in the playoffs isn’t usually encouraged, but having a 1A, 1B situation in net where you can ride whoever is hot and make a change when necessary is good.
As for the Sabres’ skaters, they answered a lot of the questions I had about them heading into Boston’s two home games.
Outside of the final eight minutes of game one, they were outplayed by the Bruins for about 112 of the 120 minutes of games one and two.
Game three was a similar feel to game one with the Sabres generating chances, but being unable to finish with Jeremy Swayman playing as well as a goalie can play.
They bounced back after a bad performance and were able to beat Swayman twice, adding an empty netter to win game three.
Game four was a performance I did not see coming at all.
After looking nearly unbeatable for three games, the Sabres exploded for four goals in the first period, finishing with six total, all on Swayman.
The questions I had about the mental toughness to come back after a weak performance, being able to compete in a hostile environment in Boston and physicality of seven-game series were all answered.
A player who made his playoff debut in game three is Noah Ostlund.
He has been great through two games and looks like a legit top six forward at just 21 years old.
Josh Norris didn’t play either game in Boston, but Ostlund helped the team not feel Norris’s absence, and even played better than Norris.
Even if Norris returns from injury, head coach Lindy Ruff will have to do some lineup mix-ups.
Ostlund has simply played too well to not have him in the lineup, and you pay Norris too much to healthy scratch him in a playoff game.
Along with not sitting Ostlund, the line of Benson-Ostlund-Doan shouldn’t be broken up for the rest of these playoffs, and hopefully, the next 10 years.
They had a shots for/shots against ratio of 16:4 in game four, the best out of any Sabres line.
The series is far from over, but I think game five in Buffalo is close to a must-win game.
Having a chance to close out the series and gain a day or two, up to a week of rest over the winner of the Tampa-Montreal series is huge.
It also saves you from having to go back to Boston with the Bruins having nearly all the momentum, even if they’re down in the series.
By the time of reading, an announcement is likely already made, but if I was Boston, I stick with Swayman for game five.
I would’ve taken him out after the first period in game four, but he’s still your top goaltender at the end of the day. In a win-or-go-home game, he simply has to be out there.
It’ll be an unbelievable atmosphere in Buffalo tonight for game five, to no one’s surprise.
Take care of business and advance yourselves to the next round.