BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Providing an announced sellout crowd at KeyBank Center plenty to ooh and ahh at — and a Hall of Fame broadcaster something to ahh f… about — the Sabres returned from their two-week break on an offensive warpath.
Netting five goals in the first period before the visiting New York Rangers managed five shots on goal, Buffalo’s season-best scoring tally resulted in an emphatic 8-2 victory Saturday night.
Still far at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and a ways out of playoff contention, the Sabres have scored 30 goals in winning five of the past six games. With a third of the season remaining, Buffalo (23-27-5) is at least in spirit making a late charge to end its record postseason drought.
Return to full strength
The Sabres came out of the scheduled break for the 4 Nations Face-Off with its healthiest lineup since the start of the season.
Jordan Greenway returned from missing 23 games with a mid-body injury and made his physical presence felt right away. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (lower body) and checking-liner Beck Malenstyn (back spasms) also came off the injury report.
And then there was Rasmus Dahlin, who spent the break playing for Sweden, regaining his All-Star shooting form after what he described as “nagging injuries” limited him earlier this season.
“He really hasn’t been healthy all year,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “This is probably the healthiest he’s been.”
Dahlin deflected Greenway’s shot for Buffalo’s second goal about 12 minutes into the game and then scored on a hard wrister from outside the right circle on a power play that made it 5-0 toward the end of the first. It was his fourth career multi-goal game, and first of the season. And he also assisted on Ryan McLeod’s goal to tally his three points in the opening period.
“We were aggressive,” Dahlin said. “We came out flying.”
Fast start
Up-tempo practices carried over into the Sabres early start. Getting Greenway back also made a difference. He paced the Sabres with six hits, including a backcheck that led to Jack Quinn’s opening goal, and a forecheck that set up Dahlin’s first score.
“Every time I come out here I’m always trying to find a way to get engaged,” Greenway said. “Typically for me it’s playing physical, finishing hits. It’s the easiest way for me to get into the game. I felt as if I wanted to come out, set the tone. That was the game plan for me.”
Dahlin called Greenway “a huge piece of this locker room, too. It’s great having him back and he drives so much of our energy, he’s so physical, so loud and he’s always talking on the bench. It’s really a huge piece back there for us.”
Tage Thompson scored the first of his two goals on a slick backhand move in front of the net to make it 3-0 and had an assist on Dahlin’s second goal. Jason Zucker had two of his three assists in the first period, as the Sabres scored five times in the opening 20 minutes for the first time since Dec. 7, 2022 when Thompson had four of Buffalo’s six early goals at Columbus.
Rayzor cut
The most recent Sabres Hall of Fame inductee Rob Ray showed off his trademark toughness when he got hit in the face by an errant puck late in the first period.
The television broadcast caught Ray’s letting out profane reaction to the deflection that opened a gashes above his eye and on his nose while breaking his glasses. But Ray remained in his position between the benches providing color commentary.
“I got a couple little stitches,” Ray told play-by-play partner Dan Dunleavy later in the game. “Right where the golf ball is right here,” Ray said while pointing at a bump above his eyebrow. “That’s not normal.
The Sabres’ all-time leader in penalty minutes known for his bare-chested fighting spirit, Ray was blooded by flying puck to the face last season. He also kept on broadcasting that game while holding a bandage over the cut.
A month later, Ruff was struck in the face by a puck while coaching for the New Jersey Devils and had to leave the bench area.
“Well, Rob’s puck hit him at approximately 15 miles an hour,” Ruff said. “The one that hit me hit me at 100. And here’s the difference, when the puck hits Rob’s head, it breaks. When it hits mine, it just absorbs it.”
Tuch leaves early
While the Sabres started the game at full health, Ray’s face might not have been the only injury.
Alex Tuch left the game in the third period after getting checked into the boards. Ruff did not provide any details on the winger’s condition after the game but said, “from my discussion with him really I don’t feel too concerned, but we’ll get more of an update tomorrow and he how he’s doing.”
Tuch did not speak to reporters after the game but appeared in good spirits while escorting Lancaster native Greg Manzi in the locker room. Manzi sustained a serious back injury while playing for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U team in October that requires him to use a wheelchair. Tuch coached Manzi in past years when he played junior hockey in Syracuse.
Up next
Buffalo hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.