The Buffalo Sabres secured a 3-2 shootout victory against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena, ending Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak. The game was decided in the fourth round of the shootout when rookie forward Noah Ostlund scored after executing a backhand deke that fooled Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Coach Lindy Ruff explained the decision to send Ostlund out for his first NHL shootout attempt: “We’d done some research on the reports from the minors, and what came back is, they said, ‘He’s sick. He’s got some sick moves,’” Ruff said. “… He’s going [fourth], for sure.”
Ostlund’s goal gave Buffalo its third win in a shootout this season. The Sabres’ defensive play and goaltending by Colten Ellis were also key factors in their win. Ellis made 22 saves for his fourth NHL victory, including critical stops during overtime.
Reflecting on the performance of his line, Ruff noted: “We got a great game out of that fourth line – got good energy, got a goal out of them.” The line of Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn, and Josh Dunne contributed both offensively and defensively throughout the night.
A sequence early in the third period led to Buffalo tying the game at 2-2 when an own goal by Minnesota’s Mats Zuccarello resulted from an unusual bounce off the glass. Josh Doan commented on the play: “That’s a whole tale of unfortunate events for them the whole way down the ice,” Doan joked. “… I thought I was the only one who knew where it was coming off the glass, but he found it and put it in for me.”
Ostlund added: “I think we might’ve deserved that, with all the bad luck we’ve been having the last couple games.”
Despite recent offensive struggles, Buffalo focused on creating chances near the net and scoring “dirty goals.” Doan said: “We’ve got to find a way to score more dirty goals, and tonight we scored two of the dirtier ones that you can find… But I think that’s something you’re gonna see from us moving forward.”
Ruff praised his team’s effort against Minnesota: “On the road against a good team, a team that was on a roll, we played the game the right way all night,” Ruff said. “We had a lot of good opportunities that didn’t go in, but by playing the game the right way, we finally caught a break.”
Ellis discussed his role following strong performances by other Sabres goaltenders Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon over recent games. Although he allowed two goals in regulation and two more during shootouts, Ellis credited his teammates: “The boys bailed me out there pretty good,” he said. “We do a lot of shootouts back home (at practice), but I think we’re gonna have to do a couple more, now.”
The Sabres will return home to face the Winnipeg Jets on Monday at KeyBank Center with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m., preceded by MSG’s pregame coverage at 7.
