The Buffalo Sabres reached the 100-point mark with a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center on April 1, putting them within reach of their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance since 2011.
The milestone highlights a season of progress for the Sabres, who could secure a playoff spot as soon as Thursday. Forward Peyton Krebs, who scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period, said, “It’s been a lot of work, obviously, a lot of ups and downs. We’ve still got a long ways to go here, but that feels good to hit that 100.”
After Anders Lee tied the game for New York with just over six minutes remaining by redirecting a puck off a Buffalo skate past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Tuch set up Krebs for his career-best eleventh goal. “You could tell that shift Tuchy had his legs and he was feeling it,” Krebs said. “… Kind of had a feeling that he was going to throw it in there, and had to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Josh Norris reflected on how the team responded to adversity during the game: “We didn’t get flustered. It’s been like that the whole year. Something happens, who cares? Move on. Stuff’s gonna happen… It’s how quickly you can respond and get back to your game.” The Sabres also dealt with injuries during Tuesday’s contest; Sam Carrick left after fighting Lee early in the third period due to an arm injury and is being evaluated. “I feel terrible for Ricky,” Norris said about Carrick’s effort stepping up for teammates.
Head coach Lindy Ruff commented on Carrick’s absence: “I don’t think I can say enough about him stepping in… I just hate to lose him. But I think the team rallied behind that a little bit seeing him go off and it was great to get the win.” Ruff expects an update on Carrick within days.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made his second consecutive start and recorded 25 saves—including stopping Lee on a penalty shot—improving his record since December with strong performances between starts.
Looking ahead, Buffalo will begin its final multi-game road trip of the regular season against Ottawa Senators this Thursday.
