BUFFALO Calgary Flames Hats Authentic , N.Y. (AP) — Sabres coach Phil Housley could overlook the blown leads and the defensive miscues.What mattered more was how Buffalo persevered behind goalie Linus Ullmark’s 41 saves and forward Sam Reinhart capping a two-point game by scoring the lone shootout goal in a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.“We’ve got to learn to tighten it up, but I’ll give the guys credit, we found a way to win,” Housley said.Buffalo led by two in the second period but allowed the Wild to force overtime with 1:37 remaining in the third, when Zach Parise jammed in a loose puck at the left post.The Sabres, however, didn’t let down and won for just the third time in nine games. In the process, they also eased the criticisms directed at a team that had fallen out of the playoff picture by going 8-14-4 since a 10-game winning streak in November.“I like the way they stuck together,” Housley said.The game wasn’t decided until the third round of the shootout on a goal Reinhart didn’t initially realize went in.Driving in from the left wing, Reinhart snapped a shot that goalie Devan Dubnyk got a piece of with his right arm. The puck, however Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys , had enough on it to dribble into the net.“I had no idea. I was just kind of turning up and just heard the crowd,” Reinhart said. “It was nice to hear.”And there was no mistaking the cheers that followed a moment later, when Parise’s backhand sailed high and wide of the top right corner of the net.Reinhart had an assist and scored to break a 3-all tie 6:25 into the third period by deflecting in Jake McCabe’s pass. Jack Eichel set up two goals and C.J. Smith also scored in a game the Sabres never trailed.Buffalo’s once anemic power-play unit converted both opportunities, on goals from Evan Rodrigues and Rasmus Dahlin. The two goals matched the Sabres’ combined output in their previous 11 games during which Buffalo went 2 of 28 with the man advantage.Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon scored twice and Charlie Coyle also scored during a three-goal second period. Dubnyk stopped 35 shots.The Wild dropped to 0-1-2 in their past three games, matching their second-longest skid of the season.On the bright side, Minnesota earned a point in its second straight outing after rallying from a third-period deficit in a 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago on Saturday.“You have to have that ability to come back, but I’d love to see us play with the lead a little bit,” Parise said. “It gets tough. You stress yourself out always fighting trying to come from behind. We’ve got to get ourselves a lead.”Buffalo bounced back after opening a seven-game homestand with a 7-3 loss to Chicago on Friday night.Housley used the three-day break between games to attempt to give his slumping team a spark by shuffling his top three lines and defensive pairings. He most notably split up Buffalo’s All-Star pairing of Eichel and forward Jeff Skinner. Eichel centered Kyle Okposo and Conor Sheary, while Skinner moved to a line centered by rookie Casey Mittelstadt.The moves appeared to pay off when Buffalo’s revamped second power-play unit converted on Rodrigues’ goal 4:31 into the game. The Sabres built a 3-1 edge 11:33 into the second when Dahlin’s shot from inside the blue line went in off Spurgeon’s stick in front.Defensive lapses led to the Wild tying the game at 3 before the period was over.Spurgeon scored 3:10 later, when he was allowed to break in up the right side, drive around the net and wrap in a shot.Coyle tied it at 3 with 2:55 left in the second period. Ullmark stopped Greg Pateryn’s shot from the right point and Luke Kunin slipped the rebound under the goalie but off the right post. Coyle beat two Sabres defenders to put the loose puck into the open net.NOTES: Wild coach Bruce Boudreau did not have an update on captain Mikko Koivu www.officialhurricanes.com , who sustained an undisclosed injury and did not return after colliding with Buffalo’s Tage Thompson in the first period. … Smith played a day after being recalled from AHL Rochester, where he had five goals and seven assists in eight games after being demoted from Buffalo. … Kunin and Kyle Rau played for Minnesota a day after being called up from AHL Iowa. … Wild D Anthony Bitetto, claimed off waivers from Nashville on Jan. 25, played his first game with Minnesota.UP NEXTWild: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.Sabres: Continue their seven-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. ST. LOUIS (AP) — David Perron had no idea what would happen when he became a free agent this summer. Then he got a familiar call.Perron’s NHL odyssey has taken him all over his native Canada and the United States. But he always seems to find his way back to St. Louis.The 30-year-old Perron is beginning his third stint with his first NHL team after signing a $16 million, four-year deal with the Blues. When it came time to pick a new home this summer, the veteran winger opted for an old one.“I definitely like the mentality here,” Perron said. “I like the way things are and obviously a lot of the same familiar faces in the management, so yeah, it makes it really appealing to come back. I think I really enjoy the city for my family. It’s a city that when you get to know (it) you really enjoy.”Perron and his wife, Vanessa, have two kids; Mason Carolina Hurricanes T-Shirts Authentic , 3, and Victoria, 1. Mason just started preschool. Victoria was born in St. Louis.“It’s the first time I buy a house in the hockey season, so to speak,” he said, “so we’re excited.”St. Louis is glad to have him back, too. Perron’s contract was part of an active offseason for the Blues after they fell just short of a playoff berth, ending a streak of six consecutive appearances in the postseason.“Bottom line is he’s here because he’s a good NHL player,” coach Mike Yeo said. “The track record is there. He did it with us two years ago. He did it last year in Vegas, and I think it makes us stronger from top to bottom.”Perron was selected by St. Louis in the first round of the 2007 draft and made his NHL debut that same year at age 19. He played for the Blues for six seasons before he was traded to Edmonton in July 2013.Following stints with the Oilers, Pittsburgh and Anaheim Carolina Hurricanes Hoodies Authentic , he returned to St. Louis when he agreed to a $7.5 million, two-year contract in 2016. But the Blues left him unprotected for the expansion draft last June and the Golden Knights pounced.Perron’s season in Sin City was a memorable one. He collected 16 goals and a career-high 50 assists, helping Vegas win the Pacific Division. He had nine more points in the playoffs as the Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Washington in five games.The experience in Vegas, being part of a wildly successful expansion team, changed Perron’s mentality on what it takes to win in the NHL.“Just the way things were approached in Vegas, how loose we were, how much fun we had, and then we still found a way to get on the ice and take care of business and still have fun while doing it,” he said. “It’s definitely important. Sometimes you get too tense in a season. You overlook things. You overanalyze things and it’s definitely changed my perspective on things a little bit.”The Golden Knights’ run also shortened Perron’s offseason, and he noticed a difference early in training camp with the Blues. He was slowed by a groin and hip issue before making his preseason debut Tuesday night against the Capitals. He skated with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz before he got hurt, and then worked on a line with Tyler Bozak and Alexander Steen against Washington.Wherever he plays Carolina Hurricanes Hats Authentic , the Blues think Perron will be a key contributor in a much deeper group of forwards compared to last season.“Highly skilled obviously, we know that,” Schenn said. “A right shot, which we badly needed. He’s able to make plays, see the ice very well, very skilled, so we’re looking forward to having him a part of our lineup.”作者: martina28043 時間: 2023-1-2 08:53
