Lyon is the One True King in Buffalo
Boxscore
Score:Buffalo Sabres 4-1 Los Angeles Kings
Shots:BUF 32-38 LAK
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tuch 20 [PPG] (McLeod, Quinn), Samuelsson 9 (Dahlin, Quinn), Tuch 21 (Byram, Benson), Tuch 22 [EN] (Quinn, McLeod)
Los Angeles Kings: Kempe 18 [PPG] (Fiala, Clarke)
Quick Thoughts
Alex Lyon, Vezina candidate
On a night when the greatest goalie in the franchise’s history was in the building, it was on the cards that a new record would be written, one that not even The Dominator was able to get when he was a Sabre. Alex Lyon is now in sole possession of the record for the longest win streak in Buffalo Sabres history with ten wins on the trot, and a big, big reason why the Sabres remain in playoff contention.
Despite the barrage of shots he faced, Lyon was unfazed especially as the Kings threw the kitchen sink at him in an attempt to level things up after the Sabres had jumped to the dreaded three-goal lead in the second period.
In his ten-game winning streak Lyon has got a GAA of 1.94 and a save percentage of .933, and for his overall season he’s 13-6-3, GAA 2.62 and .914 sv %. Those numbers do merit Vezina Trophy consideration, though Andrei Vasilevskiy’s performances make him the frontrunner as Tampa continue to be excellent.
Alex Tuch, untradeable
Every report seems to indicate that Alex Tuch wants to stay in Buffalo, though his insistence on being paid Adrian Kempe-like wages might price him out of the Sabres’ range this summer. Conventional thinking would dictate that the Sabres should trade him at or before the trade deadline for at least a prospect or picks.
However, new General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has a history of holding on to impending unrestricted free agents when there was a chance of a Cup run. In his previous GM gig during the 2018-19 season, he refused to trade UFAsArtemi PanarinandSergei Bobrovskyand added Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel for the Blue Jackets’ playoffs when they swept President’s Trophy winners Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.
Tuch scored a hattrick tonight to remind everyone that he is by no means checked out or anything of the sort, and remains an essential cog in this Sabres juggernaut that just keeps racking up records by the night. Unless the very unlikely situation comes up where he can be traded for pieces that improve Buffalo right now, it’s very likely he’ll see out the season in WNY however it plays out.
The veteran forward appears to be all-in right now, and appropriately captured the zeitgeist of the locker room when he proclaimed after the win – “Everybody’s coming in trying to prove themselves, and we’re trying to prove as a team that we’re legit. We’re not just going to go for the playoffs. We’re going to go for the Cup…That’s the end goal, honestly. We’re not in here just to squeak in.”
Jack Quinn, critical piece
Jack Quinn still seems to catch a lot of strays from the fanbase, especially when committing turnovers. However, what many of us seem to consistently miss is that when he’s on the ice, he’s making things happen, and sometimes that will result in the puck going the other way.
He quietly picked up three points against the Kings to bring his January tally to 12 points in 14 games (sixth on the Sabres for that period), and 34pts for the season, also good for sixth on the team. Quinn’s 2.58 points per 60 at even strength is second on the team only to Tuch with 2.82 (Tuch is 12th in the league and Quinn 24th).
The way Lindy Ruff speaks about Quinn, there’s no way he’s being moved right now. And lest we all forget, he’s still only 22 24. Just like with Owen Power, the runway for improvement has been long, but both are showing signs of gaining that critical velocity for take off.
Out of town scoreboard, no help
The Sabres are on a heater that has seen them climb out the basement of the Atlantic Division and up the ranks. However, even that has not been enough to lead the division because way too many teams in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference and specifically the Atlantic are winning way too many games.
Going back to December 1st, the Sabres have the best record in the league at 21-6-1. Unfortunately, five of the best six records in that span are all from the Atlantic, that’s how well the top teams in the division have been playing. Detroit are 2nd with 19-6-4, Tampa 4th with 18-7-2, Montreal in 5th with 17-9-4 and Boston are 6th with 17-8-3.
Buffalo are still third in the division, tied on 67 points with the Habs and Bruins, with one and two games in hand on them respectively. Defending champs Panthers are eight points behind, same number of games played as the Sabres. They are also three points behind the Red Wings with two games in hand, but five behind the Bolts who have a game in hand on the Sabres. The Sabres play the two Florida sides twice each on either side of the Olympics break – those games are starting to look pivotal now.
At The Horn
The Sabres close out the month with another big matchup against Montreal on Saturday, January 31st. Game time is 7pm.
NB:
- Jedi has unfortunately been taken ill again. Our best wishes are with our brother-in-Sabres as we await his return.
- I saw a button marked ‘Flush Cache’ in the dashboard, and though I pressed it and it seemed to not work, the site load times were markedly better tonight. We’ll continue to monitor.
