Game 35: Flipping the script and turning the page

For the first time in nearly a month, the Buffalo Sabres won, and emphatically so with a 7-1 thumping of the New York Islanders

ELMONT, NY — We’re going to keep this one short and sweet because it’s late at night at UBS Arena, it’s soon to be Christmas Eve (and it probably will already be that by the time many of you read this) and there’s a drive north to get home to rejoin the family for the holiday.

Fortunately, the Buffalo Sabres made it a joyful evening for themselves when they ended their 13-game losing streak with an emphatic 7-1 pasting of the New York Islanders.

The Sabres got the first goal of the game just 2:07 into the game then locked in and followed that up with four more and a 5-0 lead in the second period. They finished the night off with their biggest goal output of the season while Rasmus Dahlin put up four assists. Jiri Kulich scored two goals and an assist, Dylan Cozens had two assists, and Jack Quinn had a goal and an assist. They even had a power play goal and may as well have had two considering one goal came four seconds after a power play ended. They also blocked 31 Islanders shot attempts.

It was a butt-kicking in which the Sabres did virtually everything they had to do the right way and efficiently.

“Couldn’t feel better than I do right now,” Dahlin said. “We battled for a long time now and finally it went our way. When you do the right things over and over again, good things will happen to you. It’s up to us now to keep this thing going and not be satisfied about one win. We have a long way left, we just got to keep going.”