Game 75: Spoiler Sabres roll on

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the latest playoff bound team to drop a game to the Sabres, this time in a 3-2 shootout.

BUFFALO — Entering Saturday night’s game, the Tampa Bay Lightning were 35-1-1 in games which they led after two periods. When they entered the third period against Buffalo, their 2-1 lead and having a full power play to begin the last 20 minutes seemed to make it fated they’d add another win to that record.

They’re now 35-1-2 in games they led after two periods thanks to Jason Zucker’s 20th goal adding to Tage Thompson’s 40th goal tying the game. A wild overtime session didn’t have a goal, but the shootout saw Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch seal it up for a 3-2 win that improved the Sabres record to 6-26-1 when trailing after two periods and their fifth straight win at home that improved their record at KeyBank Center to 20-14-3.

The Sabres playing the way they did on Saturday night is the team that Lindy Ruff envisioned they could be before the season. That they arrived in late-January and not sooner is bittersweet.

“We have work to do as a team,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Establishing the way we need to play, the way we need to manage the puck night in, night out-shift after shift and they’ve wrapped their arms around, we know where we’re at. But to become a better team you’ve got to take every period; every game you’re playing right now and use it as a steppingstone, and I think you’ve got to give them a lot of credit right now for digging in.”

Since the very arbitrary date of January 28, the Sabres are 15-10-1. If you want to sum it up since are more logical point, since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off break, they’re 11-9-1. They’re not last in the Eastern Conference anymore as the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins have dropped below them and now, they’ve again got the Pittsburgh Penguins within reach (two points) and the New York Islanders (four points) not far off either. Never mind the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, teams being in the wild card race and such, five points ahead of them.

The Sabres stopped shooting themselves in the feet long enough to catch up to everyone else that was ahead of them who picked up the habit.

“I think we’re just trying to buy into the right things and do the right things consistently, and when you do that you give yourself a chance to have success,” Zucker said. “I think early in the year, it felt like we would do it for a game or two and then we would take a night or two or three off. It’s hard to find consistency that way. If you just focus on doing the little things right, as cliché as that sounds, it’s what works. You look at all the best teams in the league, they do the simple things really well and when they have the chance to make plays, they do it. I think that’s what we’ve been doing lately.”

More ahead from the first of two games this weekend…