Game 8: The one where the stars came out against Dallas

The Sabres' 4-2 win against the Dallas Stars proved to be one of their best efforts of the season.

BUFFALO — The task was a bit daunting for the Buffalo Sabres headed into their matchup against the Dallas Stars, but all it took was some solid work on the penalty kill, scoring the first goal, and a fair bit of late gumption to end the night with their second straight victory in a 4-2 win.

Yes, the Stars are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender with an all-world goaltender in Jake Oettinger as well as a roster loaded with talent. And although the Sabres are also deeply talented, they were distinct underdogs against Dallas.

But all it took to shake things loose for Buffalo was a classic gritty goal from Peyton Krebs in which he batted a puck out of the air past Oettinger for a 1-0 lead and then Ryan McLeod scoring for the fourth straight game, his fourth of the year, that made it 2-0 1:23 after that.

A brilliant wonder strike on a 2-on-1 from Tage Thompson and Owen Power made it 3-0 and despite the Stars scoring twice with the goalie pulled inside of five minutes remaining (Thomas Harley and Tyler Seguin with the tallies), an Alex Tuch empty-netter assisted by Thompson provided the final score.

You could focus on the negatives if you want to. The power play didn’t score on their lone opportunity, although it was the most dangerous it has looked all year. The Stars making it a little too interesting may have been concerning when thinking back to the Los Angeles and Pittsburgh games, but it was a game Buffalo controlled once they got the lead and that’s an improvement to be happy about.

“I think Lindy’s done a good job of allowing us to have no hesitation,” Krebs said. “We know the game plan and we know what to do. As long as we continue to do that, we’re going to see success, and it’s showing. We obviously have a long ways to go still, but this is a great start and we’re looking forward to seeing where it goes.”

More from a solid win and the hopeful start of a winning streak for the Sabres.