BUFFALO – In almost 37 minutes over two abbreviated starts against the Sabres this season, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry looked downright awful, allowing seven goals on 17 shots and getting yanked twice.
It must be noted the Sabres lost the first game they chased Jarry, the start of disturbing stretch in which they dropped five contests when the starting netminder departed.
On Thursday, however, the Sabres kept throttling the hapless Penguins and Alex Nedeljkovic, Jarry’s replacement, and used a five-goal second period to win handily, 7-3.
The Sabres have now won their last thee contests when the opposition pulls its goalie and are 5-2-3 overall in those games this season.
It might not sound like much, winning a game that you chased a goalie, but in these parts, it represents progress.
“That’s a crazy stat, huh?” Sabres winger Alex Tuch, who scored in the second period, said of the losses with the starting goalie on the bench. “I saw that the other day. That’s one of the toughest stats that we have. “I mean, that’s just maintaining focus throughout the full 60.”
The Sabres, who won their third straight game overall behind veteran goalie James Reimer, looked engaged from the get-go before a crowd of 16,418 fans in KeyBank Center, getting goals from winger Tage Thompson at the 27-second mark and center Peyton Krebs at 4:44.
After superstar Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins at 11:11, a goal that secured his 20th consecutive season of at least a point per game, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, the Sabres buried the Penguins in second period.
Goals from center Jiri Kulich and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson put Jarry on the bench by the 5:20 mark.
Kulich scored again before center Tyson Kozak and Tuch closed the goal bonanza.
“You get a game like that, and you’ve got a 3-1 lead, 4-1 lead, I thought we were still creating and still staying aggressive and still staying on top of them, which I think was the key,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.
The Sabres have blown a lot of leads this season, but a 7-1 advantage after 40 minutes is pretty safe.
“I thought we just kept pressing,” Tuch said. “And especially late in the second period, we just kept pushing, kept pushing, and we played really well throughout the whole 20 minutes, and we didn’t give them a sniff the entire second period, which was really good.”
Thompson said closing out games like Thursday illustrates “a little bit of maturity.”
“I think that’s kind of something that’s been getting us in trouble all year, regardless of chasing the goalies,” he said. “But any time we got a lead this year, I think we just get a little too high on ourselves and start to get a little too casual and start floating pucks through the middle and try to get cute with it.
“Obviously, (you) play against teams that are going to pick those off, go the other way and make you pay.”
The Penguins made the Sabres pay Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh, erasing an early deficit after Jarry allowed three goals and winning 6-5 in overtime.
On Thursday, contributions from all over the lineup buoyed the Sabres, who are missing four regular forwards.
Kulich, a rookie Ruff has awarded top-line duty, had scored just once in his previous 13 outings. Kozak, a rookie who pivots the fourth line, scored for the second time in three games and added an assist.
Krebs and Tuch comprise the new third line alongside rookie winger Isak Rosen, who recorded his first NHL point when he created Samuelsson’s goal.
Kulich utilized his lethal shot to score from the left circle – he got the puck in without being in a normal shooting position – and above the left circle.
“I think we can see what Kuli’s been doing in the middle with Tommer,” Ruff said. “His primary chances, goals go up when he plays with him. You’re looking at a left-handed centerman with a right-handed winger. … Both shots, that’s elite shooting.”
Meanwhile, Crosby, who has compiled 80 points in 72 games this season, has been an elite player for two decades.
After a blowout loss, it was difficult for him to reflect on the milestone.
“I’m thankful for the guys that I’ve played with that contributed to it,” Crosby said. “It’s a special milestone but, obviously, (we) play to win.”
