NHL Recap: St. Louis Blues surprise the Buffalo Sabres 3-0
The St. Louis Blues beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 at the HSBC Arena on Friday. The Sabres were looking for a spot in the National Hockey League Playoffs, but to the surprise of many, the Blues played brilliantly to score goals in the second and third periods
for the victory. Blues’ centre Timothy J. Oshie was named the Player of the Game for scoring the opening goal and assisting in the second.
Both teams made decent start to the game, as a fantastic display of passing and play-making skills was evident. The Blues, despite the away disadvantage, were dominating the game in the middle part of the period. They fired a few shots which resulted in
things heating up in the middle. The Sabres responded to these attacks with a few counter-attacks of their own. Shots flew from everywhere on ice, giving the teams some scoring chances.
Neither of the teams was able to convert any of the chances into goals during the opening stages of the game. This remained the case throughout the period and the scores at the end of the period were deadlocked on 0-0. During the course of the period, the
Blues made 9 goal attempts while the Sabres managed 7.
The second period saw the Blues starting on a high, as they attacked right from the word go. Numerous chances were created by the away side. After constant hard work and determination, the Blues finally scored in the 3rd minute through TJ Oshie,
from a well placed flick-shot that put them in the lead.
Both teams got better and stronger on the offence with the passage of time. Goal attempts started to increase and another score was inevitable. Though it took some time, the second goal was scored in the 19th minute by David Backes during the
power-play from a powerful strike that doubled the lead for the Blues. The period saw the Sabres getting stronger in the final few minutes, but they were unable to score any goals. The period ended with the Blues leading 2-0. The Blues made 7 goal attempts,
as the Sabres attempted 11.
The final period saw both teams start on the back-foot, as they were reluctant to attack. The Sabres started to surge with attacks in the hopes of making a come-back. The Blues’ defence was up to the mark as they manage to cut down any dangerous attacks.
The period saw the away side switching into attacking mode, as the end of the game approached. They proved to be productive once again, scoring in the 19th minute. The goal was scored by Vladimir Sobotka from a well placed flick-shot. There were
a few more goal attempts made by both teams at the end of the period, but none managed to find the net.
The period and the game ended with the Blues winning the game 3-0. During the course of the final period, the Blues made 8 goal attempts, as the Sabres managed 7. The exciting victory by the Blues surprised many, especially the Sabres. Only time will tell
to see how the Sabres manage to get into the coveted play-off spot.
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