Sabres-Stars: Buffalo Storms Back from Three Goals Down To Stun Dallas

Take a Sabres team that played like dogs in losing to Chicago 4-1 last night.  Put them on a plane and fly 1,000 miles to Dallas.  Suit them up the next night to play a hot Dallas Stars team that had come back in their last game from a 4-1 deficit to beat the mighty Detroit Red Wings.

Spot Dallas a 3-0 lead with the second period more than half gone.  Fight back to close the score to 3-2 and then give-away the puck less than a minute later to give Dallas back a two goal lead.

Given this scenario, there are not many who would have given the Sabres a chance in hell to get back in this game.  But come back they did.

The Sabres began applying pressure in the Dallas end and drew a penalty from defenseman Mike Ribeiro.  Drew Stafford took a pass from Ales Kotalik, found Gaustad parked on Marty Turco's doorstep, and the big forward out-muscled Dallas defenseman Trevor Daley for the puck and his second power-play goal of the night.

Just sixteen seconds later, the Sabres were again on the attack.  Jaro Spacek, the Sabres fifth leading scorer, fired a low shot from the point that Clark MacArthur deflected over Turco's glove for the tying goal.

There were still 10 minutes left and Sabre fans had to fear a furious Dallas comeback, but the Sabres took over the game, out-shooting the Stars 18-9 in the third and getting several great scoring chances that required Turco to make outstanding saves.

With just a few minutes left in regulation, Spacek was set up in the slot for an open shot but blasted it just wide and the third period ended in a 4-4 tie.

The Sabres continued to skate hard and aggressively in OT, and most of the play was in the Dallas end.  With about two minutes left, Derek Roy mounted a rush with Jason Pominville.  

Roy weaved in, using Pominville as a decoy, closing on the Dallas goal, until he quickly drew the puck back across his body and fired against the grain at the right corner.  Turco was moving with Roy but his glove flashed behind him and he made his best save of the night, snaring the puck to save the game.

The tension continued to mount in the shoot-out.  Dallas elected to try first, but Miller and Turco stopped each attempt in succession.  

The Sabres third shooter, Tim Connolly, had the chance to win the game, which would have been sweet given that it had been his give-away that led to the fourth Dallas goal, but he was denied.

Miller then stopped the Dallas' Mike Ribeiro with a poke-check, putting the game on Thomas Vanek's stick but his wicked slap shot missed the top left corner by about two inches.

The fifth Dallas skater, Jere Lehtinen, finally broke through with a sniper shot above Miller's glove that ticked in off the post.  One had to wonder if this would be just a moral victory for the Sabres, a hard earned point for a shoot-out loss.

But Derek Roy, arguably the Sabres best player over the last ten games, made a speed move to his right that left Turco flailing as Roy deposited the puck behind him to keep the shoot-out going.

Miller would not be passed again, parrying Parrish's back-hand with his blocker.  

And so Jason Pominville, a player criticised of late for not coming through in the clutch, skated in on Turco.  He took dead aim and fired it above Turco's glove just under the cross bar to tickle the twine and send the Sabres into a delirious celebration.

This was a big win for this Sabre team.  Their heart has been questioned.  Their work ethic has been questioned.  With this win, they told their doubters to "Shove it!"

NOTES:  The Sabres out-shot the Stars 35-25, the first time in six games they have led this stat.

The Sabres power-play was technically 1-4 but Gaustad's second goal went in one second after the Dallas penalty expired and the Sabre power-play showed much better offensive zone puck movement and control than their pathetic pp in Chicago the night before.

On the other hand the Dallas power-play was 2-3 and scored on the first two Sabre penalties which were taken in the offensive zone.  Not good.

Rookie Chris Butler stepped in for the injured Andrej Sekera.