Buffalo-San Jose: Sabres Win See-Saw Game 6-5 In Shoot-Out Over Sharks

Wow!  Just when you thought the Buffalo Sabres had blown a three goal lead to the San Jose Sharks and their season was in big trouble, the boys in blue and gold said, "Not so fast!"

It doesn't get more gut wretchingly exciting than this one.

Buffalo came out flying, making crisp break-outs, forechecking, shooting the puck, and setting San Jose on their heels.  Adam Mair tipped a Craig Rivet shot in the seventh minute and Buffalo led 1-0.

Buffalo kept up the pressure and San Jose began to take penalties.  When Jaroslav Spacek and Derek Roy scored on Buffalo's first two power play chances, it looked like the extra work Buffalo had done on the power play since the 1-12 debacle in their previous game was paying off.

When Teppo Numminen took a hooking penalty late in the first and Patrick Marleau scored on a blind shot that rang in off the post with Miller totally screened, it brought the Sharks back to 3-1 down, but Buffalo still appeared to be in control.

At the start of the second period, San Jose continued to take penalties and Ales Kotalik's' power play one timer at 8:27 restored the Sabres' three goal lead.

But the Buffalo began to play a little sloppy.  Just a minute later, the puck bounced around the Buffalo end and no Buffalo player appeared interested in controlling it and clearing the zone.  

The Shark's Joe Thornton deflected it from the corner out front and Marleau flicked it in for his second.  Miller appeared to play this one a little too nonchalantly—a little too deep in his net.

With less than a minute left in the period, and Buffalo still holding a two goal lead, San Jose's best offensive defenseman took a loose puck at center ice and roared in on Toni Lydman.  The veteran Sabre defenseman turned and made strong contact, but Boyle out-muscled him, regained control of the puck, and fired it inside the far post to bring the Sharks to within one.

It was a great move by Boyle but Miller again appeared surprised and too deep in his net. The Sharks went to the dressing room elated while Buffalo appeared shaken.

Having lost the previous two games, and in danger of losing this one, fans had to hope the Sabres would come out in the third on fire.  But it was San Jose who dominated play.  Buffalo could not get the puck out of their zone and was called for icing three successive times.

With San Jose controlling the puck at even strength, there was not a good feeling when Rivet took a penalty, sending the Sharks to the power play, which had already scored on their first opportunity, and which is ranked third in the NHL.

Sure enough, big Joe Thornton won a battle with Andrej Sekera behind the Buffalo net. Sekera had broken his stick, giving Thornton an easy passing lane out to Devon Setoguchi who one-timed his 23rd goal.  The game was now tied.

San Jose kept pressing, and four minutes later the Sharks Joe Pavelski corralled a puck on the face off dot to the left of Miller.  He was surrounded by three Sabres.  First Adam Mair whiffed on his check, then Chris Butler slid by without making contact, and before Ales Kotalik could move, Pavelski whipped a slap shot over Miller's shoulder to give the Shark's a 5-4 lead.

It was the worst imaginable goal—with blame to go around to every Sabre on the ice—including Miller.  Given the fact that Buffalo had mustered virtually zero offense in the third period, and looked totally disorganized and demoralized, the chances for a comeback appeared nil.

With under five minutes left, the Sharks began to forecheck less aggressively, and Buffalo began to take offensive chances.   Buffalo started getting some shots on the Shark's Evgeni Nabokov, but the Sharks were not rattled.

With the minutes fading away, Nathan Gerbe threw all of his five foot five, 160 pounds against Joe Thornton's six foot four, 235 pound body in the corner.  Give Gerbe credit; he actually staggered Thornton a bit, perhaps as much from surprise as the force of the blow, but San Jose skated away with the puck.

When Ryan Miller skated to the bench with just over a minute to go, the thought began to surface that this hear-breaking loss would really put the Sabre's season in doubt.

Even with the extra man, Buffalo couldn't mount much of a threat, and as the Sabres headed on the attack one last time, firing the puck into the Shark end with less than fifteen seconds left, there wasn't much hope.

The puck collected behind the net, and then squirted into the corner.  Suddenly, it slid free and Derek Roy managed to kick it onto his stick and slide a pass back to Craig Rivet.  Amazingly, the Sabre captain was uncovered and he blasted a slap shot at the net.

Jason Pominville, who hadn't scored in 17 games, managed to get a stick on it, tipping it down just under the cross-bar.  HSBC arena erupted as the Sabres tied the game 5-5 in the last seconds.

The Sabres clearly regained the momentum in the overtime and had the better chances, but were unable to beat Nabokov, sending the game into a shoot-out for the second time in the last three games.

Buffalo's Miller had been outstanding in shoot-outs this season, until his last effort against Ottawa.  Tonight, he had appeared shaky at times on three of the San Jose goals.  Which Ryan Miller would show up in the shoot-out?

The duel started off slowly with the first three skaters form each side failing to score. Finally, the Sabres' Pominville managed to find the net above Nabokov's glove.  But Marleau managed to fake Miller to his knees and lift a backhand into the net to keep the contest going.

Derek Roy then skated in, lifted his leg and faked a forehand shot, pulled the puck to his backhand and roofed it for a beautiful goal.

Milan Michalek faced Miller with the game on the line.  When Miller gloved Michalek's attempt and threw the puck in the corner, the Sabres had won.

This was a big, big game.  Losing it—especially in the fashion of blowing a three goal lead—would have been damning to the Sabres, perhaps permanently destroying this young team's confidence.

Winning it, especially after blowing it, could and should do wonders for Buffalo. With tonight's win, they have 64 points, tied for sixth in the East with Montreal and Florida, and within two points of Philadelphia and New York and fourth place.  

In their next four games, they play Carolina, a close pursuer, and both the Flyers and the Rangers.  If this win gives them a spark and they could sweep or even win two of those three games, their playoff chances would greatly improve.

Notes

Craig Rivet, a former Shark, tallied three assists and earned the first star.  Jason Pominville's goal and assist in regulation and key shoot-out goal may be the jump start he needs to get his scoring touch back.