Ottawa Senators 3, Buffalo Sabres 1. 0-1-0
That was fun! Hockey is fun. After two brutal years of losing constantly and scoring never, we got a brief glimpse of the better world that lies ahead. Forget the stupid video review. Eichel and Kane scored. I saw it. We saw it. And we felt it. The Sabres didn’t look good Thursday night and gave fans a healthy dose of “here we go again” when they allowed a goal in 30 seconds and failed to answer until the third period. Robin Lehner got hurt, the defense was all kinds of sketchy, and the powerplay unit spent an awful lot of time chasing pucks in their own end.
But I’ll take it, because Jack Eichel scored and it was beautiful. It was a snipe. He almost had a few others too. Evander Kane showed why he was worth clearing out the cupboard in the Myers trade last year, and only left the scoresheet without a goal because of a technicality. I bet most fans left the building feeling like they got their money’s worth. I know I’m ready for game 2. The Sabres probably aren’t going to be a great team this year, but they’re going to give us plenty of great moments. OK. About the video review. The outcome of the call doesn’t bother me. (Although I would’ve booed my head off if I was in the crowd because that’s what you do in crowds.) Over the course of the season, the Sabres will get their fair share of breaks from the challenge process. But slowing down the game and suspending the crowd’s celebration/disappointment is… well, it’s a total bummer, especially if challenges are going to be a regular thing on game-ending goals in overtime. If they can’t speed up the review process, they need to restrict its use for goalie interference.
Lastly, one nitpick about the Sabres: Before the game, they all lined up at the blue line and the camera panned across the team as the PA guy announced their names and… they all just stood there respectfully. It’s an outrage! How funny would it be to see a player start trash-talking into the camera there? Whoever did it would instantly become my favorite on the team. Hockey players are way too vanilla. The Sabres still have a lot of growing and improving to do, but they finally have star talent to build around. Enjoy it, everyone. We earned it.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
