The Buffalo Sabres sent a loud message to the rest of the Eastern Conference Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena — routing the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score suggests. Buffalo took control in the second period, erupting for three goals on the way to a dominant road win.
The Sabres were a perfect buzzsaw Thursday — converting on the power play, scoring two shorthanded goals, and winning nearly 60 percent of their faceoffs. Josh Norris led the way with a goal and an assist, including the power play winner, while Ryan McLeod added a shorthanded goal that knocked the life right out of Pittsburgh. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson capped the night with an empty net goal.
For the Penguins, it was a rough night all around — Pittsburgh went zero for five on the power play, committed 17 giveaways, and Bryan Rust’s shorthanded goal was the lone bright spot in an otherwise forgettable evening.
Pittsburgh has now lost two straight and will need to regroup quickly — the Philadelphia Flyers come to town Saturday night. For Buffalo, this was statement hockey. The Sabres improve to 37 and 19, and they are playing like a team nobody wants to face in April.
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