The wait for Sabres fans is over. The future just became the present. The long-awaited debut of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and JJ Peterka saw the Sabres fall just short of beating the New Jersey Devils.
By Carson G
A lackluster first 20 minutes saw the Sabres head into the second period down 2-0 to the Devils while being outshot 11-3.
Buffalo needed a spark.
Things began to turn around for the Sabres after a Brett Murray fight. That was the spark the team needed, after a hit from behind on linemate Kyle Okposo.
In front of what seemed to be the largest Sabres audience in some time, Tage Thompson opened the scoring for Buffalo. Scoring just 30 seconds into the period, Buffalo finally found some momentum as Alex Tuch received his first point wearing blue and gold.
Just three minutes later, Thompson found the back of the net again. After a great play made by Rasmus Dahlin in the defensive zone, he would send Thompson in on the breakaway to tie the game 2-2.
Just like that, it felt like it was 2007 in downtown Buffalo.
However, things began to slip away from the Sabres in the third as they fell behind by two goals yet again. This time they were unable to mount the comeback. Ethan Prow scored his first career goal in his first NHL game to get the Sabres within one. But they would fail to tie the game after pulling UPL with just under two minutes remaining.
New Jersey hands Buffalo a 4-3 loss in the Sabres’ first game in almost two weeks. The final shots were in favor of the Devils 42-22.
Here is how Tuch, Krebs, and Peterka looked in their Buffalo debut.
Alex Tuch
While I’m sure fans would have wanted Tuch’s return home to end with a win, he more than delivered on the hype built around him. He controlled most of the game while he was out there, and I can’t name many shifts where I did not see something positive out of No. 89.
Tuch worked perfectly alongside Thompson and Peterka. This can be seen on the Sabres first goal below.
Tuesday was Tuch’s first game since last season, but the Western New Yorker will only get better as he gets more games under his belt under Don Granato. He is a leader both on and off the ice and should be a mainstay in Buffalo for years to come.
Peyton Krebs
Krebs’ debut saw him centering Brett Murray and Kyle Okposo. While these two will not be the linemates of the future for the 20-year-old, they played very well together.
Even though Krebs did not find the scoresheet the same way Tuch did, he still brought a lot to the Sabres. At times, Krebs felt like he was trying to do too much with the puck. This worked a couple of times for the young center, but maybe playing with his former linemates JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn will help Krebs succeed when that time comes.
The former first-rounder is still looking for his first NHL goal, but fans might not have to wait long to see it happen.
Fans should remember that he is only 20-years-old and has plenty of time to grow and mature into the player he was traded to become.
JJ Peterka
What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about Peterka’s game. He was outstanding in almost every facet of the game and he attacked the Devils with speed you wouldn’t expect out of a 19-year-old second-round pick.
Peterka fit in perfectly alongside Thompson and Tuch in Wednesday’s tilt.
No. 77 stood out to the fans in attendance multiple times. His hardworking motor led to several scoring opportunities that the Sabres could not bury.
If the German can continue this play past Tuesday, he will spend more than just a week or two in Buffalo. He was arguably the Sabres’ best forward against the Devils, and he is only 19-years-old.
It will not take long for him to rack up his first NHL goal as he was every and more fans could have wanted.
What’s Next
The Sabres are currently scheduled to be in action on Thursday when they travel to play the Islanders.
Comment down below how you thought the Sabres return to Key Bank Arena went, and how you feel about the debut of the future.
One Response
They played well enough after the first period. They have to play 3 periods all the time