As much as I hate playing New Jersey, Tuesday's game actually ended up being a good one. Ville Leino scoring the game-winner in the shootout is a perfect way to cap April Fool's day.
There wasn't much that went on, especially in the first half, but Leino probably played one of his best games of the season. He still has a big 0 in the goal column, but at least he found the back of the net and helped the team get a win.
“I mentioned to John Scott, ‘Watch the crowd go crazy on this one,’… Ted Nolan said. “So Ville jumped over and the crowd was really, really good. The fans appreciate it so it was nice to see Ville get that win for us.…
Going 1 for 30 in shootouts coming into this game is ridiculous for New Jersey. For a team that's trying to make the playoffs, the Devils didn't do much better, going 2 for 9. New Jersey is out of the playoffs because of the 11 shootouts they have lost. They're making it tough on themselves by missing out on so many extra points.
This game meant nothing to Buffalo, and the rest of them really don't either. Even so, it's nice to see the team win because it has happened so little as of late.
The game meant a ton to one man, Nathan Lieuwen, who secured his first NHL victory.
“I felt like I belong here. And that’s a great feeling, when you’re in the NHL and you can tell yourself that you belong here and you can play at this level and you can do really well at this level.…
The video the Sabres played prior to the game was also excellent, and if you haven't seen it, please watch:
As always, thank you for reading!