The NHL world was looking for blood with the hard-luck Sabres playing their first game, and they got it.
But it wasn’t the Sabres who bled.
After one of the more depressing season-opening sequences that saw the KeyBank Center filled to below half capacity, the Sabres, under Don Granato, put on a show for those who chose to attend. Granato was true to his word as the Sabres played a high-tempo, high-chance, high-excitement brand of hockey against the Montreal Canadiens.
Kyle Okposo, one of the newly minted alternate captains on the team, looked like a man possessed throughout the first period as he forechecked, hit, and finished a scoring chance by scoring his first goal of the season on the powerplay. Okposo looked to have been rejuvenated with a letter on his sweater as he laid the body often throughout the first. Dylan Cozens started the play by entering the zone with speed and sweeping behind the net before dishing it off to his defensemen on the cycle before Okposo unleashed a mid-high wrister to beat goaltender Sam Montembeault.
Zemgus Girgensons, the other alternate captain for the Sabres this season, followed up on Okposo’s goal by tipping a slot pass from Sabres defenseman Colin Miller later in the first to extend the lead to 2-0. Okposo hit the post on a 2-on-1 earlier in the shift as he looked to maintain his hot start. Girgensons and Okposo clearly embraced the challenge of being named the Sabres leaders this season, and that enthusiasm will likely be needed in a KeyBank Center devoid of life signs. The sparse crowd was energized often in the first period by the physical play of Kyle Okposo who finished his checks at every opportunity.
The Sabres also suffered a ludicrous penalty in the first period as Rasmus Dahlin was flagged for interference on a pick play by Brendan Gallagher who swung through the high slot and collided with Dahlin, which made it look as though the Sabres defenseman held up Gallagher. The Sabres also suffered the misfortune of having three (3!) pucks go off various officials’ skates throughout the first twenty which negated clearing attempts which also allowed the Canadiens to maintain pressure at inopportune times.
In the second, it was Craig Anderson’s time to shine as the Sabres were put in 3-on-5 situation with Henri Jokiharju going to the box, followed by Cody Eakin who got a tripping penalty following some tenacious forechecking in the offensive zone while the Sabres were down a man. Eakin was doing a masterful job of killing clock and frustrating the Canadiens before ultimately taking an unnecessary hooking penalty. Anderson bailed the Sabres out on that shorthanded situation with some timely and clutch saves.
Anderson looks every bit like a veteran presence in the Sabres crease. There’s no panic or unnecessary movement from the 40-year-old who probably can’t afford to waste any movement and energy on chasing the puck around the net anyway. It remains to be seen if Anderson can continue to play at an NHL-level throughout the grind of a long NHL season, but so far, so good.
The Sabres also lost Casey Mittelstadt in the second period – whom the Sabres announced would not return to the game during the second intermission – following a slash sustained on a possible 2-on-0 break that led to a Vinny Hinostroza chance that Montembeault swallowed up. The potential loss of Mittelstadt would be a huge blow to a young Sabres team that has very little depth at the center position beyond Dylan Cozens. Arttu Ruotsalainen would likely slot into the lineup in a center role should Mittelstadt be unable to go for the upcoming schedule.
Following that unfortunate sequence, the Sabres gained a 5-on-3 man advantage which generated numerous opportunities that ultimately culminated in Victor Olofsson cashing a slot opportunity by going top cheese against the Canadiens’ goaltender. Later in the period, Anders Bjork netted a rebound goal generated by Zemgus Girgensons who blocked a key shot in the Sabres defensive zone which led to an opportunity going the other way.
The Sabres locked it away in the third period as Tage Thompson netted yet another powerplay goal for the blue and gold to make it 5-to-1. The fans in attendance really got into the festivities after that by participating in Bills-themed chants, doing the wave, and taunting the bleu, blanc et rouge on the way out the door. Speaking of Thompson, the experiment that Don Granato started by placing the 6’7” forward at center will likely continue with the absence of Mittelstadt. Thompson, like the rest of the team, was mostly successful in his endeavor despite being thrown in the deep end.
This is the fastest team top-to-bottom that the Sabres have iced in 15 years. There is speed at every level: Caggiula, Cozens, Hinostroza, Skinner, Bjork and more have it in abundance. While speed is not indicative of success, it can at least lend itself to a product worth watching, and when paired with the determination that Granato’s squad showed tonight, there is plenty of reason to keep tuning into the games.
Look: The team will not be this successful every night. The Canadiens might be truly terrible this year after losing several key players in the off season and with Carey Price on the shelf for an indeterminate length of time. That said, fans should take solace in the fact that Granato looks true to his word that the team will play a high-octane brand of hockey that promises to be entertaining.
There will be plenty of losses this season, but if the product is this fun, fans should be able to stomach a little pain with the pleasure.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
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