BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Apparently someone forgot to tell Dylan Cozens and the Buffalo Sabers that they fell by 12 points a month ago and are out of playoff contention.
Again, even if anyone had accepted the idea, Cozens would not have accepted it.
“Our belief is higher than ever right now,” Cozens said Thursday night after scoring in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders. “I think I said it a month ago, maybe a few weeks ago, but I still believe we can do it in this room. And that's what we're doing right now.”
The Sabers are making a remarkable comeback after falling to 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings after a 4-3 loss to Anaheim on February 19th, and sitting in last place below eighth place. Since then, they've gone 8-3-1 and are within three points of the Islanders and Detroit Red Wings in the race for the conference's final wild-card spot.
Cozens said one difference is that Sabers players are more relaxed after spending much of the first half of the season carrying the weight of expectations of ending an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought. That's what he feels, he said.
“If we're going to lose, I think we're going to be crushed in a fight. We're going to play like we have nothing to lose to be honest,” he said. “Obviously I know I have a lot to lose, but I can’t talk about it when I’m on the ice.”
Suddenly, the flaws that plagued the Sabers for the first four months of the season — a slow start, a three-goalie rotation, injuries and a failure to win more than two straight games — seem to have been resolved.
And keep in mind: Buffalo's last three wins, including Saturday's 3-2 penalty shootout win over Edmonton, came after the team traded captain Kyle Okposo to Florida, leading scorer center This follows the trade of Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado. to offensive defenseman Bowen Byram.
“I think we'll answer that after we continue to respond,” coach Don Granato said when asked about the reorganized roster. “For the next game, we have to continue to respond. … But for now, yes, I think the energy is really good.”
The Sabers have yet to win four straight, but are enjoying their second 3-0 record in three weeks.
For a team that still struggles to score first, Buffalo has scored first in each of its past two games, including a four-goal outburst in the first period in Tuesday's 7-3 win over Detroit. are listed.
Most importantly, the Sabers have a promising goaltender in Ukko-Pekka Lukonen. He earned the starting job in late December and has gone 16-8-1 with four shutouts and 45 points allowed in his last 25 games.
“It's been fun to watch them as they've grown,” Granato said, referring to both Lukkonen and rookie Devon Levi, who is currently in the minors and developing.
“That's what we've been building tactically. We've got two young goalies in this organization, Levi and Youpi. We've made a commitment to developing two young goalies at the NHL level. “But it's not common,” he added. “So it feels good to see them progress as much as they have.”
There seemed to be nothing tactical about this plan when the Sabers handed the reins to Levi at the start of the season and Luukkonen didn't make his first start until Levi and reserve Eric Comrie were injured. . And Granato's comments come as a departure from the Sabers being a No. 2 suspect as they fielded three goaltenders and gained valuable roster space before ultimately demoting Levi to the minors in January. It seems like it is.
Either way, Luukkonen has dominated in his second full NHL season after struggling in Buffalo's late-season playoff run last year.
“It means a lot, it means finding my footing in net, it means proving to myself that I'm an NHL-level goaltender and I can start. '' Luukkonen said.
The key is to stay focused.
“Once you lose sight of the next game and think too far ahead, it's not going to do you any good,” he said. “I think it's about knowing what we've done and trusting it.”
With 15 games remaining, the Sabers still have a hill to climb as they embark on a five-game road trip that begins Saturday in Detroit.
Cozens said the Sabers finished with a record of 9-2-1 last season, but fell just two points short of making the playoffs.
“We understand what we did last year and we found a way to get close to it. And I feel like last year we let the noise outside make us think we were at our limit,” Cozens said. Ta. “And that's what we learned this year: Don't worry about the noise outside, just worry about this dressing room.”
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