Buffalo Sabres Look to Build on Robin Lehner's Save of the Year

Will Robin Lehner’s overtime save against the Montreal Canadiens prove to be the moment which galvanizes the Buffalo Sabres and turns their season around?

Successful teams will often point to a specific incident, which proves to be the launching point for them to rally around, and turn their season into something special. And despite the seemingly never-ending cycle of frustration in Western New York, even sports fans in this area have experienced this phenomenon.

One of the most well-documented examples is the Buffalo Bills‘ 1990 season, when they found themselves 21-9 down in the fourth quarter of a Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos. David Treadwell was preparing to pad the Broncos’ lead with another field goal, when everything was turned on its head.

Treadwell’s kick was blocked and returned 80 yards for a touchdown, by Cornelius Bennett. This proved to be the genesis for the Bills to come back and win 29-28, in the process setting up a run to their first ever Super Bowl.

The reason for mentioning this, is because the Buffalo Sabres may well have experienced their own galvanizing moment on Saturday, during a game against the Canadiens. Let’s quickly relive the dramatic sequence of events, which took place in Montreal:

There’s no denying Robin Lenher‘s dramatic stop is an early contender for save of the year. The question is, will it prove to be the impetus for the Sabres to finally put together a challenge for a playoff spot?

Statistically speaking, Buffalo certainly has the opportunity. As of Monday morning, they sit just five points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, having played four fewer games than the Boston Bruins.

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Of course, this is not about numbers – it’s about Dan Bylsma‘s team starting to play with some consistency, especially as they are a lot healthier than earlier in the season. This is why you wonder if Lenher’s save can spur the team on to put together a run of positive results?

The Sabres’ goaltender played down his stop against the Canadiens, preferring to concentrate on the game in general. Speaking to WGR550 and the rest of the media, Lehner said: “It was a well-played game with a great atmosphere.

“Both goaltenders had quite a bit of work today. (Price) makes a pretty good glove save there at the end and I was fortunate to come up with one myself.”

It was up to a couple of Lenher’s teammates to give him the praise he deserved. Also speaking to WGR550, captain Brian Gionta said: “He played great for us.

“Controlled a lot of the shots and obviously the save of the year there in overtime. He saves the game and we come right back down and score.”

Defenseman Cody Franson added: “That’s a pretty impressive save.

“I think if you watch the replay of our bench, everybody gets pretty excited from that. Price made a couple of big saves at the end of the game to take into overtime and (Lehner) made a huge one for us to buy us enough time to get out there and luckily get the win.”

Questions remain about Lehner’s ability to be durable and consistent. However, any such concerns are fading with every passing game.

Buffalo Sabres Look to Build on Robin Lehner’s Save of the Year

By Paul Taylor | Jan 23, 2017

Will Robin Lehner’s overtime save against the Montreal Canadiens prove to be the moment which galvanizes the Buffalo Sabres and turns their season around?

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