Buffalo Sabres hosted Utah Mammoth in the NHL on Friday night, and the visitors ran away with a 4-1 victory. By the time the final whistle blew, the home side had watched their early hopes evaporate, and Utah had extended their winning streak to two games. We had backed the hosts at 46 per cent confidence, but the game went the other way entirely. The Sabres threw everything at it from the opening period and simply couldn't convert.
What happened was straightforward enough. Buffalo started brightly, pressing high and creating chances, but Utah's defence stood firm and the visitors took their moments. The Mammoth didn't panic when they went behind initially, and by the third period they had opened up a gap the hosts couldn't close. To be fair, the scoreline might have been tighter if the visitors had been more clinical earlier.
Buffalo's recent form hadn't exactly inspired confidence. They'd beaten Minnesota and Chicago in their last five, but those wins came against opponents who weren't setting the table on fire. The loss to Dallas 4-0 on Wednesday showed vulnerability, and against a side like Utah that had won four of six, the margin for error was razor-thin. They ran out of legs in the second period, and the game slipped away.
Utah's trajectory had been steadier. After a heavy 6-1 defeat to Boston on Wednesday, they'd bounced back with wins over New Jersey and Columbus, and a narrow loss to Rangers kept them in touch with the pace. Five places above Buffalo in the standings, the Mammoth weren't exactly fighting for survival, but they were building momentum. The old head of their coaching staff settled them down after the Boston hammering, and that showed.
Both sides sit on zero points in the early table, which tells you nothing about where this season will go. Buffalo's third loss in five games drops them further down, while Utah's fourth win in six keeps them respectable. The gap between them is small now, but this result might make life awkward for the hosts in the weeks ahead.
