Sabres Lose Heartbreaker in OT, Still Stay Out of Last Place

The Buffalo Sabres' troublesome showing in the 1996 NFHL season hit another road bump tonight as they fell to the New York Rangers 6-5 in a high-energy, penalty-filled contest at Madison Square Garden. Despite their valiant effort to earn some breathing room over the Lightning and remain above last place in the league, the Sabres couldn’t hold off a determined Rangers squad, who took advantage of Buffalo's mistakes and power-play opportunities.

The game began very promising as Bob Errey and Richard Matvichuk put the Sabres ahead in the first period. Errey opened the scoring just 2:32 into the game, followed quickly by Matvichuk’s power-play goal at 11:07, putting the Sabres up 2-1. However, the Rangers didn’t stay quiet for long, with Vyacheslav Kozlov’s goal at 3:49 drawing them even, and the first period ended with Buffalo holding a slim 2-1 lead.

The second period saw the game's intensity ramp up, with plenty of penalties handed out, including a major misconduct for Rangers’ John MacLean. On the ice, both teams traded goals. Rick Tocchet's power-play tally at 39 seconds gave the Rangers their first lead, but familiar hero Pavel Bure responded for Buffalo with a power-play goal of his own at 15:35 to knot the score at 3-3. This was quite the milestone as it was Bure's 30th goal of the season, and was only the third time in his young career that he'd managed to achieve the honor. With his career high set at 33 goals last season, Bure still has the opportunity in the final games of the season to surpass this total and reach a new height of greatness. 

Back to the game, the Sabres looked to be in control. The Rangers, however, took control once again with Jere Lehtinen’s goal at 9:07, giving New York a 4-3 advantage heading into the final period.

As expected, the third period was a roller coaster of emotions. David Mackey provided hope for the Sabres with two quick goals at 11:07 and 15:18, briefly putting Buffalo back on top 5-4. However, the Rangers proved to be too much. Kelly Buchberger’s second goal of the night tied the game at 5-5, and just when it seemed like overtime might be on the horizon, Buchberger completed his hat trick, scoring the game-winner at 1:43 of the extra frame on the power play.

In a game filled with physicality and rough play, the Sabres fought hard, with players like Mackey and Matvichuk contributing offensively, but the team couldn’t stop the Rangers from converting on their power-play chances. The Rangers capitalized on three of their ten man-advantage opportunities, while the Sabres went 3-for-5.

In net, Corey Schwab started strong but was pulled after allowing four goals on 24 shots. Trevor Kidd took over for Schwab at 5:56 of the third period, but the change couldn’t turn the tide for Buffalo. Meanwhile, Rangers goalie Mark Fitzpatrick stopped 27 of 32 shots to earn the win.

Despite the defeat, there is a silver lining for the Sabres. Tampa Bay, who had been struggling mightily, lost their 13th consecutive game tonight, allowing Buffalo to stay above the Lightning in the standings. With only 10 games remaining in the season, the Sabres continue to fight for survival after recent victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings, which helped them climb out of the NFHL basement.

Next up for the Sabres is another crucial test as they look to regroup and continue their fight to avoid finishing last in the league. The game against the Rangers may have been a tough pill to swallow, but for Buffalo, staying ahead of Tampa Bay and showing resilience are key as the season winds down.