Peyton Krebs’ milestone first goal in the National Hockey League didn’t show all the intangibles that made him a target of Buffalo Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams in the Jack Eichel trade.
Photos: Buffalo Sabres defeat Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, at KeyBank Center
Only 20 years old and playing in his seventh game with the club, Krebs redirected a Henri Jokiharju point shot past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Martin Jones to continue the Sabres’ rout Saturday afternoon in KeyBank Center.
"It's just kind of a relief, honestly," Krebs said with a smirk when describing his first goal.
The best was yet to come for Krebs. He chased down Flyers puck-carriers throughout the game, earning a round of applause from the 9,264 in attendance with an impressive backcheck in the second period, and showed his blend of speed and skill on a breakaway goal upon exiting the penalty box.
Krebs’ backhander to beat Carter Hart, who replaced Jones in the first period, punctuated the Sabres’ 6-3 win, snapping the club's nine-game skid at home that dated back to Nov. 26.
"He's a pretty special talent," beamed Sabres coach Don Granato.
This was another game in which Buffalo’s young talent tantalized and featured heroics from key figures in Adams’ plan to reverse the franchise’s fortunes.
This time, though, the Sabres (13-21-7) avoided the sort of third-period collapse that has plagued them this season. Tage Thompson had two power-play goals only 24 seconds apart in the first period and had an assist for his first career three-point game. Jeff Skinner scored his team-leading 15th and 16th goals of the season, the latter of which sealed the win in the third.
Winger Alex Tuch, who was the only proven NHLer acquired in the Eichel trade, recorded a pair of assists, and has 10 points in nine games with the Sabres. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin also had two assists.
This performance occurred against a Flyers (13-20-8) team that has dropped 11 straight games, their franchise-record second skid of at least 10 games in the same season, and were without key forwards Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee. But it’s likely no team in the league has an injury report longer than the Sabres’. They were without Kyle Okposo, Casey Mittelstadt, Jack Quinn, Zemgus Girgensons and Vinnie Hinostroza, among others.
Michael Houser, a 29-year-old with 258 games of experience in the ECHL, got the start in goal and made 30 saves for Buffalo, which was 2-6-2 in its previous 10 games.
"Obviously, in the past games, we’ve let leads slip in the third and that’s something we’re going to try to correct," said Thompson. "Not letting that creep into our game or our mindset."
Thompson, 24, showed Sabres fans across the first half of the season why he’s an established member of the young core and that continued in their 41st game. He used his heavy right-handed shot to one-time a loose puck in to make it 2-2 at 15:33 into the game and scored again shortly thereafter when Philadelphia was penalized for a failed coaches’ challenge, cutting across the slot and beating Jones with a wrister.
Krebs, though, is an unknown to many Sabres fans. He appeared in 13 games for the Vegas Golden Knights and his lone point was an assist on a goal by Tuch last season. But Krebs plays the game with an old-school edge, combined with the skill of an elite prospect. Drafted 19th overall by Vegas in 2019, Krebs looked dynamic in his first three games with the Sabres from Dec. 29 through Jan. 1, but he spent 10 days in quarantine while repeatedly testing positive for Covid-19.
"I think he’s a really smart hockey player, so when he plays the game, he makes everyone else better," Thompson said of Krebs. "It opens up stuff for other guys to use their skill and he creates a lot of open ice for guys because of his high hockey sense."
The time away didn’t seem to impact Krebs’ game, and he reached another level against Philadelphia. His touch from the half wall helped the Sabres go 3-for-4 on the power play by repeatedly breaking the Flyers' pressure. He also helped Buffalo have three effective lines during another game in which they were missing key forwards.
No play Saturday was more impressive than Krebs collecting a breakout pass from Rasmus Asplund and fooling Hart for a 5-2 lead, becoming the first Sabre since 2010 to score twice during the same game in which they netted their first career goal.
"We’re not winning games to a level anybody likes, but my confidence in that we’re going to win games is through guys like Peyton," said Granato. "Through guys like Jack Quinn, Dylan Cozens, through Rasmus Dahlin. These young guys, you just know. You see every day how much better they’re going to get, and they’re dominant in moments and those moments are going to become more frequent. It’s going to happen, so we’re going to keep supporting them to that end."
Here are other observations from the game Saturday:
1. Keeping pace
This season has always been all about the young core, but Skinner’s return to form is one of the more encouraging developments this team has seen in some time. Skinner, the Sabres’ highest-paid player with a $9 million cap hit per season, is on pace for 32 goals after totaling only 21 in 112 games the previous two seasons.
The Sabres' top line of Skinner, Thompson and Tuch combined for eight points.
2. Around the boards
Jones was replaced by Hart after allowing four goals on eight shots. … The Sabres scored more than three goals in the first period of a game for the first time since Dec. 2, 2019. … This was also the club’s first six-goal game of the season. … Houser improved to 4-2 as the club’s starter since making his NHL debut last May. … Skinner tied his career high of three points, a feat he’s achieved 26 times. ... Claude Giroux scored twice for Philadelphia, and Rasmus Ristolainen had a goal in his first game back in Buffalo.
3. Missing time
The Sabres will be without winger Jack Quinn for at least four weeks, and possibly up to six, after he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday night against Dallas, Granato told reporters. Quinn, 20, scored his first career NHL goal in the first period, a wrist shot that went bar down to beat goalie Braden Holtby, and recorded an assist for a multi-point game.
Defenseman Will Butcher is day to day while he waits for pain to subside from an upper-body injury that occurred Thursday.
4. Next
The Sabres are scheduled to play in front of no fans Tuesday night in the Ottawa Senators’ Canadian Tire Centre.
