Rangers @ Sabres - First Period Thoughts

If you missed the first 3 minutes of this game you basically missed the entire period. The Sabres started just the way they wanted to by scoring the first goal in 16 seconds on a Rangers defensive breakdown. That goal got me a little down but the Rangers took advantage of a Sabres breakdown in their defensive zone and tied the game back up. The Rangers answering that fast was crucial for this game. The Sabres are home and fighting for the playoffs and to stop their momentum like that was huge. Other than that not much happened in this period. The Rangers had a quality chance at a goal with Dawes but the puck was cleared off the line. The Sabres had a quality chance but Henrik made a great save to stop Vanek. So far nothing too impressive from either team. I do feel the Rangers are outplaying the Sabres though.

One problem I had with this period was Backman and Drury. Neither played well at all this period but their mistakes didn't end up costing the Rangers. Backman made plenty of turnovers in the defensive and offensive zone. He needs to calm down and just play hockey. Drury started a little sloppy, losing control of the puck and taking a bad penalty. Maybe the boo's are getting to him or he is just a little off. They both need to settle down and play hockey because Buffalo is going to be fighting hard for this win. They need it a lot more than we do, we'll see if they want it more than us.