Sabres show signs of character, consistency new GM Jarmo Kekalainen emphasized in replacing Kevyn Adams

Key Highlights

• Most importantly, they clamped down on defense by killing off a delay of game penalty in the final two-plus minutes, before Ryan McLeod sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.“Obviously, one game doesn’t mean anything,” said Tage Thompson, who scored to extend his goals streak to five games.
• “But we’ve started to string some games together where we’re playing the right way.
• And we’re feeling confident knowing that we’re going to be able to close out games.”This is the type of shot-blocking, don’t-let-down character Kekalainen said he was looking for in his opening news conference.
• The problem, he said in having spent the past six-plus months watching the Sabres as a senior adviser, wasn’t the team’s talent, but it’s effort and consistency in too often getting out-worked. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe outing represented but a start, because the Sabres still have much to do if they intend to climb back into contention and avoid extending their NHL-record playoff drought to a 15th season. Improving to 15-14-4, Buffalo moved into 15th place in the 16-team Eastern Conference standings.
• But they’re only five points behind eighth-place Tampa Bay.“Nothing really changes and nothing should change,” said goalie Alex Lyon, who stopped 24 shots and has accounted for all four wins in Buffalo’s run.“I think it’s obviously been well documented that at times we get a little bit high and we get a little low,” he added.