Samuelsson Rings the Iron Early in Buffalo Tilt
A first-period post off a Sabres forward's stick was the only iron of a night that ended with Buffalo pulling clear of Columbus.
Written during the game · 12:11 AM ET. Final was CBJ 2, BUF 5.
A post is a goal that almost happened, and the game produced exactly one. Mattias Samuelsson hit it for Buffalo at 7:32 of the first period, the only iron either team found all night.
The score sheet records nothing for a shot like that. The shot did not count as a goal, and it did not count as a save. It came less than a minute after Jack Quinn scored the opening goal.
That is why it matters as a snapshot. Buffalo's chances were worth 4.64 expected goals -- how many goals the quality of their looks should produce -- against 2.81 for Columbus. The Sabres won 5-2, so the post did not decide anything. It showed how near the margin sat in a game where Jet Greaves made 32 saves and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 24 of 26.
