TAMPA – It was Game 15 of the long NHL grind, not even halfway through November. But the Buffalo Sabres stood up and made quite a statement Tuesday night in Amalie Arena.
With a national television audience watching them for the first time this season, the Sabres never trailed and held a lead for more than 53 minutes in dismantling the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-1, before a crowd of 19,092.
The solid victory over the defending Eastern Conference champions allowed Buffalo to salvage one win against Tampa in the four-game season series. It also snapped a seven-game skid against the Lightning that dated to March 6, 2014.