I was scrolling through the comments on my recent Sabres-Blues gameday preview piece, and found this comment, from user NJSabre:
“I just checked the Sabres-Blues game and, as usual, our boys went scoreless in the first period. Anyone check how many games this season the Sabres did not score a goal in the first period? With that dynamic at work, essentially, Buffalo has only 40—not 60—minutes in which to win a game. On the other hand, often the opposing teams easily score a goal or two in the first period, which means they have 60 minutes to rack up goals, not 40.