Security is forced to step in as chaos erupts in Buffalo
Mattias Samuelsson's go-ahead goal sent Buffalo into a frenzy on Sunday night, and the celebration outside KeyBank Center nearly got away from security.
Fans gathered at Canalside pushed a barrier over when the puck hit the back of the net. Security had to step in to calm the crowd.
The snow falling on the scene made the whole thing look straight out of a movie.
Inside the building, Samuelsson's marker put the Sabres ahead of the Boston Bruins in Game 1. That's a big shift coming from a defenseman who hasn't lived in the highlight reel this year.
He closed the regular season with 41 points in 78 games at a $4.28 million cap hit. The number that actually matters is plus-41.
A Buffalo fan base that has waited a long time for this kind of April moment
Samuelsson isn't paid to score go-ahead playoff goals. He's paid to defend, to kill penalties, to break plays at his blueline and make the smart pass out. Scoring is a bonus.
Here's the angle from Canalside, snow and all. It's the kind of clip you only get when a fan base has been starving for it.
Buffalo hasn't had much to celebrate in April for a long stretch. Whatever you think of where the roster is heading, Lindy Ruff has this group playing the style he was hired to install, and the city is reacting to it.
Knocking over a barrier isn't good. It also isn't hard to understand. You shove enough years of losing hockey down a market's throat, and the first meaningful goal is going to hit different.
The Sabres came in as Atlantic champions at 50-23-9 with 109 points and a plus-47 goal differential. They were never going to roll over against Boston. They just needed a moment to tell the building this was real.
Samuelsson delivered it.
Marco Sturm's Bruins now have to walk into Game 2 knowing the home side has a crowd that's going to show up hotter than they were on Sunday. That's a real variable.
Ruff has to keep his team from reading its own press clippings for 48 hours. The minute Buffalo starts celebrating a series lead before the series is over, this thing tilts.
One goal. One barrier. One very excited city that remembers what this used to feel like.
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