'A surreal occurrence' | Jankowski, Houser fuel win over Senators

OTTAWA - Don Granato has coached for nearly thirty years at virtually every level of hockey in the United States. He had never seen a goal develop quite like the one Mark Jankowski scored against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Kyle Okposo was sent into the boards near the benches at the red line. A scrum involving eight of the 10 skaters on the ice ensured. Two others - Sabres forward Mark Jankowski and Senators defenseman Josh Brown - chased the puck behind the Ottawa net.
Artificial crowd noise pumped into the empty Canadian Tire Centre as the schmozzle continued, replicating the reaction of a postwhistle scrum. Except a whistle never blew.

Brown carried the puck back up the ice and toward the mass of bodies. Jankowski chased him from behind, stripped the puck, and turned for a breakaway. His goal against Anton Forsberg broke a 1-1 tie in the third period and put the Sabres ahead for good in a 3-1 victory.
"It was a surreal occurrence," Granato said.

It wasn't the only surreal moment on Tuesday. Michael Houser - whose remarkable NHL debut last season caught the eye of Jankowski, then a member of the Penguins - made his return to the Sabres and stopped 43 shots for the victory. Mattias Samuelsson played his second game of the season and led the Sabres in ice time.
We'll get to all of it, starting with the various perspectives of Jankowski's one-of-a-kind goal.

'Play must still be on'

Houser was fixated on the scrum developing along the boards until he noticed Brown - whom he trains with during the offseason - lugging the puck back toward center ice.
"I saw Janko coming really hard from behind," Houser said. "So, I'm like, 'OK, Janko didn't hear a whistle. I didn't hear a whistle. Play must still be on.'"
Mark Pysyk - one of the players involved in the fray - assumed play had stopped.
"I looked up over the scrum, saw their guy kind of coming on a rush I guess," Pysyk said. "I jumped out. By the time that happened, Janks grabbed the puck on a breakaway. I thought the whistle would have went, but we'll take it."

Jankowski had the opposite experience, unaware of what had developed behind him while he forechecked the puck behind the Ottawa net.
"I didn't really see what was going on until turned up and saw the whole thing at the bench there," Jankowski said. "Me and their D-man were just kind of gliding up for a bit. I didn't hear them blow a whistle, so I was like, 'I'm going to see if I can get this.'"
"So, I just lifted his stick and took a bit. And, yeah, luckily they didn't blow the whistle there, so I just took it in there."

It was a well-earned reward for Jankowski, who entered the lineup in place of Tage Thompson (out due to Ontario's COVID-19 regulations). He was leaned on heavily in the faceoff circle - particularly when the Sabres were on the penalty kill - and won 11 of 19 draws.
"Janko works so hard, especially on the defensive game," Houser said. "… That was a really headsy play by Janko."

A light lunch prior to win No. 3

Houser became the sixth goaltender to dress for the Sabres last season when he made his NHL debut at age 28, then nine seasons into his pro career and nearly 14 months removed from his last game. He won his first two outings on back-to-back nights and then started Buffalo's last two games in his hometown Pittsburgh.
Jankowski was a member of that Penguins team and recalls being moved by the story. Both signed one-year AHL contracts to join Rochester prior to this season.
"It was an unbelievable story from the outside looking in to follow, and then getting to know him this year, it just made it even that much better for knowing how good of a guy he is and how much everyone just loves him and loves to battle for him," Jankowski said. "So it's awesome to see him have success here."

Jankowski played well enough in Rochester to earn an NHL deal in November. Houser signed his deal with the Sabres on Jan. 12 and once again became the sixth goaltender to dress for the team when he made his season debut on Tuesday.
He admitted to having felt nerves in the hours preceding the game.
"Until you play so many games, they're always going to be there," he said. "They were there all four of the games last year. You just kind of embrace them. You roll with it. Maybe not eat as much in the afternoon as I usually do, a little less appetite.
"But in terms of my game, my game has been trending pretty well in Rochester over the last maybe month. So hockey-wise, I didn't want to change too much. Mindset-wise, I was a little more nervy than I usually am, but nothing crazy."
You wouldn't know it. Houser stopped Alex Formenton on a breakaway for his first save of the game. His second save came on that same sequence, a put-back attempt from Tim Stutzle.

"He came in and the puck kind of bounced on him, hit something in the ice it looked like, maybe 10 feet out from me," Houser said. "I actually had one similar against Syracuse two weeks ago, the puck was rolling and I tried to poke check and got beat between my arms.
"So I kind of just learned to play a little bit more patient because I figured he would try to just get a shot off any way he could because the puck was rolling and it wasn't really a good scoring chance anymore for him."
When the final horn sounded 41 saves later, Pysyk was the first to embrace the goaltender.
"Oh, he's awesome," Pysyk said. "I mean, you ask anybody, he's a great guy. He's always in a great mood. He's fun to be around so everybody is happy for him to get that one."

Samuelsson's ice time

Samuelsson skated a team-high 22:01, including 4:36 shorthanded. He was among the five players sent over the boards when the Sabres were protecting a one-goal lead during the final minute.
"There's good reason to put trust in him," Granato said. "He was good. You see the size, the strength, the athleticism. He's an intelligent player, makes good reads and makes the game look simple. A lot of PK clears. I think all our D were really, really good tonight as far as their compete level and battle. But yes, in particular Mattias did a very nice job."

Okposo leaves with injury

Okposo did not return following the hit that preceded Jankowski's goal. Okposo was hit by Erik Brannstrom as he cleared the puck from the red line into the Ottawa zone.
Granato said the Sabres' alternate captain was still being evaluated afterward.
"Always concerned, especially the hit that he did take, the sacrifice. He knew he had to get a puck deep there and he left himself expose and vulnerable to that hit. … On the coaching side and the other players on the team, you feel that. I mean, we feel that. You feel pain in that as well and he's making that sacrifice to win a hockey game."

Cozens opens the scoring

Dylan Cozens scored his ninth goal of the season to put the Sabres ahead 1-0 during the first period. He carried the puck into traffic and maintained possession as he absorbed contact from defenseman Nick Holden and buried a shot from the right faceoff circle.
Alex Tuch earned the primary assist and added an empty-net goal, giving him seven points in seven games with the Sabres.

Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Tickets are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7.