The Buffalo Sabers used a dominant opening frame and a steady finishing effort to tie up a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on December 1, 2025. Buffalo controlled the tempo early, switching to special teams and never letting Winnipeg fully get into its game. Despite a push in the second period, the Jets couldn’t overcome the early three-goal gap.
Summary of the game
From the start, Buffalo set a high tempo and pressed Winnipeg hard. It paid off when Jason Zucker found the loose puck in the crease and sent it home for a power play goal, getting things going in the first period. That goal fired up the home crowd and put Winnipeg on the defensive.
Just 15 seconds later, the Sabers led by two. Bowen Byram joined the attack and fired a wrist shot past the Winnipeg goalkeeper to make the score 2-0. Those quick goals exposed Winnipeg’s early defensive weaknesses, while Buffalo’s passing looked sharp and accurate.
Related: Projected lineups for Jets vs Sabers – 12/1/25
Things got worse for the Jets with less than five minutes left in the period. Josh Norris scored on a nice backhand after a defensive error, extending the lead to 3-0. Buffalo outscored Winnipeg 14-8 in the first and completely controlled the special teams early, setting the tone for the rest of the game and ending the night for Eric Comrie.
Winnipeg just didn’t seem ready at the start. They lost too many battles and their defense was slow to react, putting them straight into catch-up mode. The Jets finally showed some life midway through the second period when Josh Morrissey hit a slap shot from distance, and Kyle Connor got a piece of it and sent it between the legs of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, cutting the lead to 3-1 in the second period.
For a few minutes, the Jets put a lot of pressure on Buffalo, forcing them to play defense. But the Sabers responded as a good team should. At 12:49, Alex Tuch scored on a quick wrist shot off the rush to make it 4-1 and halt the Jets’ comeback attempt.
Buffalo barely beat Winnipeg in the second (7-6), but the timing of their goals was crucial. Winnipeg couldn’t capitalize on their momentum and Buffalo found a way to score before Winnipeg could gain any confidence. Any chance of a late Jets comeback was extinguished early in the third. Just 41 seconds later, Norris sneaked in alone and sent the puck behind Thomas Milic with his backhand for his second of the match, extending the lead to 5-1 in the third period.
From there, Buffalo went into defensive mode. They played with discipline, blocking shots and forcing Winnipeg out. Although the Jets had ten shots in the third, most of them came from long range, making it an easy period for the Buffalo goalie.
Winnipeg played physically, with more hits – 35 to 12 against Buffalo – but could not convert that into scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, the Sabers used their speed and puck control to run out the clock and secure a solid win. Buffalo had more shots (31-24) and won the most faceoffs (52.3%). They also scored on the power play (1-for-3), while Winnipeg went 0-for-2. Even though they took fewer penalties, Buffalo remained in control at key moments.
Winnipeg had many more hits and blocked shots, which shows how much time they spent on defense. But Buffalo made fewer mistakes and took advantage of Winnipeg turnovers, which made the difference. For Buffalo, this was a well-rounded performance with a good start, timely goals and solid structure. The Sabers showed how dangerous they can be when they control the game and force other teams to chase them.
For Winnipeg, this game was another example of how costly a slow start can be. Their push in the second period showed what they can do when they play well, but coming back from a three-goal deficit against a confident team was too tough.
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