The Buffalo Sabers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Friday, but things could have been different if captain Kyle Okposo hadn’t slammed his fist on the table.
After 40 minutes, the Sabers trailed the Penguins by two goals and risked a deficit of two games under the .500 mark if they lost.
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The former New York Islanders player, like his team, has had a complicated start to the season (he only had three assists before the game against Pittsburgh) and has decided to take things into account between the second and third periods.
“Okposo said things [avant la troisième période], explained striker Alex Tuch after the encounter. I think everyone wanted to run through a wall after that.”
But what could Okposo have said to lash out at his teammates like that?
“Stop worrying about making so many mistakes and being afraid of missing opportunities,” said the 35-year-old athlete. We didn’t have that for a long time last year. We’re just not there this year.”
He also walked the talk as it was he who scored the equalizer midway through the game’s final act. This net was also his first this year. Tuch, for his part, hit the mark less than three minutes before the end of the game and gave his team the victory.
The Buffalo team has posted a 9-9-2 performance since the start of the season, good for sixth place in the Atlantic Division.