Rick Martin and René Robert needed just ten seconds between goals to turn a close game into a comfortable Buffalo lead. On January 10, 1974, the two French Connection wingers combined for eight points in a 7–2 victory over the New York Rangers at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Six of those points came in the third period, including four in the opening 31 seconds. Gilbert Perreault, so often the driving force behind Buffalo’s offence, finished with a single assist.
Highlights
Buffalo defeated New York 7–2 on January 10, 1974.
Martin and Robert each finished with four points.
Six of their eight combined points came in the third period.
Robert scored at 0:21 of the third; Martin followed at 0:31.
Both assisted on Jim Lorentz’s first-period power-play goal.
Martin finished the season with a franchise-first 52 goals.
Buffalo missed the 1974 playoffs before reaching the 1975 Stanley Cup Final.
Martin and Robert first appeared on the scoresheet late in the opening period, assisting on Jim Lorentz’s power-play goal against Ed Giacomin at 18:27. Lorentz scored again in the second, while Brad Park answered for New York. The Sabres carried a narrow 2–1 lead into the final frame, with little indication on the scoreboard of the outburst to come.
Robert started the third-period fireworks just 21 seconds after the faceoff, scoring his 13th goal of the season with assists from Martin and Perreault. Ten seconds later, Martin buried his 29th, helped by Robert and Jerry Korab. In barely half a minute, Buffalo’s one-goal advantage had grown to three, and Martin and Robert had already collected two points apiece in the period.
Don Luce and Korab also scored during Buffalo’s five-goal third period. Martin added his second of the night and 30th of the season at 14:54, with Robert earning the lone assist. Ted Irvine supplied New York’s other goal as the Sabres finished off the 7–2 win. Martin ended the evening with two goals and two assists, while Robert contributed a goal and three helpers.
Martin went on to become Buffalo’s first 50-goal scorer, finishing the 1973–74 season with 52 goals and 86 points. He matched that goal total the following year. Robert finished with 65 points, while Perreault recorded 51 in just 55 games. Buffalo missed the playoffs that spring, but the setback was temporary: the Sabres returned in 1974–75 and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
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