When the NHL unleashed an all-out assault on obstruction and interference, many fans worried that the sport would lose the physical aspects that play such a huge role in its appeal. But last night in Buffalo, those concerned fans got to see the future of the NHL in all its shining glory.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres, two of the league’s fastest teams, are engaged in an all-out war for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the lightning-fast pace and tenacious battles down low without question represent exactly what the league is striving for. The Sabres came out on top last night, winning 4-3 and taking a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. But this series is far from over.

The Hurricanes drew first blood in the contest, when Cory Stillman fired the puck from the left-wing corner. It deflected off the stick of Sabres blueliner Jay McKee and past Ryan Miller, and served as a perfect example of why it’s always a good idea to shoot the puck on net as often as possible in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The ‘Canes’ lead didn’t last for long, however, and when Rod Brind’Amour was sent to the penalty box for hooking, the Sabres evened the score. Forward Ales Kotalik, manning the point on the Buffalo power play, fired the puck towards the Carolina net. Chris Drury deflected the puck past a screened Cam Ward, and the score was knotted at one when the first period ended. But the momentum had clearly shifted in the Sabres’ favor.

Another interference penalty, this one assessed to Doug Weight in the period’s final seconds, meant that the Sabres would begin the second period on the power play and on a fresh sheet of ice, and they capitalized. All five Buffalo skaters touched the puck in the Carolina zone before Daniel Briere buried a rebound through Ward’s legs to put the Sabres up 2-1.

The ‘Canes’ undisciplined play continued to plague them through the second stanza, as Glen Wesley was next in the parade to the sin bin, and though Carolina managed to dodge that bullet without giving up another goal, it was becoming clear that the time spent skating shorthanded was beginning to take a toll. And it didn’t take very long before the Sabres struck again.

Following a Stillman turnover in the neutral zone, Briere collected a perfect pass from J.P. Dumont at the Carolina blue line and sped in alone on Ward. He rifled a perfect wrist shot over Ward’s left shoulder, and put the Sabres up 3-1. Further energized, Buffalo kept on the attack, and when Mike Commodore went to the box for tripping, a series of spectacular saves by Ward was all that kept the Sabres from scoring again. And then, seconds after he returned to the ice, Commodore committed another infraction. During the delayed penalty, Kotalik buried a onetimer past Ward to make the score 4-1, and it the Sabres appeared to be well on their way to victory.

It was at this point that Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette made a goaltending change, substituting Martin Gerber for Ward, hoping the switch would give his team a spark. And Gerber was tested quickly, stopping successive shorthand breakaways by Mike Grier and Derek Roy with two excellent saves. In all, the Hurricanes were out-shot 18-9 in the second period, and were fortunate to escape down by only two goals. But the Sabres’ defensive breakdowns late in the period gave the ‘Canes reason for hope as the second period came to a close.

In sharp contrast to the wild end-to-end play that marked the second stanza, the third period was much more controlled, with both teams playing quite cautiously. But when Toni Lydman was sent to the penalty box for high sticking, the ‘Canes finally struck, Eric Staal tallying a power play goal to extend his playoff point-scoring streak to 13 games and pull Carolina to within one.

Yet despite the Hurricanes’ spectacular efforts, particularly during a wild final ninety seconds played 6-on-5 (with Gerber pulled), they were unable to draw even, and so the Sabres came away with a hard-fought 4-3 victory. The teams meet again on Friday night for Game Four, in front of what will most assuredly be an again-raucous Buffalo crowd.

Mr. Greenstein is the Editor in Chief of InsideHockey.com.