The Buffalo Sabres (39-32-7, 85 points) chances of making the playoffs are slim, but they stayed alive in the race on Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes (50-20-9, 109 points) at KeyBank Center.
The game was knotted at three after 40 minutes of play, and Tage Thompson netted the only goal in the third period to lift the Sabres to a second straight win.
Casey Mittelstadt scored twice, raising his season point total to 52, with 11 coming in the last seven games. It was his first multi-goal game since December.
Rasmus Dahlin had one of the best games of his career, scoring his 15th goal and notching two assists, the second of which was a highlight-reel play. Dahlin joined Phil Housley as the only defenseman in franchise history to reach the 70-point mark in a single season.
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Thompson’s goal moved him into a tie with Danny Gare (1980-81) and Pat LaFontaine (1991-92) for the eighth-most goals in a single season by a Sabres skater (46). He is the third Sabres skater to record at least 46 goals and 47 or more assists in a single season.
Devon Levi picked up his third NHL win after stopping 31-of-34 shots, including some big ones in the final few minutes when Carolina was on the power play.
The Sabres will begin a two-game road trip on Monday night when they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].