The Buffalo Sabres (17-23-5) fell 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-20-8) on Friday night at KeyBank Center, despite a strong offensive effort that saw them outshoot Pittsburgh 42-19.
Owen Power put the Sabres on the board first, scoring a power-play goal at 15:16 of the opening period. However, Pittsburgh responded quickly in the second period with Rickard Rakell’s power-play tally and Anthony Beauvillier’s breakaway goal just 27 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead.
The Penguins extended their advantage with Cody Glass and Bryan Rust each scoring on the power play, putting Buffalo in a 4-1 deficit early in the third.
Zach Benson gave Buffalo a glimmer of hope late, scoring at 14:46 with the extra attacker on a feed from Tage Thompson to make it 4-2. However, Nedeljkovic sealed the win with his historic empty-net goal at 17:18, capping a tough night for the Sabres.
The Sabres begin a four-game road trip on Monday in Seattle when they visit the Kraken at 4 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].