The Buffalo Sabres fell 5-2 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Buffalo (18-25-5) briefly held a 2-1 advantage early in the second period, but Calgary (23-16-7) rallied to regain the lead and maintained their one-goal edge for most of the third. The Flames put the game out of reach with a pair of empty-net goals in the final minutes.
Mattias Samuelsson contributed a goal and an assist for the Sabres, marking the third multi-point game of his career. Tage Thompson continued his strong play, scoring his 22nd goal of the season and extending his streak to three consecutive games with a goal. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 21-of-24 shots for Buffalo.
Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri each recorded a goal and two assists. Jakob Pelletier added a goal and an assist, while Yegor Sharangovich and Mikael Backlund netted the late empty-netters. Flames goalie Dustin Wolf turned away 32-of-34 shots.
With Jason Zucker sidelined for a second straight game due to illness, the Sabres once again used a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Special teams proved to be a challenge for Buffalo, as the Sabres went 0-for-6 on the power play, including three opportunities in the third period.
Next, the Sabres will head to Edmonton to face the Oilers on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].