The Buffalo Sabres (24-28-5) fell behind early and couldn’t recover in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes (34-21-4) at Lenovo Center on Thursday night.
The loss snapped Buffalo’s two-game win streak, and before this, the Sabres had been victorious in six of their last seven contests.
Carolina jumped out to a quick lead with three goals within a span of 3:32 in the first period. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall, and Seth Jarvis each found the back of the net for the Hurricanes. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov contributed to the win with 14 saves.
Buffalo’s goals came from Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka. Starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made five saves on seven shots before being replaced by James Reimer, who stopped 27-of-29 shots for the remainder of the game.
The Hurricanes, who lead the NHL in shot-attempt percentage, outshot the Sabres 36-16.
The Sabres return home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
