The Buffalo Sabres continued their surge on Thursday night with a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, winning for the 12th time in their last 13 games. The result improved Buffalo to 23-15-4 and marked the franchise’s first such stretch since 2005.
Josh Doan opened the scoring 4:07 into the first period to extend his goal streak to four games. Alex Tuch doubled the lead midway through the second period before the Rangers answered with goals from Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck to pull within 3-2. Jason Zucker restored Buffalo’s two-goal cushion later in the second with a power-play tally after a rebound deflected into the net.
With Buffalo clinging to a one-goal lead late in the third, Mattias Samuelsson delivered the decisive moment. Fourteen seconds into a penalty kill, Samuelsson finished a shorthanded rush to make it 4-2, sealing the momentum. Ryan McLeod added an empty-net goal with 1:30 remaining to close out the scoring. Samuelsson finished with a goal and an assist, while Zucker and McLeod each recorded a goal and an assist. Colten Ellis made 30 saves in his first appearance since December 9.
The win capped a strong road performance against a Rangers team that fell to 5-11-4 at home.
The Sabres return to KeyBank Center on Saturday to open a five-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].