The Buffalo Sabres rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a point but fell 5-4 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
Buffalo closed a five-game homestand with a 3-1-1 record, collecting seven of a possible 10 points. The Sabres have now gone 15-2-1 over their last 18 games.
Minnesota built a 3-1 lead midway through the second period, but Buffalo responded with a surge. Peyton Krebs started the rally, followed by goals from Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch to briefly give the Sabres a 4-3 advantage. The lead was short-lived, as Quinn Hughes scored less than a minute later to knot the game and force overtime.
A late penalty proved costly for Buffalo, as a hooking call against Krebs with 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation carried over into overtime. The Sabres nearly killed the penalty, but Minnesota capitalized when a stretch pass from goaltender Filip Gustavsson set up Mats Zuccarello for the game-winning goal on the rush.
Ryan McLeod and Quinn each recorded a goal and an assist for Buffalo. Tuch added a goal, while Tage Thompson picked up an assist to extend his point streak to seven games. Rasmus Dahlin notched his 305th career assist, moving past Jason Pominville into sole possession of eighth place on the franchise’s all-time list. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 31 saves.
The Sabres open a five-game road trip on Monday with a visit to Carolina. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].