The Buffalo Sabres opened a week-long road trip with a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday afternoon, extending a long-standing road skid at PNC Arena.
Rasmus Dahlin put Buffalo in front early, scoring his seventh goal of the season just 1:33 into the opening period. Carolina answered later in the first, then took the lead for good when Seth Jarvis scored on the power play 2:10 into the third period.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 26 saves for the Sabres, who were outshot 28-18. Buffalo generated pressure late but was turned aside by Hurricanes backup goaltender Brandon Bussi, who held firm through a flurry of chances in the final minutes.
The loss marked Buffalo’s 13th straight defeat in Carolina, where the Sabres have not won since March 22, 2016. Despite the setback, Buffalo fell in regulation for just the third time in its last 19 games and remained firmly in the playoff hunt. The Sabres sit at 26-17-5 with 57 points, one point behind the Boston Bruins for the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.
Next, the Sabres head to Nashville to face the Predators on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].