Sabres complete another heroic comeback

Riding high on a five-game winning streak, the Buffalo Sabres traveled to Pittsburgh for on Monday for a game against the Penguins. In a role reversal, the Sabres entered the game three points out of first place in the Atlantic Division, while Pittsburgh is currently tied at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Under a minute into OT, Jack Eichel notched his fifth goal of the season and gave the Sabres their sixth straight win and five of six when trailing after two periods.

“Just trying to get it on net, just trying to get it off, it’s nice to see it go in…just thought it was a great team effort by us…we were a bit frustrated by the refs…[Hutton] made some timely saves…we find a way to win a game.”- Eichel on his GWG

After three solid starts against some of the league’s best teams, Carter Hutton was back in goal for the Sabres. On the first power play, he made two crucial saves on a breakaway attempt by Pittsburgh, and was able to preserve the scoreless game early on.

That would not last, as the Penguins took the lead with Derick Brassard scoring on a 2-on-1, but Buffalo responded shortly after when Tage Thompson scored his first goal as a Sabre. Off a pass from Reinhart helped tie the game with over seven minutes left in the first, but Phil Kessel scored the second goal for Pittsburgh, helping them regain the lead to finish the first twenty.

Although there was a missed call of tripping against Pittsburgh just seconds prior, Jake Guentzel added to their lead early in the second, and Tanner Pearson scored his first goal in Pittsburgh to make it a three-goal lead. Buffalo came roaring back late in the second, when Zach Bogosian scored his second of the year. Casey Nelson followed that up by netting his first of the season.

Physicality was prominent in this game, highlighted by a fight between Jake McCabe and Riley Sheehan. The game also presented ample scoring chances on both sides, with both teams finishing with 40 shots each. There were also struggles with the man advantage during the game, with Buffalo and Pittsburgh both going 0-for-3 on the night with the man advantage.

The third period began with the Sabres going on an offensive onslaught against the Penguins looking to tie the game in yet another comeback effort. Casey Mittlestadt put it high over the goalie to even the score at 4. Buffalo finished the third period outshooting Pittsburgh, 18-9 and took the game to another extra period.

“[Hutton] has kind of been a rock for us…we’ve done it before we believe we can comeback…you can see the talent up and down their [Pens] roster…it’s a good win for us.”- Casey Mittlestadt

In another great showing by the Sabres, the team has now won six straight for the first time in nine seasons, and went undefeated on what is likely of their toughest road trips of the year. Buffalo will now return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night at KeyBank Center, puck drop will be at 7 p.m.