It was another great night for Buffalo’s special teams, who had two power play goals and went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, earning their first home win of the season Tuesday night.
Linus Ullmark continued his hot streak with 28 saves, keeping the Sabres (3-3-1) on top through the final period. While Alexandar Georgiev stopped 21 shots for the Rangers.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:28 |  Chris Kreider (2) | Pavel Buchnevich (3) | --- | |
| 1 | 12:50 | PPG |  Dylan Cozens (2) | Eric Staal (2) | Rasmus Ristolainen (3) |
| 1 | 19:53 | K'Andre Miller (1) | Colin Blackwell (1) | Brendan Lemieux (1) | |
| 2 | 6:03 | Tobias Rieder (2) | Matt Irwin (1) | --- | |
| 2 | 7:31 | PPG | Jack Eichel (1) | Victor Olofsson (3) | Rasmus Dahlin (1) |
The first period took a typical turn as the Rangers (1-4-1) started off on the board first. Chris Kreider scored off a turnover at 6:28. Sabres rookie, Dylan Cozens, who was recalled from the taxi squad, tied the game at one on the power play — Rasmussen Ristolainen, who played in his 500th NHL game tonight, passed the puck to Eric Staal who then hit Cozens with the one-timer.
Dylan Cozens on the power play! Fantastic shot to tie it for Buffalo!#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/R6gzZIh8d9
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) January 27, 2021
So far, Cozens has scored a goal (2) in each of the games he has (Friday and Tuesday night). The Rangers stole back the lead with just 7 seconds left in the period — K’Andre Miller hit a slap shot from the point through traffic.
Returning for the second, the Sabres served a penalty at 4:01 for too many men on the ice. Two seconds following the Sabres penalty kill, at 6:03, Tobias Rieder scored to tie the game at two. Almost a minute and a half later, Jack Eichel scored his first regulation goal on the power play, bringing Buffalo ahead 3-2.
Eichel power play goal
— Ben Mathewson (Optimistic Sabres Fan) (@Ben_Mathewson) January 27, 2021
3-2 Buffalo pic.twitter.com/5xMmzKn4vh
With that goal, Eichel tied Jochen Hecht for the 19th-most goals in franchise history (138). He now trails Drew Stafford by seven goals for 18th and has 8 points this far into the season. Buffalo ended the second and held on through the third period to seal the 3-2 victory. The Rangers didn’t make it easy with a 15-2 shots deficit and a 6-on-4 power play, with Georgiev pulled from the net, in the final 1:37 of play.
The two teams will conclude their two-game series Thursday night, staying at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, at 7 p.m.