Sabres wrap: Overturned goal spoils comeback bid as win streak ends in Nashville
Filip Forsberg's second goal of the game gave the Nashville Predators the insurance they needed to pull away and hold on for a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night.
Filip Forsberg's second goal of the game gave the Nashville Predators the insurance they needed to pull away and hold on for a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.
Zach Benson appeared to tie the score with 6:58 left in the third period, but his goal was wiped out because a coach's challenge determined that the Sabres were offside when they entered the offensive zone.
The Sabres (22-27-5) could not extend their win streak to five games before the NHL's break for the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament. The Predators (19-28-7) snapped their six-game skid and avenged their recent loss in Buffalo.
Twice, the Sabres trailed by two goals.
Tommy Novak and Brady Skjei scored in the first period to give the Predators a 2-0 lead, but the Sabres roared back to tie it with a goal apiece from Bowen Byram and Rasmus Dahlin in a span of 3:04.
Buffalo was in control in the second period until Forsberg and Skjei scored 42 seconds apart to put Nashville ahead 4-2 with 4:47 left in the second period. Tuch trimmed the deficit to one goal again 2:17 before the intermission with his 19th goal of the season. Tuch had a goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point game.
Dylan Cozens added a power-play goal for Buffalo with 7:32 left in the third period, but the Sabres couldn't tie it. Luukkonen made 17 saves, snapping a streak of allowing three or fewer goals in five consecutive starts. Jonathan Marchessault added an empty-net goal for Nashville.
First period
• Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn had a long shift in the offensive zone, followed by Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker and Ryan McLeod, but neither line could get an early goal.• Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg thwarted Tage Thompson's breakaway, forcing the Sabres winger to attempt a between-the-legs backhand shot.
• Tuch attempted a pass to Byram to try to extend the Sabres' time in the offensive zone, but Novak intercepted the puck and scored with a short-side shot during a 2-on-1 rush to give Nashville a 1-0 lead 6:57 into the first period.
• Thompson turned the puck over at the offensive blue line near the end of his shift, leading to a 3-on-2 rush that ended with Skjei redirecting the puck past Luukkonen for a 2-0 Predators lead with 15:34 left in the first period.
• Krebs was screening Predators goalie Justus Annunen when Sabres defenseman Owen Power snapped the puck from the high slot with under six minutes to play in the first period.
• Luukkonen stopped Predators rookie winger Ozzy Wiesblatt's shot from the slot, covering up a mistake by the Sabres' defense.
• Byram cut the Sabres' deficit to 2-1 when he scored his seventh goal of the season, and his 100th career point, on a one-timer from the right circle. Tuch extended his point streak to four games, and Zucker's cross-ice pass set up the goal.
• Dahlin snapped a 24-game goal drought with a shot from the left circle that tied it 2-2 at 18:25 into the first period. Byram left his spot on defense to engage in a puck battle in the right corner, leading Zach Benson to cover for Byram at the right point. Benson collected a pass, then found Dahlin open on the opposite side of the offensive zone to set up the goal.
• Tuch's interference penalty 19:42 into the first period gave the Predators the first power play of the game, but they didn't score before the period ended. Connor Clifton turned his back to block a shot while he didn't have a stick.
• It was only the 14th time in 54 games that Buffalo was tied at the end of the first period. The Sabres had 13-10 edge in shots on goal, but 11 of the team's 29 shot attempts were blocked by the Predators.
Second period
• Tensions began to rise in the second period, as JJ Peterka leveled Weisblatt with a reverse hit and Dahlin dropped Cole Smith with a low hip check.• The Predators missed a backdoor tap-in before Luukkonen gloved Kevin Gravel's slap shot. A scrum broke out after the whistle, leading to two-minute minor penalties for Dennis Gilbert and Michael McCarron with 9:10 remaining.
• Annunen was in position to stop Byram on a spectacular passing play between the Sabres defenseman, Peterka and McLeod. Peterka hit the post with a shot from the slot less than 30 seconds later.
• Cozens' roughing penalty gave the Predators a power play, and they needed only 15 seconds to score the go-ahead goal. Forsberg scored off a rebound to make it 3-2 with 5:29 left in the second period.
• Skjei scored his second goal of the game with a shot from the slot only 42 seconds later.
• The Sabres cut their deficit to 4-3 when Byram dragged the puck across the slot and passed to the left circle, where Tuch snapped a shot that went off the far post and in. It was Tuch's 19th goal of the season, and Byram recorded an assist in consecutive games for the first time in his NHL career.
• Krebs made an exceptional seam pass from the left point to the right circle to set up Byram for a one-timer that Annunen stopped.
• The Sabres entered the game with a 3-17 record when trailing at the end of the second period.
Third period
• Tuch's cross-ice pass missed Zucker during a 2-on-1 less than six minutes into the third period, then Ryan O'Reilly hit the crossbar on a backhand shot.• Forsberg added to the Predators' lead with a shot over Luukkonen's shoulder to make it 5-3 with 13:03 remaining.
• Krebs drew a tripping penalty and, though the Sabres did nothing with the power play, Skjei hooked Quinn to give Buffalo a 26-second 5-on-3, followed by another 5-on-4 power play.
• Thompson and Quinn had shots from the left circle, but the Sabres didn't capitalize.
• Cozens cut the deficit to 5-4 with a power-play goal 12:28 into the third period. He snapped the puck over Annunen's right shoulder after the Sabres had multiple quality chances to score.
• Benson would have scored his 10th goal of the season if his shot below Annunen's blocker stood. Dahlin set up the shot with a cross-ice pass, creating space for Benson to stickhandle to a spot below the right hashmark.
• Peterka and Power were around the Predators' net to try to jam a rebound past Annunen while the Sabres' net was empty.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff looks on against the Boston Bruins during the second period at the KeyBank Center on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Lineup
Sabres rookie center Tyson Kozak was activated from injured reserve, but he was scratched after participating in warmups. Winger Beck Malenstyn (back spasm) and goalie Felix Sandstrom were also scratched.Sabres winger Jordan Greenway (middle body) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (lower body) are on injured reserve. Samuelsson is wearing a walking boot on his left foot.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff chose to use 11 forwards and seven defensemen:
JJ Peterka − Jiri Kulich − Tage Thompson
Jason Zucker − Ryan McLeod − Alex Tuch
Peyton Krebs − Dylan Cozens − Jack Quinn
Zach Benson − Sam Lafferty
Bowen Byram − Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power − Connor Clifton
Jacob Bryson − Henri Jokiharju
Dennis Gilbert