Sabres wrap: Rasmus Dahlin's power-play goal clinches OT win over Blues
Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal 1:33 into overtime to send the Sabres to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night in KeyBank Center.
Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal 1:33 into overtime to send the Sabres to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night in KeyBank Center.
The Sabres (8-8-1) rebounded from their loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and the Blues (7-9-2) have a four-game winless streak.
Dylan Cozens seemed to have the Sabres back in control when he leveled a Blues forward with a hit behind their net, then skated to the front to deposit a rebound past Blues goalie Jordan Bennington to tie the score with 15:14 left in regulation.
The Blues challenged for goalie interference, though, and the NHL's Situation Room determined that Zach Benson prevented Binnington from making a save.
Buffalo wasn't down for long. Alex Tuch finally made it 3-3 by finishing a pass from McLeod with 7:03 left in the third period.
The Sabres allowed the first goal for the seventh time in 17 games, as Brandon Saad scored 3:11 into the first period by capitalizing on a turnover. They rallied to take a 2-1 lead, with Benson and McLeod beating Binnington less than four minutes apart late in the first period.
Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (9) celebrates his goal on St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) in the first period of an NHL hockey game
at KeyBank Center on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. Joed Viera/Buffalo News
Buffalo delivered another disappointing second period, though, and the Blues entered the third with a 3-2 lead after they received a goal apiece from Saad and Pavel Buchnevich.
First period
• Benson nearly created a scoring chance one minute into the game with a pass to the crease that ricocheted off a stick, narrowly missing Tuch.• Jason Zucker almost scored on a rebound created by Peyton Krebs, but Binnington used his left leg to stop the puck from crossing the goal line.
• Saad gave the Blues a 1-0 lead 3:11 into the game with a shot from the slot. Sabres defenseman Owen Power wasn't able to handle the puck when Blues center Brayden Schenn accidentally turned it over with a pass from behind the Sabres' net.
• Cozens had multiple scoring chances on one of his first shifts, including a one-timer on a pass by Rasmus Dahlin, who circled around the net to create space in the offensive zone.
• Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich committed a slashing penalty to give the Sabres their first power play with 9:17 left in the first period. Benson scored four seconds after the penalty expired with a low shot that surprised Binnington.
• McLeod made it 2-0 with a shot through traffic while Benson and Tuch were trying to screen the goalie. The goal was McLeod's fifth of the season and occurred with 3:11 left in the first period.
• The Sabres had 16 shots on goal in the first period after totaling only 37 over their previous two games and shot attempts were 27-14 in favor of Buffalo.
Second period
• Jake Neighbours tripped Dahlin, putting the Sabres on the power play for the second time Thursday night. They squandered the opportunity by struggling to enter the offensive zone and turning the puck over.• Buchnevich tied it 2-2 with a snap shot from the slot at 5:25 into the second period.
• The Sabres had only two shots on goal through 7:45 of the second period after finishing with 16 through the first 20 minutes of the game.
• Schenn's shot from the right flank was the only notable chance for the Blues during their first power play of the game.
• Saad put the Blues ahead 3-2 when he scored during a scramble around Buffalo's net with 2:45 left in the second period.
• The Sabres allowed consecutive goals to fall behind and trailed at the second intermission for the seventh time this season.
Third period
• Cozens appeared to tie the score 3-3 with 15:14 left in the third period when the center leveled Oskar Sundqvist with a hit behind the net, then got to the front to deposit a rebound past Binnington. However, the Blues challenged for goalie interference and the NHL's Situation Room agreed, wiping the goal off the scoreboard.• Jack Quinn's shot from the right circle forced Binnington to make a challenging save, as the Sabres pushed to tie the score after Cozens' goal was disallowed.
• McLeod skated behind the Blues' net and sent a centering pass to Tuch, who scored while Binnington was out of position to make it 3-3.
• Blues center Jordan Kyrou hit the far post with a shot from the right circle with 4:38 left in the third period.
• Sundqvist interfered with Levi during the final minute of the third period, giving the Sabres a power play at the start of overtime.