Buffalo 3, Minnesota 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Greg Kimmerly, Paul Devorski
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Scott Cherrey
Attendance:
18690
By SportsDirect Inc.
SABRES 3, WILD 1: Marcus Foligno scored to snap a tie early in the third period as Buffalo won its fourth in a row and moved into sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres had the man advantage when defenseman Tyler Myers unleashed slap shot from just inside the blue line. Foligno was stationed in front of the net and redirected the puck home 1:45 into the frame.
Thomas Vanek scored, Cody Hodgson added an empty-netter and Ryan Miller turned aside 24 shots as Buffalo improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight home games.
Defenseman Steve Kampfer scored the lone goal for the Wild, who had won four in a row at First Niagara Center.
Vanek leveled the contest at 1-1 before the first period expired. Hodgson’s initial shot from in close was turned away, but Vanek stayed with it and snuck the rebound past goaltender Josh Harding for his 24th tally.
The Wild had gone ahead 1-0 almost seven minutes into the first on Kampfer’s tally, just his second of the season. Nick Johnson fed the puck up the right wing to start a 2-on-1 as Kyle Brodziak lofted it over a diving defenseman to an unguarded Kampfer in front of the net.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was inactive with a concussion, suffered when he took an elbow to the head on Thursday. … Foligno has 10 points in the nine games he’s played since being recalled from the American Hockey League.
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Buffalo |
|
Steven Kampfer 1 |
Points |
Cody Hodgson 2 |
|
Steven Kampfer 1 |
Goals |
Cody Hodgson 1 |
|
Kyle Brodziak 1 |
Assists |
Cody Hodgson 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Cody Hodgson 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Josh Harding .944 |
Save Percentage |
Ryan Miller .960 |
|
Josh Harding 34 |
Saves |
Ryan Miller 24 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
25 |
1 |
0-2 |
2-4 |
13 |
26 |
| Buffalo
|
37 |
3 |
2-4 |
2-2 |
9 |
36 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Sabres have a W/L % of .472 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Wild have a W/L % of .548 after a win and .326 after a loss.
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