Buffalo 3, Pittsburgh 2
When: 6:00 PM ET, Friday, November 24, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Peter MacDougall, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
James Tobias, Travis Toomey
Attendance:
19070
By Field Level Media
Alex Tuch scored the game-winner with 2:44 left in regulation Friday as the Buffalo Sabres used a three-goal third period to top the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2.
Tuch converted a pass from behind the net by Jeff Skinner past Alex Nedeljkovic, with Casey Mittelstadt getting the secondary assist.
Skinner and Tuch each finished with a goal and an assist, Kyle Okposo also scored and Victor Olofsson added two assists for the Sabres, who have won two of three.
Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 31 saves.
Sidney Crosby and Lars Eller scored for the Penguins, who have lost four of five. Nedeljkovic made 31 saves.
Crosby gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 16:46 of the first. Jake Guentzel broke up a pass attempt by the Sabres in the left circle and got the puck to Crosby in the high slot. With linemate Drew O'Connor providing a screen, Crosby went to one knee and muscled a one-timer past Luukkonen's glove for his team-leading 13th goal.
The Penguins -- who on Thursday restructured their power play to separate Crosby and fellow star center Evgeni Malkin onto different units -- got their first chance with the man-advantage late in the second but could not convert. They finished 0-for-2 on the power play.
However, 26 seconds after that first power play expired, Eller boosted Pittsburgh's lead to 2-0. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, in the left corner of his own, whiffed on an attempt to send the puck around the end boards. Matt Nieto grabbed the puck for the Penguins and set up Eller, who beat Luukkonen high on the far side at 16:44.
Nedeljkovic's personal shutout streak ended at 111:22 and Buffalo closed it to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 5:13 of the third. After Pittsburgh's Kris Letang turned the puck over, Tuch, from deep, sent a centering pass to Skinner, who deposited the puck in the upper-right corner.
The Sabres tied it at 10:52 of the third. Off a tic-tac-toe play, Okposo, in front, deflected a pass from Dahlin past Nedeljkovic's glove for his first goal.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
Buffalo |
|
Sidney Crosby 1 |
Points |
Jeff Skinner 2 |
|
Sidney Crosby 1 |
Goals |
Jeff Skinner 1 |
|
Jake Guentzel 1 |
Assists |
Victor Olofsson 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Jeff Skinner 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic .912 |
Save Percentage |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .939 |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic 31 |
Saves |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 31 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Pittsburgh
|
33 |
2 |
0-2 |
3-4 |
12 |
31 |
| Buffalo
|
34 |
3 |
1-4 |
2-2 |
8 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Sabres have a W/L % of .125 after a win and .667 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Penguins have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .444 after a loss.
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