Ryan Donato ended it in overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks finally found a way to stop the bleeding.
Donato scored at 3:12 of the extra period to lift Chicago to a 3-2 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, snapping a six-game losing streak in the process. He took the puck to the top of the slot and beat Alex Lyon blocker side with a wrist shot.
Frank Nazar provided the rest of Chicago’s offense with two goals, while Spencer Knight turned aside 21 shots.
Buffalo got goals from Owen Power and Tage Thompson, but the Sabres couldn’t hold onto either lead and dropped their third straight game, going 0-2-1 over that stretch. Lyon stopped 22 shots in his season debut after returning from a left shoulder injury suffered late in the preseason.
The Sabres struck first at 9:00 of the opening period when Josh Norris sent a backhand pass to Power at the top of the right circle. Power unloaded a slap shot to the far side to make it 1-0.
Chicago answered on the power play at 12:22. Roman Kantserov, working down low, sent a backhand feed to Connor Bedard along the left wall. Bedard carried the puck into the corner and then found Nazar at the doorstep, where he tucked it under Lyon’s left pad.
That assist gave Kantserov a nine-game point streak, with six goals and three assists, tying the second-longest streak by a rookie in Blackhawks history.
Buffalo went back in front at 15:46 with a power-play goal from Thompson. Jack Quinn took a pass from Rasmus Dahlin along the left wall to enter the zone, then slipped the puck back to Thompson, who beat Knight with a quick wrist shot from the circle.
The goal was Thompson’s 225th with Buffalo, moving him past Miroslav Satan and into sole possession of eighth place in Sabres history.
Chicago was outshot 10-6 in the second period and went nearly nine minutes without a shot on goal, but the Blackhawks pushed harder in the third and got rewarded when Nazar scored again at 8:22 to bring them level.
In Other News...
Sabres Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Loss
The Sabres latest stumble against Tampa Bay did more than add another loss to the ledger. It sharpened the questions already hanging over a team that has been trying to find some consistency, with Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson both pointing to the need for sharper play across the board. When a game ends with the kind of defensive breakdowns, shaky goaltending and special-teams issues Buffalo has been dealing with, it becomes less about one bad night and more about a pattern the club has to confront.
Thompson still gave Buffalo something to build on with his offensive work, and he remains on pace for a strong scoring season. But the bigger concern for the Sabres is whether that production can matter if the rest of the lineup keeps leaving them exposed. The grades from the game reflected that imbalance, and for a team trying to climb out of its own way, the margin for these kinds of losses is getting thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Loss To Tampa Exposed A Problem Fans Wont Ignore
The Sabres latest trip through Tampa Bay turned into one of those nights that can linger long after the final horn. The Lightning jumped out fast with four goals, Buffalo briefly steadied itself by scoring three straight to make things interesting, and then the game slipped away again in a way that felt all too familiar for a team still trying to find consistency in its own end.
Nikita Kucherov was at the center of the damage for Tampa Bay, and the sequence that followed Buffalos push only sharpened the frustration. After the Sabres allowed a goal on a backhand shot, the response on the bench said plenty about how the night was unfolding, and it left another reminder of how quickly a game can tilt when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Have A Tough Choice If Penguins Start Selling
If the Penguins decide to move veterans, Buffalo could have real reason to pay attention. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell both fit the kind of forward help the Sabres have been looking for, and either one would bring a different layer to a group that could use more proven scoring and playoff experience. Rust has long been valued for his all-around game, while Rakell has remained a name to watch in trade chatter because of what he can still provide offensively.
The fit is easy to see from Buffalos side, but the timing is complicated by what Pittsburgh does next. Rusts injury situation and Rakells recent surge only add to the intrigue, because the Penguins may not be in a hurry to make anything simple. For the Sabres, the question is whether they can strike if the market opens, and whether the price for that kind of upgrade becomes worth paying. [Read more 🡒]