Nugent-Hopkins scores twice, Oilers edge Sabres

EDMONTON -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Nugent-Hopkins broke a 2-2 tie at 8:59, taking a backdoor feed from Darnell Nurse in the right face-off circle and lifting a shot past James Reimer’s glove.

Jeff Skinner scored against his former team, and Stuart Skinner made 39 saves for the Oilers (31-15-3), who have won six of their past eight games.

“I thought it was going to be a low-shot game again,” said Stuart Skinner, who made 25 saves over the final two periods. “I thought the way that we started was fantastic. I mean we came out flying.

“I was feeling a little cold, but as the game went on we got a few penalties that put them on the power play and gave me a couple of shots, and I kind of got back into it.”

Edmonton went 2-1-0 in the absence of captain Connor McDavid, who on Saturday served the final game of a three-game suspension for a cross-check on Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Jan. 18.

“I thought we probably deserved to win the Washington game (3-2 loss on Tuesday), the Vancouver game (6-2 win on Thursday), and then this one probably not,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. “So, it all evens out, right? That's kind of how things work in hockey.”

Jiri Kulich and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres (18-26-5), who have lost four of five. Reimer made 31 saves in his first game since Jan. 4.

“The first period wasn’t good enough, and then we started playing a little bit more,” said Kulich, whose team outshot the Oilers 19-7 in the third period. “The only thing we needed was a goal, and it didn’t go in.”

Tuch put Buffalo ahead 1-0 at 16:28 of the first period, taking a dot-to-dot pass from Jason Zucker in the right circle and scoring with a shot off of Stuart Skinner’s glove.

Just 17 seconds later, Jeff Skinner tied it 1-1 from the low slot, putting in the rebound of a slap shot by Ty Emberson. It was Skinner’s first game against the Sabres since they bought out the final three years of his eight-year, $72 million contract ($9 million average annual value) on June 30.

Edmonton outshot Buffalo 12-5 in the period.

Kulich gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead at 7:46 of the second period, five seconds after a Buffalo power play expired. He took a pass across from Owen Power and sent a one-timer from the top of the right circle to the glove side.

Nugent-Hopkins tied it 2-2 at 13:20, scoring in the crease on the rebound of a wraparound attempt by Kasperi Kapanen.

After Nugent-Hopkins scored again to give Edmonton the lead, Kulich appeared to tie it 3-3 at 16:17 of the third, but a review by the Situation Room determined Kulich kicked the puck in.

“I think it was pretty obvious,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ve seen almost every way of losing a game this year, in a heartbreak. And I think when you look at it, it’s probably the right call.”

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl hit the left post with 47 seconds remaining and the Sabres net empty. His point streak ended at eight games (15 points; six goals, nine assists).

“We kept our foot on the gas,” Zucker said. “There were a couple times we sat back, but overall, we made it tough on Draisaitl to keep his speed through the neutral zone.

“Obviously, he’s a world-class talent, you’ve got to do what you can to maintain -- you’re never going to stop him. But overall, I think we did some good things. We just didn’t get quite enough.”

The Oilers are alone atop the Pacific Division for the first time since Dec. 21, 2021, one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.

“Obviously, it is our goal to keep racking up points and get as high as we possibly can. It is nice to see that,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “There’s a long way to go and obviously the job’s not finished here.”

NOTES: Sabres center Ryan McLeod had one shot on goal in 18:19 of ice time after missing the previous three games with an upper-body injury. … Zucker had an assist and played 14:24 after sitting out the previous two games because of an illness. … Buffalo was 0-for-3 on the power play.