Eichel's OT goal completes another thrilling comeback in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH- Jack Eichel's celebration in overtime, what can only be described as a show of unbridled emotion, seemed to say it all.
They did it again.
The circumstances were different - the opponent, the venue, the deficit - but the outcome remained the same. The Buffalo Sabres erased a third-period deficit for the fifth time during their six-game winning streak, this time to earn a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

It was Eichel's turn to explain afterward, still wearing the lower half of his uniform as he sat at his stall in the visiting dressing room.

"There's a bit of confidence now because we've done it a few times," the Sabres captain said. "I think it's a trust and a belief in each other. You look at the room, I think the guys are believing the next guy's going to get the job done and set you up for your shifts.
"We're a pretty tight bunch right now for how many new guys have come into this team. I think we're getting really close right now and we're doing it for each other, and I think that's the biggest thing. Everyone out there doesn't want to let the guy next to them down."

This chunk of the schedule was billed as the next big test for this team, a date at home with the Atlantic Division leader Tampa Bay Lightning followed by three road games in four nights. They had aced it heading into Monday, riding their longest winning streak since 2012.

In terms of the standings, the Penguins were their lightest opponent during the stretch. Pittsburgh looked like anything but a bottom dweller early on Monday, however, issuing reminders of the talent throughout its roster with goals from Derrick Brassard, Phil Kessel, Jake Guentzel and Tanner Pearson.
Pearson's goal put the Penguins up 4-1 with 15:00 remaining in the second period; Buffalo's only offense to that point had come in the form of a Tage Thompson goal in the first. Barely two minutes had passed before the Sabres took a pair of minors that overlapped for 29 seconds, briefly leaving them at a two-man disadvantage.
It's possible that 5-on-3 penalty kill was the spark. Zach Bogosian and Casey Nelson scored goals in the latter half of the period to put the Sabres in a familiar spot: down a goal entering the second intermission, just as they were in Winnipeg and Minnesota.

The Sabres dominated to begin the third, at one point outshooting the Penguins 12-2 in the period. It was their 14th shot that tied the game, high off the stick of Casey Mittelstadt.
"Honestly, me being me, my first thought was, 'Who can I pass to?'" Mittelstadt said. "I looked up, [linemate Conor Sheary] was backdoor, but I think the D-man was down on a knee right in front of him. I just kind of looked up and shot where I saw an opening. I got lucky I guess."

Eichel finished it off 45 seconds into overtime, taking a shot that squeaked through the pads of Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith. On the other end of the ice, Carter Hutton was able to breathe and come to grips with what he and his teammates had just pulled off.
"I don't know," the Sabres goalie said afterwards. "It's something else."
Hutton was once again a crucial presence throughout a 36-save effort, turning in what felt like a month's worth of highlight-reel stops to keep the Sabres in a game. There was a point-blank shot from Pearson, a breakaway for Derek Grant, a circus shot from Evgeni Malkin - and that was all in the first period.
Then there were these saves on Kessel:

"Hutts has kind of been the rock for us," Mittelstadt said. "… Any time you can lean on that you're a little more comfortable out there."
The Sabres will return home on Wednesday now amid their longest winning streak since January 2010, kicking off another stretch of three games in four nights against the Philadelphia Flyers. They'll continue to work on their starts, but they'll take the results of a tough three contests.
"It's just unbelievable, the resiliency," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "This road trip, it's tough. It says a lot about this group in there, the character and the fight they showed tonight."

Thompson nets his first

Thompson stayed patient while sitting as a healthy scratch for seven of nine games earlier this month, working extra at practice in preparation for his next opportunity. He was rewarded on Monday, his fifth consecutive start, with his first goal as a Sabre.
The play began with a long forechecking shift in which Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Sobotka and Jake McCabe all won battles to maintain possession. An eventual turnover led to the puck winding up on Reinhart's stick in the slot, and he made a quick feed to set up the Thompson one-timer:

"I think he's just gotten better in every game he's played up to this point," Housley said. "He's getting more comfortable, he's building some confidence. Obviously when you score a goal that's going to really help your confidence."

The best offense …

The Sabres continued to get offensive contributions from their back end in the form of goals from Bogosian and Nelson, the latter of whom was the lone remaining Sabres defenseman without a goal this season.

They now have goals from seven different defensemen through 21 games this season. They only had six defensemen score goals all last season, the first of which didn't come until Dec. 5.
Only the Detroit Red Wings had goals from seven defensemen entering play on Monday.

Scandella leaves with injury

Marco Scandella left the game and did not return after blocking a shot from Evgeni Malkin in the second period. Housley said the defenseman sustained a lower-body injury but had no further update.

Up next

The Sabres return home to kick off Thanksgiving weekend against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. The first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive these commemorative aprons:

Can't make it downtown? The game will be nationally televised on NBCSN, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.