Mittelstadt tied the game 2-2 at 11:52 of the third period with a shot from the right circle.
"I kind of looked up and maybe I'd try to pass that there but [Jordan Greenway] looked pretty covered," Mittelstadt said. "When you see the big fella going to the net, though, you've got to get it there. Definitely just trying to a get a puck to the net and when it goes in, it's a bonus."
Fantilli gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead when he one-timed a spin-pass from Justin Danforth from the right circle into the far side of the net at 13:45 of the second.
Severson gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 19:47 of the first period. Luukkonen made the save on Severson's initial shot from the right circle, and the rebound hit the skate of Dmitri Voronkov before bouncing to Severson, who scored from the slot.
Quinn tied the game 1-1 40 seconds into the second, scoring on a loose puck at the front of the net. He has three goals in five games since returning Dec. 19 from an offseason Achilles injury.
"Put a lot of work in the rehab," Quinn said. "Obviously I have full confidence in the Achilles now and just trusting my game out there."
Buffalo outshot the Columbus 29-13 after the first period.
"I thought in the third we were under fire," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "We could see our legs going down midway through the second. You could see it was more of a struggle, the battles. And then when the body is tired, the brain makes not as good decisions. But getting a point tonight in the back-to-back like we did, very emotional game last night, I think we are finishing the [year] on a good note."
The Sabres were without coach Don Granato because of illness. Seth Appert, coach of Buffalo's American Hockey League affiliate at Rochester, filled in behind the bench.
"That was my full message in between the second and third," Appert said. "I haven't been in the locker room, I haven't been on the bench with them feeling them, but how good I felt about the energy, the play, the vibe of the group, and if we stayed the course, like I said earlier, don't get bored playing the right way, it's working. Just because we have only one goal doesn't mean it's not working; it's working, stay with it and eventually we'll find a way through."
NOTES: Fantilli, 19, extended his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists), to join Rick Nash (four times), Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nikolay Zherdev (twice each) as the only teenagers with a point streak of at least four games in Blue Jackets history. … Skinner scored his fifth overtime goal with Buffalo, fourth most in team history, trailing Jack Eichel (eight), Derek Roy (six) and Thomas Vanek (six). … Appert will coach Buffalo again Sunday when they visit the Ottawa Senators. He said after the game that Granato is feeling better but is not yet well enough to return.
