Rasmus Dahlin scored the game-tying goal in the third period, and Anders Bjork had an assist in his debut with the Sabres (10-25-7), who have gotten a point in seven of nine (4-2-3).
"We didn't feel ourselves; the game wasn't easy for us," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "I think we responded, not because I said anything, although we did speak of it because I don't think our guys were happy with the first period. I don't think they were happy with how they felt, and they elevated. It was really nice to see, nice to see that response by our guys. The competitive level just rose."
Linus Ullmark made three saves before leaving the game with a lower-body injury at 4:54 of the first period. Dustin Tokarski allowed two goals on 31 shots and did not stop either of two shootout attempts.
Ullmark left the game 38 seconds after he made a save against Reilly. He was slow to get up and was soon replaced by Tokarski.
"We will not have an update until the earliest tomorrow to see how he would respond," Granato said of Ullmark.
Bjork, who was part of the Hall trade, had one shot in 13:55.
"It's a fun group," Bjork said. "They remained positive and focused on competing. It was cool. We didn't get the result we wanted, but we were close against a good team. [It's] something to build off of, and personally I know I can be a lot better too."
Colin Miller gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 1:52 of the first period on a one-timer from beyond the circles.
David Krejci tied it 1-1 when he backhanded a rebound past Tokarski at 13:20.
Smith gave Boston a 2-1 lead at 5:29 of the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle.
Dahlin, who turned 21 Tuesday, tied it 2-2 with a slap shot from just inside the right point at 11:53 of the third period.
"It was a really tough game, fast pace and a lot of hitting," Dahlin said. "The first two periods we just kind of stayed back, and then into the third period we talked about puck possessions and make plays and be more confident because we know we can play these games."
