At the Horn | Oilers 8 - Sabres 3

The Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers entered the final period tied 3-3, but the Oilers scored five unanswered goals in the third as the Sabres fell by a score of 8-3 inside Rogers Place on Thursday.

Mattias Ekholm (2+1) and Zach Hyman (2+0) each tallied a pair of goals for the Oilers while Darnell Nurse (1+0), Leon Draisaitl (1+2), Ryan McLeod (1+0), and Connor Brown (1+0) each added one.

Connor McDavid (0+4) and Evan Bouchard (0+2) also recorded multi-point nights for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner made 26 saves in the opposing net.

JJ Peterka scored twice for the Sabres in the loss and Victor Olofsson scored once. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 32 of 40 shots.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1, 1:38 – JJ Peterka from Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson (1-0, BUF)

The Sabres opened the scoring 1:38 into the game on Peterka’s 22nd goal of the season.

Peterka broke up a pass in the neutral zone to initiate the play in the offensive zone before Tuch made a one-handed pass to Peterka, who was alone in front of the net for a point-blank shot to beat Skinner.

Period 1, 16:34 – Victor Olofsson from Bowen Byram and Lukas Rousek (2-0, BUF)

Buffalo took a 2-0 lead after Rasmus Dahlin found the back of the net with 7:29 remaining in the period, but Edmonton challenged the play for an offside and the goal was overturned.

Olofsson officially put the Sabres up 2-0 with 3:26 to go in the first when Byram found him above the right circle. Olofsson turned and buried a shot from the high slot.

Period 1, 18:55 (PP) – Leon Draisaitl from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard (2-1, BUF)

Luukkonen made 14 saves in the opening period before the Oilers got on the board with their 15th shot of the game.

After Clifton was assessed an interference penalty in front of the Sabres’ net, Draisaitl capitalized on the power play as he fired a one-timer from the left circle. The puck deflected off Luukkonen and into the net to bring the Oilers within one with 1:05 remaining in the first.

Period 2, 4:26 – Mattias Ekholm from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard (2-2)

The Oilers tied the score once again as they opened the second period scoring on a 2-on-1 opportunity. Ekholm led the odd-man rush and scored while Byram attempted to block the shot. Ekholm stickhandled around Byram and shot the puck through Byram’s legs into the top right corner of the net.

Period 2, 16:56 – JJ Peterka from Connor Clifton (3-2, BUF)

The Sabres reclaimed their lead when Peterka tallied his second of the night with 3:04 remaining in the second. Clifton pinched in on the forecheck and recovered the puck along the right wall before he fed Peterka for a shot that snuck underneath Skinner’s right pad.

Period 2, 19:12 – Zach Hyman from Mattias Ekholm and Connor McDavid (3-3)

Buffalo’s lead didn’t last long as Hyman scored with 47.9 seconds left on the clock to tie the score at 3-3. Ekholm took a shot from the point and Hyman deflected the puck over Luukkonen and into the net.

The two teams entered the locker room for the second intermission tied at 24 shots apiece.

Period 3, 4:38 – Darnell Nurse from Troy Stecher (4-3, EDM)

Edmonton put the pressure on in the Buffalo zone, causing Luukkonen to lose his stick beside the net. Nurse ripped a shot from the point and the puck deflected in front of the net and by Luukkonen to give the Oilers their first lead of the night at the 4:38 mark of the third.

Period 3, 5:40 – Mattias Ekholm from Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid (5-3, EDM)

The Oilers extended their lead to 5-3 just over a minute later after McDavid brought the puck down ice with speed. He passed to Draisaitl in the left circle before Draisaitl slipped a pass to Ekholm, who buried a one-timer from the slot.

Period 3, 15:18 – Zach Hyman from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (6-3, EDM)

Hyman recorded his second goal of the night from the slot off a feed from McDavid to put the Oilers up by three with 4:42 remaining. 

Period 3, 16:58 – Ryan McLeod, unassisted (7-3, EDM)

The Oilers stripped the puck from Dahlin in their own zone to create a 2-on-1 in the other direction. McLeod held onto the puck and scored from the right circle with a shot just inside the far-side post to make it 7-3 with 3:02 to go. 

Period 3, 0:10 – Connor Brown from Sam Carrick and Cody Ceci (8-3, EDM) 

Brown tacked on Edmonton's eighth goal with 10 seconds left on the clock after he put away a rebound in front of the net.

UP NEXT

The Sabres conclude their five-game homestand with a visit to Calgary on Sunday.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 8:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 9.