At the Horn | Predators 6 - Sabres 4

The Buffalo Sabres mounted an early comeback but couldn’t overcome a second multi-goal deficit, falling 6-4 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.

Zach Benson's late game-tying goal was overturned for offsides and Nashville ultimately iced the game with an empty netter.

The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak for the Sabres, who next play Feb. 22 after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Alex Tuch, with a goal and two assists, now has six points in his last two games. Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram recorded one goal and one assist apiece, and Dylan Cozens added a power-play goal.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, starting in net for Buffalo after missing Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, made 17 saves on 22 shots.

Tage Thompson also returned to the lineup after being unavailable Tuesday. He skated 18:37 and recorded three shots on goal.

Ryan O'Reilly (0+4), Jonathan Marchessault (1+2), Brady Skjei (2+0) and Filip Forsberg (2+0) each logged multi-point nights for Nashville, while Tommy Novak also scored. Goaltender Justus Annunen stopped 26 of 30 shots.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

Buffalo’s promising early chances included a post for JJ Peterka and a between-the-legs shot attempt for Thompson.

Nashville scored first at 6:57, though, as Novak held the puck on an odd-man rush and beat Luukkonen from the right circle.

And a 3-on-2 rush gave the Predators a 2-0 lead at 9:25, with O’Reilly finding Skjei alone in front for a tap-in goal.

Byram got Buffalo on the board at 15:21. Jason Zucker sped into the offensive zone along the left boards and lasered a pass to Byram, who ripped a one timer from the right circle. The goal marked Byram’s 100th career NHL point.

Three minutes later, Dahlin beat Annunen with a blocker-side wrist shot and tied the game 2-2. Buffalo’s captain snapped a 24-game goal drought and, with his 73rd career goal, tied Mike Ramsey for third most by a defenseman in Sabres history.

Second Period

The Sabres opened the period with a successful penalty kill; 1:42 had carried over from Tuch’s last-minute interference penalty in the first.

A mid-period 4-on-4 nearly yielded a go-ahead goal for Buffalo – twice. First, Byram’s backhand redirection in front got caught in Annunen’s pads near the goal line. Moments later, Peterka hit his second post of the night.

Cozens went to the box after a post-whistle scrum, and early in the power play, Forsberg buried a rebound to give Nashville a 3-2 lead.

Skjei followed 42 seconds later with his second goal of the night.

Facing another two-goal deficit, the Sabres responded with Tuch's top-corner snipe at 17:41. Ryan McLeod set up the play with offensive-zone puck possession, while Byram and Dahlin both tallied assists for their second points.

Buffalo trailed 4-3 through 40 minutes despite holding a 27-15 edge in scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.

Third Period

Seven minutes in, Forsberg restored the Predators’ two-goal lead with a one timer from the left dot.

The Sabres’ first man advantage of the night came halfway through the period on a Justin Barron tripping call. With 26 seconds remaining on the penalty, a Skjei hooking made it a 5-on-3 for Buffalo. Relentless pressure on the second power play resulted in a sharp-angle goal for Cozens at 12:30.

Zach Benson appeared to tie the game 30 seconds later, but Nashville successfully challenged for offsides.

Marchessault ended Buffalo’s 6-on-5 pressure with an empty netter in the final minute.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

UP NEXT

The Sabres' next game comes Feb. 22 versus the Rangers at KeyBank Center. Tickets are available here.

In the meantime, Dahlin, Luukkonen and Henri Jokiharju will represent their countries at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sabres.com will provide highlights and coverage of Buffalo's participants in the tournament, which runs from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.