Postgame Report | Buffalo rides strong 3rd period to victory in Nashville

NASHVILLE - Don Granato remarked on Saturday morning how the Sabres have seemed to embrace the challenge of playing in raucous road arenas. In the best environments, it can feel like the 20 players in uniform are up against 18,000 people in attendance.
"They've thrived in these types of situations," Granato said.
The Sabres won in the hockey-crazed confines of Bell Centre in Montreal. They won in the college-like environment of Arizona, amid the theatrics of Vegas, and in a playoff-like atmosphere on New Year's Eve in Boston. Most recently, they had won on an emotionally charged night in Washington.
They crossed another building off their list Saturday, earning a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators inside Bridgestone Arena to improve to 9-2-0 in their last 11 road games.
Kyle Okposo scored the game-winning, shorthanded goal at 6:43 of the third period after the Predators had stormed back from a two-goal deficit in the second. After that, it was the Sabres' youngest players - the forward trio of JJ Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn - who combined to add a fifth goal late.
"I've been here many times with different NHL teams and seen different scenarios where players and teams succumb to that noise and crowd," Granato said. "I'm proud of our guys that they didn't do that, especially our young guys."
The Sabres received goals from five different scorers: Okposo, Quinn, Cozens, Jeff Skinner, and Victor Olofsson. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 36 for his seventh victory in his last eight starts.
"It never felt like we were out of control that entire game, to be honest with you," Okposo said. "They had one shift after that where the crowd got into it, but I thought we were in pretty solid control of that whole game.
"We just knew we had to come out in the third period and play the way that we know how. We were pretty confident."

Video: Condensed Game: Sabres @ Predators

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How it happened

PERIOD 1
The Sabres outshot the Predators 13-6 but emerged from the period tied 1-1 after the Predators won the battle on special teams. The Predators went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and scored on their first power play, a one-timer from Roman Josi that erased the Sabres' 1-0 lead.
Jeff Skinner opened the scoring for Buffalo on a breakaway at 11:37, the product of a long stretch pass from Tage Thompson.

PERIOD 2
The Sabres built a two-goal lead on the strength of goals from Cozens and Olofsson, but a quick burst by the Predators evened the scored late in the period.
Cozens scored first, the end result of a quick transition from Quinn and Peterka. Quinn flipped the puck into the neutral zone from deep in his own end. Peterka carried it over the blue line and delivered a backhand pass to send Cozens into the slot.

Olofsson buried a one-timer on the power play to extend the lead at 8:58.

The Predators tied the game on goals from Jeremy Lauzon and Ryan Johansen scored 40 seconds apart. Lauzon buried a one-timer as a trailing man on the rush; Johansen planted in the slot and deflected a shot from the point.
PERIOD 3
Okposo scored shorthanded to put the Sabres back in front 6:43 into the period. The captain won a race down the ice, battled for possession in the corner, and sent the puck to Ilya Lyubushkin at the point. Okposo then cut through the paint to deflect Lyubushkin's shot past Saros.

"That was vintage Kyle Okposo," Granato said. "... You see that grind, you see that work, and then to finish you see a fine touch of skill. That's Okie."
Quinn made it 5-3 when he scored with 3:11 left in the third. He gathered in a turnover in the left faceoff circle and then wristed a shot in for his seventh of the season.

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What we learned

1. Quinn and Peterka returned to the lineup at forward after sitting the past two games. They replaced Zemgus Girgensons, who missed the game with a non-COVID illness, and Peyton Krebs, who was loaned to Rochester for roster management purposes.
2.Cozens set a new career high with his 14th goal in 41 games this season, surpassing his 79-game total from 2021-22. He also hit 40 points for the first time in his career.
3.The Sabres wore Buffalo Bills jerseys into the arena ahead of Sunday's playoff game against the Miami Dolphins. Thompson won the award for most unique customization.

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Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Florida Panthers on Monday afternoon. Tickets are on sale here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 12:30 p.m. The puck drops at 1 on MSG and WWKB 1520 AM.