At the Horn | Sabres 7 - Golden Knights 2

The Buffalo Sabres scored five unanswered goals and never trailed in a 7-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights inside KeyBank Center on Saturday.

Jeff Skinner (1+3) and Owen Power (1+2) led the Sabres with three points each while Dylan Cozens tallied a pair of shorthanded goals. Casey Mittelstadt (1+1) and Eric Robinson (0+2) also recorded multi-point nights. Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons added goals in the win.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who made his 18th start in Buffalo’s last 20 games, stopped 22 of 24 shots.

Brendan Brisson and William Karlsson scored for Vegas. Logan Thompson made 28 saves in net.

The Sabres have now won five of their last six games and are 3-for-4 on the power play in their last two contests.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1, 1:55 – Jeff Skinner, unassisted (1-0, BUF)

The Sabres got on the board first after Skinner worked to maintain possession in the offensive zone. Skinner's pass bounced off Mittelstadt’s skate as Mittelstadt battled with Brendan Brisson and Karlsson for the loose puck. Skinner snuck in and stripped the puck from Karlsson before turning and scoring on a wrist shot from the high slot to make it 1-0 Buffalo with his 20th goal of the season.

Period 2, 0:54 (SH) – Dylan Cozens, unassisted (2-0, BUF)

After Alex Tuch was called for high-sticking Ivan Barbashev beside the Buffalo net, Cozens put the Sabres up 2-0 with a shorthanded goal. Shea Theodore mishandled the puck at the blue line, sending Cozens on a breakaway. He beat Thompson glove side to extend the Sabres’ lead 17 seconds into the Vegas power play.

Period 2,1:46 (PP) – Brendan Brisson from Nicolas Roy and Paul Cotter (2-1, BUF)

The Golden Knights capitalized on the power play less than a minute later, when Roy delivered a no-look pass through the crease to Brisson, who tapped in Vegas’ first goal of the night to bring his team within one.

Period 2, 4:28 – William Karlsson from Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Cotter (2-2)

Karlsson found a lane on the back side of the net and buried a crossing pass from Marchessault to tie the score at the 4:28 mark.

Period 2, 14:46 – Zemgus Girgensons from Eric Robinson (3-2, BUF)

Buffalo took back the lead with 5:14 remaining in the second period as Robinson went in on the forecheck and forced a turnover by Alec Martinez on the right wall. Robinson found Girgensons, who stickhandled around Alex Pietrangelo and fired a shot into the top left corner of the net.

Period 3, 2:20 – Kyle Okposo from Jeff Skinner and Casey Mittelstadt (4-2, BUF)

The Sabres scored again early in the third with a goal from their captain. Mittelstadt initiated the play with a pass to Skinner in the high slot before Skinner took a shot on Thompson. Okposo picked up the rebound and shot it off Thompson and into the net to give the Sabres a 4-2 lead 2:20 into the final period.

Period 3, 6:26 – Owen Power from Jacob Bryson and Eric Robinson (5-2, BUF)

Buffalo extended its lead to 5-2 with Power’s fourth goal of the season. Power buried a one-timer from the point off a feed from Bryson while Robinson and Peyton Krebs were in front of the net.

Period 3, 12:18 (PP) – Casey Mittelstadt from Owen Power and Jeff Skinner (6-2, BUF)

Tage Thompson drew a hooking penalty on Martinez to give the Sabres their first power play of the night. Buffalo connected on a series of passes to maintain possession in the offensive zone before Mittelstadt buried a wrist shot from above the left circle to put the Sabres up 6-2.

Period 3, 17:12 (SH) – Dylan Cozens from Owen Power and Henri Jokiharju (7-2, BUF)

Cozens capped off Buffalo’s seven-goal night with his second shorthanded goal of the game after Krebs was assessed a five-minute major for fighting and a minor penalty for slashing. Power sent a pass down ice to Cozens, who had his initial shot blocked by Theodore. Cozens backhanded the rebound off Thompson and into the net.

POSTGAME COMMENTS

VICTORY SPEECH

UP NEXT

The Sabres conclude their back-to-back set when they host the Winnipeg Jets at KeyBank Center on Sunday. 

Tickets are available here. 

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.