ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored the one purpose in a shootout, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday evening.
After the primary 5 shooters got here up empty, Thompson ended the sport when he beat Minnesota goalie Cam Talbot with a forehand.
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Dylan Cozens and Mark Pysyk scored for the Sabres in regulation. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 30 saves and stoned the Wild within the tiebreaker.
Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jon Merrill scored for Minnesota, and Talbot made 38 saves.
Minnesota, the highest staff within the Western Convention, misplaced its third straight following an eight-game profitable streak that ended Saturday. The Wild didn’t play a scheduled recreation in opposition to Carolina on Tuesday as a result of the Hurricanes had 4 gamers check optimistic for COVID-19.
That layoff might need contributed to a sluggish begin, because the Sabres outshot the Wild 19-6 within the first interval.
“You’d assume that we’d come out with slightly bit extra soar,” Talbot stated. “However possibly after that final loss, and you then’re wanting ahead to a recreation on Tuesday, will get canceled, and also you simply have to take a seat there and give it some thought for an additional couple of days. And, I don’t know, we simply didn’t come out and play the sport that we wished.”
In the meantime, the Sabres snapped a seven-game shedding streak with a victory at Winnipeg on Tuesday, they usually got here out of the gate with loads of vitality on this one regardless of trailing 1-0 after the primary interval.
“We had a extremely good first interval they usually had the lead, however that didn’t have an effect on us,” Thompson stated. “We simply stored going and that’s why we acquired the consequence that we did.”
Merrill and fellow defenseman Dmitry Kulikov teamed as much as put the Wild on the board.
After Kaprizov’s shot sailed huge, Ryan Hartman gathered the puck within the nook. He handed it to Kulikov, who fed it throughout the excessive slot to Merrill on the high of the proper circle. Merrill’s one-timer slipped via Luukkonen’s pads and trickled into the web.
Cozens tied the sport at 8:05 of the second when he tipped in Henri Jokiharju’s shot for his eighth purpose of the season.
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Halfway via the second, the Wild got here up empty on a four-minute energy play after Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was assessed a double-minor for top sticking Joel Erickson-Ek in entrance of the Buffalo internet. They managed 5 pictures on purpose however Luukkonen and the Buffalo protection stood tall.
“That kill helped us construct some momentum, and we by no means veered off from what we have been attempting to do,” Pysyk stated.
Minnesota entered tied for the NHL lead in assists by defensemen, and tacked on two extra on the staff’s second purpose.
Kaprizov gave the Wild a 2-1 lead when he scored his eleventh of the season with slightly below a minute to play within the second. Deep in Minnesota’s zone, Jared Spurgeon tipped the puck to Alex Goligoski, who flipped it out of his personal zone to heart ice.
When Buffalo couldn’t acquire management, Kaprizov jumped on the puck to start out a 2-on-1 rush. As soon as once more, Luukkonen acquired a bit of the puck, however Kaprizov’s wrist shot slipped between his skates and dribbled throughout the purpose line.
However the Sabres stored up the strain, and it paid off when Pysyk scored his first of the season to tie it 2-all with eight minutes to play. After Kulikov turned the puck over behind the Minnesota internet, Vinnie Hinostroza noticed Pysyk streaking down the slot and he beat Talbot underneath his proper arm.
“Hinostroza made an unbelievable play, and Pysyk leaping down from our blue line — he’d finished that every one recreation. So that they sensed it. They’d the killer intuition,” Sabres coach Don Granato stated. “They have been dialed in. The response within the third interval was one among possession — we deserve this recreation – they usually went after it.”
UP NEXT
Sabres: Wrap up a three-game highway swing Friday at Pittsburgh.
Wild: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
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