The Buffalo Sabres continued their road trip on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, the Sabres were looking for two points and with an incredible third-period comeback, were able to secure those points in overtime with a 5-4 win.
When looking back at this game, the Sabres should feel fortunate that they were able to get two points because they struggled through the first two periods as the Maple Leafs built a 4-2 lead over the first 40 minutes.
However, being down by multiple goals in the final period doesn't seem to bother the Sabres as they would score two to tie it up and send it to overtime. In overtime, Owen Power would have the game-winner and the Sabres improve their record to 4-3-1 on the season.
These are five takeaways from the game for the Buffalo Sabres against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Buffalo Sabres just didn't want to cover Kirill Marchenko and he secured a hat trick
The Buffalo Sabres had several defensive lapses in this game, and seemingly every time they did it was Kirill Marchenko who was the beneficiary. He would score three goals in the first two periods of the game and secure his fifth hat trick, but the first with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the first period, Marchenko would score on the power play as he got the puck in the corner and no Sabres went to challenge him. He was able to walk the puck right in front and shoot between his legs for the goal.
Then in the second period, the Sabres lost a wall battle and Marchenko was waiting there for a one-timer and it was probably a shot that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen should have stopped. The third goal to complete the hat trick was when Marchenko skated in behind the defense, and Colton Sissons found him for the easy goal.
Buffalo Sabres scored first in the second period but still lost the period
The second period has been a problem for the Buffalo Sabres, and it is where these games have really gotten away from them. On Thursday night, the Sabres showed some positive momentum early in the period as Jack Quinn would score, but then after that it was all Toronto as Marchenko scored two to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead.
The Sabres are now -10 in goal differential in the middle period and have yet to have the lead in any game this season going into the third period.
Sabres find a way to have another third period comeback but get the win this time
As bad as the Sabres have been in the second period, they have been just as good in the third period with a goal differential of +7. For the third time this season, the Sabres have been able to overcome a multiple goal deficit in the third period to get at least a point.
They were down 2-0 against the Minnesota Wild before scoring three straight, including one in overtime, down 3-1 to the Montreal Canadiens before losing in a shootout, and then down 4-2 tonight before scoring three straight to get the overtime win.
If the Sabres can somehow find a way to be better in the second while continuing to play at this level in the third period, they are going to be a tough team to beat.
Buffalo Sabres get three goals from their defensemen
In that third period and overtime, the Buffalo Sabres defensemen were able to spark the comeback as they accounted for the final three goals of the night. It started with Dennis Gilbert, who scored his first goal with the Buffalo Sabres as well as his first NHL goal since December 31st, 2023.
Then a little over two minutes after Gilbert's goal, it was Mattias Samuelsson who scored the tying goal. This was his second goal of the season but the first since the opening game of the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The game-winning goal would belong to Owen Power, who now has two overtime goals this season as he had the deciding goal against the Minnesota Wild. Over the past two games, the Sabres defensemen have accounted for five goals, and what is remarkable about that total is that they have done it without Rasmus Dahlin.
Jack Quinn with his best game of the season
There were plenty of players who made an impact in this game and helped get the win for the Sabres but Jack Quinn was by far the best player on the ice for Buffalo. He would score the first two goals of the game and added an assist in the third for his first three-point game of the season and only sixth game with three or more points dating back to the 2024-25 season.
Quinn started to show signs of a breakout towards the end of last season and in the playoffs. He has continued to play at a high level this season and now has seven points through the first eight games of the season.
The Buffalo Sabres are going try to build on this comeback win as they head back to Montreal for another game against the Canadiens on Saturday night.
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