After winning two straight games on the road against the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets, the Buffalo Sabres were looking to do something they hadn't done all season, winning three straight games. It would not be easy however as Buffalo welcomed in the Carolina Hurricanes. This matchup was going to be the final meeting of the year as Carolina beat Buffalo earlier on in the season back in Raleigh.
Before the game, the Sabres found out they were getting a couple of defensemen back in the lineup. After getting over an illness, Erik Johnson made his return. Owen Power was also back and playing after he missed the last few games with an injury.
The Hurricanes played a game last night at home where they lost to the Dallas Stars, so the Sabres had the edge in terms of rest. Both teams had good chances, but Carolina was the only team who would score a goal in the opening 20 minutes thanks to Tony DeAngelo, giving the Canes a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Much like the first period, there was only one goal scored. This time, it was the Sabres turn to score as Jeff Skinner scored against his former team to even up the score. Buffalo did a great job as Carolina went almost ten minutes without allowing a shot.
As a result of his goal, Jeff Skinner has now registered 13 points (7+6) in 13 games against Carolina in his career. As a member of the Hurricanes, Skinner appeared in 579 games and recorded 379 points (204+175) in that span.
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) February 26, 2024
After a quiet two periods, the energy ramped up in the third. The Hurricanes got a questionable call go their way after Rasmus Dahlin got shoved into goaltender Spencer Martin, getting penalized for goalie interference. With a very hostile crowd voicing their displeasure towards the refs, Carolina took the lead thanks to Martin Necas.
The Sabres fans were fired up, but the team kept their composure. As a result, Power received an awesome pass from Peyton Krebs and tied the game up at 2-2 just over a minute later. With no one scoring in overtime, this game was going to be settled in a shootout.
Only one person scored and it was Casey Mittelstadt for the Sabres. Thanks to the goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen only had to make one more save. He did just that and Buffalo won a thrilling game, beating the Hurricanes 3-2.
I know it's a long shot regarding the playoffs, but what a game it turned out to be. After the controversial call, the Sabres stuck with it. The game itself was entertaining and Buffalo earned two points. For the first time all year, the Sabres won three games in a row, against a very good team.
They will look to keep it rolling as they will be in Florida to take on the Panthers on Tuesday night.