A rough second period, with six penalty minutes and three goals allowed, sank the Buffalo Sabres as they lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at KeyBank Center. Buffalo began the middle frame with a 1-0 lead,
Alex Nedeljkovic left his crease as soon as the Pittsburgh Penguins goalie saw one of the Sabres send the puck behind his net late in the third period Friday night.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn't able to bail out the Sabres when they began to make mistakes in the second period. Their starting goalie was outplayed by Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, as Pittsburgh scored four consecutive goals and held on for a 5-2 win in KeyBank Center.
On Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh the Sabres started the habit of getting and blowing leads. Buffalo had a 2-0 and 3-1 first period lead against the Penguins only to lose in overtime on a Sidney Crosby overtime goal.
The Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road as they visit the Buffalo Sabres. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Penguins-Sabres prediction and pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the game at 18-20-8 on the year,
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff swapped Ryan McLeod and Dylan Cozens atop the lineup during the win over the Hurricanes, a move that paid immediate dividends with both players scoring goals on their new lines.
A post-Christmas rut has added to the overall frustration of the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, they still find themselves in better shape than the Buffalo Sabres.
McLeod’s hat-trick goal with 24 seconds remaining put the finishing touches on a bend-but-don’t-break performance by the Sabres, who were coming off a loss to Seattle in their most recent game in which goals against compounded into a blown lead.
The Sabres survived despite becoming the first team in NHL shot tracking history (to 1965) to score a goal in a 20-minute period without a shot on goal.
FINAL | Sabres 4 - Hurricanes 2 Lindy Ruff addresses the media Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen addresses the media Dylan Cozens addresses the media Ryan McLeod addresses the media The Sabres conclude their three-game homestand Friday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tickets are available here.