Alex Tuch scored in overtime to clinch a 4-3 win for the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place on Tuesday, surviving what had been a furious comeback by the Edmonton Oilers.
The win snapped an 0-3-0 start to Buffalo’s season-long, six-game road trip, which continues in Vancouver on Thursday.
The Sabres led 3-0 after two periods on a pair of power-play goals from Josh Doan and another goal from Tage Thompson.
The Oilers – who’d scored a combined 15 goals in two games entering Tuesday – stormed back beginning just 10 seconds into the third period, when a missed icing call allowed Connor McDavid to storm past the defense and bury a puck off the end wall. Vasily Podkolzin buried a rebound less than two minutes later to cut the Sabres’ lead to one.
Buffalo buckled down from there, including two third-period penalty kills to improve to 4-for-4 on the night against Edmonton’s NHL-best power play.
McDavid scored the tying goal with exactly one second remaining in regulation, taking advantage of an open net as Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon was tied up with Leon Draisaitl just above the crease.
Tuch salvaged the win when he was left open to bury a feed from Ryan McLeod just 33 seconds into overtime.
Thompson (1+2) and Rasmus Dahlin (0+3) each had three points in the win. Thompson also had a second goal taken off the board for the second straight game following a successful coach’s challenge by Edmonton, which ruled that a hand pass from Tuch had sent the puck in Thompson’s direction.
Colten Ellis started the game in goal but was forced to exit following a collision with Oilers forward David Tomasek late in the first period. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff confirmed postgame that Ellis had entered concussion protocol.
Alex Lyon entered in relief for the second straight game and stopped 21 of 24 shots across 40:59 of play.
The Sabres were without two of their top forwards in Jason Zucker, who is week to week with both upper and lower-body injuries, and Josh Norris, who was a late scratch after warmups due to illness and soreness.
The Sabres visit the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Coverage on MSG begins at 9:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 10.
