Noah Ostlund scored in the fourth round of the shootout to clinch a 3-2 win for the Buffalo Sabres and end the Minnesota Wild’s seven-game winning streak at Grand Casino Arena on Saturday.
The Sabres entered the third period trailing 2-1 despite a 14-6 edge in high-danger chances (according to Natural Stat Trick). It was a similar script to their previous game, a shutout loss to New Jersey in which they generated 42 shots.
This time, a fortunate bounce cracked the door for a comeback. Josh Doan carried the puck down the left side on the rush and released a shot that deflected off the glass and toward the front of the Minnesota net. Wild forward Mats Zuccarello, attempting to glove the puck out of harm’s way, instead put it in his own net to tie the score with 13:59 remaining.
The two teams traded chances in overtime before heading to the shootout, where Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn also scored goals before Ostlund pulled a quick move to his forehand and beat goalie Filip Gustavsson for the win.
Buffalo finished the night with a 32-24 lead in shots and a 17-6 edge in high-danger chances. Beck Malenstyn scored for the third time in the last seven games while Peyton Krebs collected an assist for his 100th point in the NHL.
Colten Ellis started in goal for the first time since Nov. 19 and made 22 saves, including grade-A stops on Minnesota stars Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy during the game’s opening minutes.
The Sabres won on the road for the second time this season, having entered the night 1-6-2 away from KeyBank Center. They’d either been tied or within one goal in each of the previous eight losses.
Buffalo returns home to host Winnipeg on Monday, then begins a season-long, six-game road trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The Sabres return home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Tickets are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 7 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7:30.
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