The Buffalo Sabres bounced back from their first loss since the Olympic break with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Jack Quinn scored the tying goal and netted the decisive shootout winner, while Alex Tuch ended the tiebreaker.
Buffalo was coming off a 2-1 home loss to Washington on Thursday that snapped an eight-game winning streak.
The victory stretched the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres’ advantage over second-place Tampa Bay to four points. They remain two points behind Carolina in the Eastern Conference.
Maple Leafs Play Without Matthews
Toronto played its first game since captain Auston Matthews suffered a season-ending knee injury Thursday night. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a 6-4 victory over Anaheim.
The injury came from a knee-on-knee hit by Radko Gudas. Gudas received a major penalty and was ejected from the game. He was later suspended five games for kneeing.
Game Breakdown
Defenseman Owen Power opened the scoring at 2:01 of the first period. He beat Joseph Woll with a wrist shot from the high slot off Zach Benson’s feed from behind the goal.
Dakota Joshua tied it at 7:09 with a snap shot from the middle.
Max Domi put Toronto ahead 53 seconds into the second period on a break with William Nylander. The goal came in Domi’s 800th NHL game.
Quinn tied it at 2 on a power play with 8:39 left in the second. He connected with a wrist shot from the left side off a pass from Noah Ostlund.
Alex Lyon stopped 16 shots for Buffalo. Woll made 30 saves for Toronto.
The Maple Leafs had lost their first eight games after the Olympic break before beating the Ducks.
What’s Next
The Maple Leafs visit Minnesota on Sunday night.
The Sabres travel to Vegas on Tuesday night.
