Josh Doan scored twice and Alex Tuch recorded a career-best four assists as the Buffalo Sabres rolled past the Chicago Blackhawks, 9-3, on Friday night at KeyBank Center.
Buffalo controlled the game from the opening period. Doan started the scoring by knocking in his own rebound with just over six minutes left in the first. Jason Zucker, returning after an extended illness, doubled the lead 82 seconds later, and Bowen Byram added a power-play marker for a 3-0 advantage. Chicago broke through before intermission on Tyler Bertuzzi’s first of two goals.
The Sabres blew the game open in the second. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson scored eight seconds apart, the team’s fastest pair of goals since 2013, pushing the lead to 5-1. After Alex Vlasic briefly cut into the deficit, Doan tallied again for his second multi-goal outing of the season. Buffalo continued to pour it on in the third, highlighted by Tage Thompson extending his goal streak to five games.
Jack Quinn, Jacob Bryson, and Byram also found the scoresheet, rounding out one of Buffalo’s most convincing performances of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves to earn the win.
The Sabres (8-9-4) have now won three of their last four games and continue their homestand Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes at 1 p.m.
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].