The Buffalo Sabres delivered one of their sharpest efforts of the season Sunday, rolling past the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, at KeyBank Center. The victory marked Buffalo’s fourth in five games, pulling the team back to an even .500 at 9-9-4.
Buffalo set the tone early against a Carolina squad that entered the day leading the Eastern Conference. Alex Tuch opened the scoring on a first-period power play, and the Sabres’ pressure was so strong that the Hurricanes didn’t register a shot until midway through the frame. A potential second Buffalo goal was erased on review when officials ruled Zach Benson had interfered with Frederik Andersen, keeping the margin at one.
Carolina briefly pulled even on a Shayne Gostisbehere power-play tally, but the Sabres dominated the middle period to take control. Jack Quinn restored the lead, and Beck Malenstyn electrified the crowd minutes later with the play of the night, charging through the neutral zone, slipping the puck through Sebastian Aho’s legs, and finishing a breakaway for his second goal in four games.
Tage Thompson sealed the win with an empty-netter, extending his scoring streak to six games, the franchise’s longest since 2006 when Jason Pominville did it. Ryan McLeod posted his second straight multi-point outing with two assists.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen continued his strong play with 29 saves, earning his second consecutive victory. Benson, returning from a 10-game absence, logged nearly 17 minutes and helped set up Thompson’s late insurance goal.
The Sabres head to Pittsburgh next for a Wednesday night matchup with the Penguins at 7 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].