BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Doan opened and closed the scoring with power-play goals and the Buffalo Sabres outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-7 on Sunday night in a wild and feisty showdown for the Atlantic Division lead.
Doan broke a tie with 4:17 left with his 21st goal of the season, helping the Sabres win their seventh straight and move two points ahead of the Lightning.
The teams combined for 100 penalty minutes in a game that included five fights and a postgame scrum. They’ll meet one more time in the regular season on April 6 in Buffalo.
Doan capped a two-goal, third-period comeback for Buffalo in a game the Sabres led by three goals.
Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker also scored twice for the Sabres. Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin added goals, Tage Thompson had four assists and Bo Byram three. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves.
Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist for the Lightning, who have lost five of their last six. J.J. Moser, Corey Perry, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, and Zemgus Girgensons also scored, and Jonas Johansson made 34 saves.
Back on December 8, the Sabres were in last place in the Atlantic Division. Now they sit alone on top of the division with only 18 games remaining in the regular season.
Buffalo is now 39-19-6 overall and 20-8-3 in home games. The Sabres rank eighth in the league serving 9.5 penalty minutes per game.
The Buffalo Sabres next host the San Jose Sharks Tuesday. The matchup is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.