In shocking turn of events, Buffalo makes much-needed comeback

Score: Sabres 3 | Wild 2

Shots: BUF 32 | MIN 24

Buffalo Sabres Goals: Beck Malenstyn (3), Josh Doan (5)

Minnesota Wild Goals: Kirill Kaprizov (17), Matt Boldy (15)

Minus-1: Same Old Story

The Sabres were the first ones to get special teams on the ice tonight, but it mattered not, even with the man-advantage. Buffalo managed zero shots during their first period power play and it, quite frankly, begs the question: when is enough torture enough?

In other news, the Sabres failed to score first yet again tonight. Minnesota took full advantage of a Buffalo line change and it worked out perfectly in their favor to get the 1-0 lead halfway through the opening period. Quick thinking and no-frills passing helped to get the puck past Colten Ellis as Kirill Kaprizov netted his 17th of this young season and fifth straight – justifying his hefty paycheck. The Sabres eventually answered back with Peyton Krebs’ wrister on the stick side of Filip Gustavsson, which was redirected into the net by Beck Malenstyn. Unfortunately, the tie was short-lived with the Wild answering back following a turnover in the Sabres’ zone by Alex Tuch. Sigh.

I’ll just leave this here:

The Sabres’ goaltenders have let in 10 goals on their last 46 shots over the last 3 games.

That’s a .783 SV%.

— The Sabre Report (@TheSabreReport) November 30, 2025

Plus-1: PK Stays Hot

A common theme and perhaps the one positive aspect of the Sabres this year is their consistent penalty kill. They were able to keep the score at 2-1 even after Alex Tuch earned a tripping call to give the home team the man-advantage. Ellis deserves some credit here, too, with some impressive saves during the two-minute kill.

Plus-2: Lucky Break

After another uneventful second period, the Sabres came out with a little more life in the third period. Tying up the game for the second time, Buffalo’s goal was honestly pure luck. Josh Doan fired his shot off of the boards behind Gustavsson and Mats Zuccarello accidently swatted the puck into the net after attempting to grab it.

It is this lucky break that carried the team into overtime to guarantee at least one point in the standings.

Final Thoughts

The Sabres benefitted from a combination of luck and solid goaltending tonight. Coming into tonight’s game, the Wild were12-0-2 when leading after the second period, so the odds were not in Buffalo’s favor to win after being behind most of the game. However, they found a way to push play into overtime and then win, thanks Noah Ostlund’s game-winning shootout goal. The other shootout goals were scored by Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn, respectively.

The Sabres still have zero regulation road wins this season, but fans can at least enjoy the much needed two points tonight.