The Buffalo Sabres closed the pre-Olympic portion of their schedule with a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at KeyBank Center, despite a third-period push that briefly cut the deficit to one goal.
Jason Zucker opened the scoring for Buffalo, but Pittsburgh responded with two first-period goals from rookie forward Avery Hayes, who scored twice in his NHL debut to give the Penguins the lead. Ben Kindel added a second-period goal to extend Pittsburgh’s advantage to 3-1.
Tage Thompson’s 30th goal of the season brought Buffalo back within striking distance early in the third period. The power-play tally trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with more than 18 minutes remaining, but the Sabres were unable to generate the equalizer. Tommy Novak restored Pittsburgh’s two-goal cushion with 4:27 left in regulation, and Kindel sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Buffalo enters the Olympic break holding the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with 70 points, five points ahead of the closest non-playoff teams.
Prior to the game, Buffalo honored Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin during an Olympic sendoff ceremony. Both players are set to represent their countries at the upcoming international tournament, which begins February 11 in Italy.
The Sabres return to action following the break with a three-game road trip, beginning February 25 in New Jersey.
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].