The Penguins headed into the Olympic break on a high note Thursday night when they visited the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a two-game skid with a gritty 5-2 victory. After a tough stretch that followed their six-game win streak, the Penguins turned to their youth to spark a comeback at KeyBank Center, led by a dream performance from Avery Hayes, who found the back of the net twice in his NHL debut. Ben Kindel was just as dangerous, also netting two goals to help Pittsburgh outpace a Sabres squad that got goals from both Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker, but ultimately fell to their second straight loss. For the Penguins, it\u2019s a perfect momentum-builder as the league pauses for the Olympics, with them set to return to PPG Paints Arena on February 26th to host the New Jersey Devils, while Buffalo looks to bounce back in Newark on February 25th.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Penguins Lineup:<\/p>\n
Mantha \u2013 Crosby \u2013 Rust
Chinakhov \u2013 Novak \u2013 Malkin
Dewar \u2013 Kindel \u2013 Brazeau
McGroarty \u2013 K. Hayes \u2013 A. Hayes<\/p>\n
Wotherspoon \u2013 Karlsson
Kulak \u2013 Shea
Solovyov \u2013 Clifton<\/p>\n
Silovs
Skinner<\/p>\n
Buffalo Sabres Lineup:<\/p>\n
Krebs \u2013 Thompson \u2013 Tuch
Zucker \u2013 McLeod \u2013 Quinn
Doan \u2013 Ostlund \u2013 Helenius
Malenstyn \u2013 Kozak \u2013 Rosen<\/p>\n
Samuelsson \u2013 Dahlin
Byram \u2013 Power
Bryson \u2013 Kesselring<\/p>\n
Lyon
Ellis<\/p>\n
Getting the Sabres on the board first, Jason Zucker<\/a> gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead early in the opening frame at 18:14 with his 15th goal of the season. Egor Chinakhov lost the puck in the neutral zone when it was tapped away from him, and Ryan McLeod got the puck, passing it to Zucker at the blue line to the top of the left circle for a wrist shot that beat Arturs Silovs to the far side. Avery Hayes<\/a> tied it 1-1 with his first NHL goal when he chased a loose puck with Jason Bryson, beating him to it for a short breakaway, and snapped it past Alex Lyon at 10:43. Later in the first period with 1:14 to go, Hayes<\/a> gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead when Parker Wotherspoon kept the puck in Buffalo\u2019s end and Anthony Mantha picked it up, sending a no-look pass between his legs from behind the net to Hayes low in the left circle, where he got it past Lyon glove side with a rising snap shot.<\/p>\n Ben Kindel<\/a> extended Pittsburgh\u2019s lead to 3-1, scoring his 13th of the season on a 2-on-1 with Justin Brazeau when he scored bar down from the left circle at 12:17 of the second period.<\/p>\n Tage Thompson<\/a> cut it to 3-2 early in the third frame at 18:06, putting in his 30th goal of the season after taking a pass from Jack Quinn to lift a wrist shot short side from the goal line over Silovs\u2019 right shoulder on a power play. With 4:28 to go, Tommy Novak<\/a> put in the rebound of Chinakhov\u2019s point shot past Lyon\u2019s glove in front for his 11th goal of the season. Kindel picked up his second of the night, putting a short-handed goal in the empty Sabres net for the 5-2 final with 14 seconds left.<\/p>\n