The Buffalo Sabres' penultimate road game of the 2021-22 season had its fair share of magical moments. Visiting the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, the blue and gold put up five goals, including a pair of shorthanded tallies, and another from a touted first overall pick in a 5-2 win.
After a scoreless opening period, the Sabres broke the deadlock in wild fashion. Separate by just 47 seconds, Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch netted shorthanded goals against a hapless Devils power play unit.
It was Okposo's 21st and Tuch's 12th goals of the year, respectively.
Later in the middle stanza, Rasmus Dahlin extended the lead to 3-0 for the Sabres. A shot attempt broke his stick, but the puck still found its way in behind Devils goalie Andrew Hammond.
New Jersey got on the scoreboard with 7.2 seconds left in the second when forward Jesper Boqvist banged home a loose puck in-behind Craig Anderson during a last-second net-mouth scramble.
The teams traded the next two goals, both coming off the sticks of rookie skaters.
First, it was Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk registering his first-career goal to pull New Jersey within one, 3-2.
The Sabres then answered with a youngster of their own, as 2021 first overall pick Owen Power scored his first-career goal in the National Hockey League. The 19-year-old scored in just his fifth NHL game, thanks to an incredible effort from Jeff Skinner.
The Sabres officially put the game out of reach with 3:57 to play in regulation, as Tage Thompson connected with Skinner on a beautiful passing play. The goal was Skinner's 32nd of the year.
----------
GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
NJD: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 11:53 - Kyle Okposo (21) SHG (Rasmus Dahlin, Craig Anderson); 12:40 - Alex Tuch (12) SHG (Victor Olofsson); 17:58 - Rasmus Dahlin (12) (Victor Olofsson)
NJD: 19:52 - Jesper Boqvist (10) (Michael McLeod, Dougie Hamilton)
Third Period:
BUF: 8:33 - Owen Power (1) (Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson); 16:03 - Jeff Skinner (32) (Tage Thompson, Victor Olofsson)
NJD: 4:59 - Nikita Okhotiuk (1) (Janne Kuokkanen, Pavel Zacha)
----------
Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 16:20 - Kyle Okposo (Hooking - 2 min.)
NJD: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 9:08 - Rasmus Dahlin (Tripping - 2 min.); 10:56 - Casey Mittelstadt (Hooking - 2 min.); 15:10 - Henri Jokiharju (Slashing - 2 min.)
NJD: 9:37 - Dougie Hamilton (Slashing - 2 min.); 13:01 - Damon Severson (Hooking - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
NJD: NONE
----------
----------
Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Craig Anderson - BUF
2.) Rasmus Dahlin - BUF
3.) Kyle Okposo - BUF
----------
What's next:
The Sabres return to Buffalo to host the New York Islanders on Saturday at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET with pregame coverage on WGR with Brian Koziol starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.
