San Jose, Calif. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres finished up their three-game road trip on Saturday with a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center. The win gave Buffalo four out of a possible six points on their trip through the State of California.
The Sabres got the scoring started early, as Dylan Cozens joined the 20-goal club in an impressive way. Cozens skated coast-to-coast and beat Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen with a bad-angle shot to make it 1-0 just 3:01 in.
San Jose evened the score before first period's end, though, as defenseman Jacob McDonald's shot was deflected in behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen by forward Evgeny Svechnikov.
The Sabres answered back and re-claimed the lead early in the middle stanza. Owen Power snuck down deep and beat Kahkonen with a backhand shot. It was Power's fourth goal of the season, all of which have come on the road.
Back-and-forth the teams went once again, as 11:57 into the second period, San Jose responded with forward Alexander Barabanov netting his 11th goal of the season to knot the score at 2-2.
In the third period, the Sabres took their third lead of the night when Tage Thompson went to work behind the San Jose net. He won a crucial puck battle, and threw a pass in front of the crease that found Jeff Skinner all alone for his 21st goal of the season.
Skinner's goal also helped extend his scoring streak against the Sharks franchise to a seventh-consecutive game.
In the waning minutes, the Sabres finally bucked the punch, counter-punch trend in the game when Alex Tuch hit pay dirt on the San Jose empty net to bring the score to its 4-2 final.
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GAME RECAP:
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 3:01 - Dylan Cozens (20) (Unassisted)
SJS: 16:49 - Evgeny Svechnikov (6) (Jacob McDonald, Steven Lorentz)
Second Period:
BUF: 6:26 - Owen Power (4) (Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner)
SJS: 11:57 - Alexander Barabanov (11) (Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture)
Third Period:
BUF: 9:52 - Jeff Skinner (21) (Tage Thompson); 18:59 - Alex Tuch (26) ENG (Rasmus Dahlin)
SJS: NONE
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 18:28 - Rasmus Dahlin (Interference - 2 min.)
SJS: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 18:55 - Peyton Krebs (Slashing - 2 min.)
SJS: 16:44 - Erik Karlsson (Holding - 2 min.); 18:55 - Timo Meier (Roughing - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
SJS: 1:23 - Timo Meier (Penalty Shot - Hooking on Peyton Krebs breakaway)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jeff Skinner - BUF
2.) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - BUF
3.) Steven Lorentz - SJS
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What's next:
The return home to host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night for a 7:30 p.m. EST puck drop at KeyBank Center. Pregame coverage with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog gets started at 6:30 p.m. ET on the flagship home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
