Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It was a wild affair between the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 2 of the Sabres Prospects Challenge on Saturday night at Harborcenter.
After a total combined 12 goals, 80 shots on net and 79 minutes in penalties, it was the Blue Jackets coming out on the winning end of a 7-5 contest.
It was the Sabres who opened the scoring just as a power play opportunity expired with 7:13 gone in the first period. It was Riley Fiddler-Schultz jumping on a loose puck to the right of Blue Jackets goalie Nolan Lalonde after a rebound was left in front of the net.
With less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame, the Blue Jackets evened the score at 1-1 off the stick of defenseman Caleb MacDonald. Off a cross-ice feed from forward Luca Pinelli, MacDonald was able to roof a nice shot over Sabres goalie Ryerson Leenders to tie the game.
Columbus grabbed its first lead of the night just over six minutes into the middle frame, as forward Tyler Peddle was at the doorstep to bang home a rebound through a sprawled out Leenders in the Buffalo crease.
Just about three minutes later, the Sabres were back even with the Blue Jackets thanks to a goal from Noah Ostlund while playing at 4-on-4. It was Isaac Belliveau who led Ostlund ahead with a nice stretch pass, and the former first-round pick of Buffalo in the 2022 NHL Draft went to the backhand to beat Lalonde for the goal.
A little more than three minutes after that, Buffalo regained its lead thanks to a goal from Red Savage, who had space from the corner and took the puck to the net. His shot beat Lalone to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead with 7:46 left on the clock in the second period.
The lead wasn't long-lived, though, as the Blue Jackets pulled even again just 2:39 later with a shorthanded goal from Nicholas Sima. Columbus caught the Sabres with an empty tank of gas on the shift, and took advantage to tie the game at 3-3.
The third period saw the Blue Jackets take advantage of a more tired Sabres squad, who had just played the night before against the New Jersey Devils.
Blue Jackets forward Jordan Dumais put Columbus ahead just 3:22 into the third period with a beautiful goal off a feed from linemate Oiva Keskinen while on the power play.
Three-and-a-half minutes later, the Blue Jackets took advantage of a turnover from defenseman Noah Laberge, and it was Pinelli playing give-and-go with Keskinen, and the 2023 fourth-round pick picked up the goal and his fourth point of the night.
The Sabres showed some life with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation, as a shorthanded goal from Matteo Constantini cut the deficit to 5-4. Savage and 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka picked up the assists on the goal.
However, the Blue Jackets managed to kill any sort of momentum the Sabres may have gained just 35 seconds later on the power play, as forward Owen Griffin got a piece of a point shot from defenseman Marcus Kearsey.
With time dwindling down and the Sabres given a man advantage, Buffalo pulled Leenders and tried to close the gap again while playing at 6-on-4. However, the Blue Jackets used their speed to take the puck to the open net, which was deposited by forward Ryland Mosley.
Buffalo managed to add one more goal from Fiddler-Schultz, but the goal came with less than a second remaining on the game clock to close out the scoring, 7-5.
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SCORING RECAP:
First Period:
BUF: 7:13 - Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1) (Olivier Nadeau, Vsevolod Komarov)
CBJ: 15:38 - Caleb MacDonald (1) (Luca Pinelli, Jordan Dumais)
Second Period:
BUF: 9:05 - Noah Ostlund (1) (Isaac Belliveau, Simon-Pier Brunet); 12:14 - Red Savage (1) (Simon-Pier Brunet, Matteo Constantini)
CBJ: 6:09 - Tyler Peddle (1) (Luca Pinelli, Jack Williams); 14:53 - Nicholas Sima (1) SHG (Ryland Mosley)
Third Period:
BUF: 10:17 - Matteo Constantini (1) SHG (Red Savage, Radim Mrtka); 19:59 - Riley Fiddler-Schultz (2) (Melvin Novotny)
CBJ: 3:22 - Jordan Dumais (1) PPG (Oiva Keskinen, Luca Pinelli); 5:53 - Luca Pinelli (1) (Oiva Keskinen); 10:52 - Owen Griffin (1) PPG (Marcus Kearsey, Ryland Mosley); 15:19 - Ryland Mosley (1) ENG/SHG (Unassisted)
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Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Luca Pinelli - CBJ
2.) Ryland Mosley - CBJ
3.) Nolan Lalonde - CBJ
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What's next:
The Sabres will wrap up their 2025 Sabres Prospects Challenge with a matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday afternoon at Harborcenter. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m. with Paul Hamilton, Brayton Wilson and Owen Parker on the call on The Bet 1520.
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