After a tumultuous start to their three-game road trip in Western Canada, the Buffalo Sabres righted the ship in an impressive way.
The blue and gold were overtime winners on Friday night in Calgary, and they did it again on Sunday night thanks to Rasmus Dahlin. The defenseman's overtime goal sunk the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena by a final score of 3-2.
The Sabres grabbed the 1-0 edge just 1:50 into the contest when the middle of the ice opened up for Casey Mittelstadt. As he gained the Canucks' zone, he made no mistake burying his third goal of the season.
The Canucks evened the score with an early goal of their own in the second period of play. J.T. Miller rung a shot up and off the crossbar that withstood an official review. It was Miller's 25th goal of the season for Vancouver.
The Sabres responded less than 90 seconds later, and re-claimed their lead at 2-1. Rasmus Dahlin found himself down below the net with the teams skating 4-on-4, and the blue-liner fed Jeff Skinner, who snuck out in front.
Vancouver challenged the play for offsides, but their attempt was unsuccessful. With Skinner's goal standing, he scored his 24th of the 2021-22 season.
The Canucks, once again, found the equalizer, as before the end of the second, forward Bo Horvat struck for a power play tally. The Canucks captain netted his 23rd goal of the season with 6:28 left in the frame.
Neither team scored a goal in the third period, and so began overtime for the second time in three nights for the Sabres.
Fortunately for the blue and gold, Dahlin's second point of the night dropped the curtain on the contest just 48 seconds into the extra frame.
Rasmus "Dah-licious" put on a show and helped the Sabres end their trip on a high note.
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GAME RECAP:
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 1:50- Casey Mittelstadt (3) (Victor Olofsson, Colin Miller)
VAN: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 3:55 - Jeff Skinner (24) (Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt)
VAN: 2:31 - J.T. Miller (25) (Conor Garland, Luke Schenn); 13:32 - Bo Horvat (23) PPG (J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
VAN: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: 0:48 - Rasmus Dahlin (9) (Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson)
VAN: NONE
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 19:25 - Rasmus Dahlin (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
VAN: 9:22 - Brad Hunt (Interference - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 2:31 - Dylan Cozens (Roughing - 2 min.);
VAN: 2:31 - Conor Garland (Roughing - 2 min.); 3:55 - Unsuccessful challenge (Delay of game - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 15:25 - Mattias Samuelsson (Tripping - 2 min.)
VAN: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
VAN: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Bo Horvat - VAN
2.) Rasmus Dahlin - BUF
3.) J.T. Miller - VAN
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What's next:
The Sabres return home to KeyBank Center to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, two days after the NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.