It was the definition of a turnaround effort for the Buffalo Sabres, as they put Thursday night's 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the rearview mirror in an impressive way.
Visiting the Calgary Flames on Friday night, the blue and gold shocked one of the Western Conference's best squads in overtime by way of a 1-0 win at Scotiabank Saddledome.
The Sabres and Flames battled through two scoreless periods to start the night, though it didn't come without some incredible saves along the way. Dustin Tokarski and Jacob Markstrom went toe-to-toe in the nets, but Tokarski stole the show with a highlight-reel save in the second period on forward Calle Jarnkrok.
Another scoreless frame followed in the third, as the two teams prepared for overtime.
The Sabres dominated the extra period, and their "stick-to-it-iveness" paid off when Markstrom made the ultimate gaffe with the game in the balance.
The misplay of the puck by Markstrom led to Tage Thompson's 25th goal of the season, and proved to be the game-winning tally in overtime.
The blue and gold are now 1-1-0 in Western Canada.
----------
GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: 3:07 - Tage Thompson (25) (Unassisted)
CGY: NONE
----------
Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 0:30 - Kyle Okposo (Hooking - 2 min.)
CGY: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: 7:57 - Noah Hanifin (Hooking - 2 min.); 15:44 - Chris Tanev (Slashing - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 6:15 - Dylan Cozens (Roughing - 2 min.)
CGY: 4:42 - Mikael Backlund (Hooking - 2 min.); 6:15 - Tyler Toffoli (Roughing - 2 min.)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
CGY: NONE
----------
----------
Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Dustin Tokarski - BUF
2.) Jacob Markstrom - CGY
3.) Tage Thompson - BUF
----------
What's next:
The Sabres head to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Sunday night at Rogers Arena. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET with pregame coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET with Brian Koziol on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
