Stop number two of three for the Buffalo Sabres in Western Canada went as well as the first, as the blue and gold doubled up the Calgary Flames inside Scotiabank Saddledome 6-3.
The home team struck first on this night. Just 4:21 into the game, Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane potted his second goal of the season with help from linemates Nazem Kadri and Dillon Dube.
The Sabres answered quickly, a little over two minutes later. Dylan Cozens' first goal of the campaign came thanks to a little "stick-to-it"-iveness, as the upstart forward jammed home a loose puck.
Just past the halfway point of the opening period, bit of history was made by a fifth-year defenseman in the midst of an ongoing scoring streak.
Rasmus Dahlin's fourth goal in as many games made it 2-1 Buffalo.
The rampant Sabres attack continued on later in the frame, as Casey Mittelstadt joined the fun on a penalty kill. Mittelstadt's 34th-career goal was of the short-handed variety; a filthy backhand up above the reach of Calgary's Jakob Markstrom.
That would also be one of the last shots Markstrom would face on Thursday night, as Flames head coach Darryl Sutter pulled the veteran netminder during the first intermission. Sutter opted for backup Dan Vladar to start the middle frame, and he was promptly greeted by this shot from Alex Tuch to make it 4-1 Sabres.
Buffalo's run of four unanswered goals came to a halt with two-seconds left in the second period, when Calgary forward Trevor Lewis snuck a puck in behind Comrie for his first goal of the season. Lewis' tally made it 4-2 as the teams prepped for the third.
Things got interesting just 69-seconds into the third period of play, when former Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov scored a goal through a screen to cut the Buffalo lead all the way down to one, at 4-3.
From that point on, though, it was the "Tuch Show" in Calgary. Minutes later, Tage Thompson and he connected for the prettiest of powerplay goals to re-claim a multi-goal edge.
Then with less than two minutes to play, Tuch put the bow on his career night with an empty-net goal to mark his first-ever hat-trick. Not only did Tuch grab hold of the team lead in goals, he also put the Sabres up for good at the eventual final of 6-3.
Comrie made 40-plus saves for the second-consecutive game in the victory as the Sabres moved to 3-1-0 in 2022-23.
GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 6:34 - Dylan Cozens (1) (Jacob Bryson, Vinnie Hinostroza); 10:49 - Rasmus Dahlin (4) (J-J Peterka, Vinnie Hinostroza); 13:10 - Casey Mittelstadt (1) SHG (Vinnie Hinostroza)
CGY: 4:21 - Andrew Mangiapane (2) (Nazem Kadri, Dillon Dube)
Second Period:
BUF: 0:46 - Alex Tuch (3) (Owen Power, Jacob Bryson)
CGY: 19:57 - Trevor Lewis (1) (Jonathan Huberdeau, Michael Stone)
Third Period:
BUF: 5:41 - Alex Tuch (4) PPG (Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt); 18:35 - Alex Tuch (5) ENG (Unassisted)
CGY: 1:09 - Nikita Zadorov (1) (Rasmus Andersson, Tyler Toffoli)
Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 11:37 - Alex Tuch (Tripping - 2 min.)
CGY: 8:20 - Bench minor (Too many men on the ice - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: 5:01 - Chris Tanev (Hooking - 2 min.); 9:51 - Nikita Zadorov (Boarding - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
CGY: 4:54 - Nikita Zadorov (Tripping - 2 min.); 15:44 - Rasmus Andersson (Interference - 2 min.)
Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Alex Tuch - BUF
2.) Vinnie Hinostroza - BUF
3.) Casey Mittelstadt - BUF
What's Next?
The blue and gold head to Vancouver, British Columbia to visit the Canucks on Saturday night. Puck drop inside Rogers Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET, and pregame coverage on the flagship home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550 - starts at 9 p.m. ET with Brian Koziol.