Pittsburgh, Pa. (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - The Buffalo Sabres' first North American road trip of the 2024-25 season started on a sour note in Pittsburgh.
Despite holding multiple leads, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins who got the last laugh at PPG Paints Arena by a final score of 6-5 in overtime.
The Sabres, who earned their first win of the season on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers, kept the foot on the gas to start things on Wednesday.
Tage Thompson got things started just 43 seconds into the game, as he got in on the forecheck, forced a turnover of Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, and scored his third goal of the year.
About two-and-a-half minutes later, Jordan Greenway extended Buffalo's lead to 2-0 by winning a foot race for a puck off the boards, and he fired a shot past the glove of Jarry.
The Penguins responded with nine minutes left in the opening frame, and chopped the Sabres' lead in half. Forward Bryan Rust rammed home a power play goal for Pittsburgh to make it a 2-1 game.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby assisted on the play, notching his 1,600th-career point in the NHL.
It took the Sabres only 32 seconds to formulate an answer to Pittsburgh's goal. Flying in on a 2-on-1 rush, defenseman Bowen Byram fed winger JJ Peterka, who scored his second goal of the year to extend Buffalo's lead back to two.
Peterka's goal ended Jarry's night early, as he was pulled from the game by Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan in favor of backup Joel Blomqvist.
Pittsburgh pulled back to within one towards the midway point of the second period.
With both teams skating 4-on-3, a Dylan Cozens giveaway led to an odd-man rush the other way. Forward Drew O'Connor deposited his second-career shorthanded goal to tighten the score to 3-2, Buffalo.
The Sabres attempted to challenge the play for an offside, but the call on the ice stood after review due to inconclusive evidence.
Momentum continued to swing in the Penguins' favor as the period rolled on.
Pittsburgh was persistent in its peppering of Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Buffalo cracked under the pressure. Left all alone, forward Jesse Puljujarvi roofed a backhand past Luukkonen to make it a brand-new contest, 3-3, late in the frame.
The game remained tied until the early goings of the third period of regulation. This time, it was another milestone from another Penguins stalwart, as forward Evgeni Malkin scored goal No. 500 of his career from hes rear-end to give the home side its first lead of the night, 4-3.
It felt as though the moment would sink the Sabres, but the team spoiled the festivities with a pair of consecutive goals of its own. In a span of just 40 seconds, Buffalo responded with a pair of goals to re-take the lead.
Peterka was able to score his second goal of the night thanks to a nice bank pass from defenseman Henri Jokiharju off the boards that allowed the winger to get in-behind the Penguins defense.
Then it was newcomer Ryan McLeod firing a puck through traffic and past Blomqvist to give Buffalo a 5-4 lead with 9:04 to go in regulation. The goal was McLeod's first with the Sabres since coming over from the Edmonton Oilers in the offseason.
Pittsburgh, however, would not be denied in this back-and-forth affair.
WIth Blomqvist sent to the bench for an extra attacker, the Penguins cashed in to tie the score once again at 5-5. Forward Rickard Rakell was able to punched home the game-tying goal with just 46 seconds left in regulation, as a shot from Malkin got through Luukkonen and sat in the crease.
The home side was able to ride that wave into overtime.
Just 43 seconds into the extra frame, Thompson was called for a tripping minor, giving the Penguins a chance to put the Sabres away with a 4-on-3 man advantage.
It took Pittsburgh 55 seconds into the power play to end things, as Crosby was able to tap a pass from defenseman Erik Karlsson behind Luukkonen to give the Penguins the 6-5 victory.
----------
SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 0:43 - Tage Thompson (3) (Alex Tuch); 3:08 - Jordan Greenway (1) (Jason Zucker); 11:33 - JJ Peterka (1) (Bowen Byram, Alex Tuch)
PIT: 11:01 - Bryan Rust (1) PPG (Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
PIT: 9:12 - Drew O'Connor (2) SHG (Noel Acciari); 15:20 - Jesse Puljujarvi (1) (Lars Eller, Drew O'Connor)
Third Period:
BUF: 10:16 - JJ Peterka (2) (Henri Jokiharju); 10:56 - Ryan McLeod (1) (Bowen Byram, Jason Zucker)
PIT: 3:26 - Evgeni Malkin (2) (Sidney Crosby); 19:14 - Rickard Rakell (3) (Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
PIT: 1:38 - Sidney Crosby (1) PPG (Erik Karlsson, Evgeni Malkin)
----------
----------
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Evgeni Malkin - PIT
2. Sidney Crosby - PIT
3. Bryan Rust - PIT
----------
What's next:
The Sabres travel to Columbus on Thursday to visit the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.