Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550/WBEN) - The Buffalo Sabres finished the home portion of the 2023-24 regular season on Thursday night with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center.
Jack Quinn scored the game-winning goal for Buffalo midway through the third period, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves to help secure the victory in front of the hometown faithful one last time this year.
There wasn't much offense to see throughout the first period in a low-shot battle.
However, that changed with exactly one minute remaining in the period when rookie winger Zach Benson broke the ice to give Buffalo the 1-0 lead. Benson scored his 10th goal of the campaign off a redirection on a Jeff Skinner shot.
The score remained the same until Alex Tuch received a nice pass from Henri Jokiharju and snapped home his 22nd goal of the season through Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren.
Just two minutes later, the Capitals got on the board to cut the Sabres' lead to 2-1, as Connor McMichael beat Luukkonen for his 18th goal of the year.
Buffalo got an early chance on the power play in the third period, as Capitals winger Tom Wilson was called for tripping just 16 seconds into the frame. However, the Sabres could not convert with the man advantage.
Midway through the third, it was Quinn scoring on a beautiful toe-drag wrist shot to extend the Sabres' lead to 3-1.
In the final minutes of play and with the Capitals' net empty, Dylan Cozens made it a 4-1 game with an empty net goal for his 16th goal of the campaign.
Washington wasn't quite done, though, as Wilson cut the Buffalo lead to 4-2 with just a minute remaining in regulation.
The game didn't end without fanfare, though, as the two teams ended up getting into a bit of a melee as the clock hit 0:00. Rasmus Dahlin started the scuffle by laying T.J. Oshie to the ice, and it eventually led to Tage Thompson fighting Max Pacioretty and Jordan Greenway throwing punches with Wilson.
Throughout the night, the Sabres celebrated Fan Appreciation Night, but after the game, everyone on the team threw t-shirts into the crowd and rewarded Season Ticket member winners with the "jersey off their back" to cap off the night.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 19;00 - Zach Benson (10) (Jeff Skinner, Peyton Krebs)
WSH: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 12:37 - Alex Tuch (22) (Henri Jokiharju, Tage Thompson)
WSH: 14:36 - Connor McMichael (18) (Max Pacioretty, John Carlson)
Third Period:
BUF: 9:46 - Jack Quinn (8) (Connor Clifton, Jordan Greenway); 17:43 - Dylan Cozens (16) ENG (Jordan Greenway, Henri Jokiharju)
WSH: 19:00 - Tom Wilson (18) (TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin)
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Losi & Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Alex Tuch - BUF
2.) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - BUF
3.) Zach Benson - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres head out on the road for the final two games of the season, with the first coming in South Florida against the Panthers on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. ET on WGR Sports Radio 550, with pregame starting at 4 p.m. ET with Brian Koziol.